#17 Virginia Creeper

I like the shadow of it, too. I didn't know what this was called, though quite a bit came up when we first moved here and started watering our yard. Then we got new neighbors. Harry is an old guy who grew up in Pinos Altos, near Silver City, and told me it was all around his house when he was little and it was Virginia Creeper. I asked if he wanted some and he said sure, yes, that would be great. His wife was less enthusaistic. But when we had some well rooted, Keith and I asked Harry where he wanted it, and we put it there, and though his wife grumped some (as she does), there's a fence kind of in front of their front porch that's all covered now in Virginia Creeper. There are seasonal features not showing now. Blooms. Fall colors. Now, in August, it just has the green. That biggest pile of vines is growing up on a tripod of steel conduit covered in chicken wire on two sides. It was to have been temporary. There was a tree there and in a storm it leaned over so far I was afraid it might fall on Harry's house, so I persuaded Keith to have it removed quickly so we wouldn't hurt someone or be sued for damages. But that tree had vines on it, and so we gave them a "temporary" home. There's another pipe that goes from the tripod to the nearest tree, and so I wrapped plastic netting around it loosely and it's covered over with vine now too. The temporary solution has become longterm, but that's okay.