We spent most of the morning clearing pathways that have been overrun by Loofah vines and lima beans. We didn’t plant loofah this year, but it volunteered in several places, running along the ground instead of climbing the arbor. It makes a great ground cover and there weren’t many weeds under it, but left unchecked it’s like the plant that ate Atlanta. You have to have plenty of room for it to grow. We’re cutting it back so that we can again walk through the garden and removing the gourds so they don’t seed out and take over the entire garden next year. The leaves are beautiful and the bright yellow flowers are gorgeous. We just let them grow because it’s summer and nothing else loves the heat and humidity as much as loofah, so they are enjoyed until they’re not. Sans gourds, they made a great addition to our compost bins and organic mulch in other parts of the garden.
The lima beans presented another problem. Glenn had planted a variety of heirloom limas supported by his very substantial trellis made with galvanized pipe. Fortunately or unfortunately, the beans were so prolific that they overpowered the trellis and it fell over into the pathway requiring another detour to get to the back of the garden. The bean plants were lush and beautiful but there were not many pods, so we cut them back to the edge of the raised bed where they were planted and cleared the path. We now know the limits of Glenn’s trellis.
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| Good plant. Passion flower. Another beautiful plant which pops up everywhere. Well worth it for the profusion of butterflies it hosts. |
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| Bad plant. This is the flower of Skunk vine, a noxious invasive that is taking over our part of the world. Pull all you can so it doesn’t make seeds. That won’t eradicate it, but may slow it’s proliferation. |
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| Someone gave us this sink several years ago, and after much discussion we decided to locate it here. Thanks to Michael Dugger for the very substantial base. |
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| Fruit of the Pindo Palm. The fruit makes a delicious jelly, hence it’s common name—Jelly Palm. |
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| Loofah Lava |
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