I've had good luck fighting Japanese honeysuckle by pulling it in the winter (though that can be dangerous if it's intergrown with poison ivy). You can also use Roundup or triclopyr (for example, Ortho Max Poison Ivy and Tough Brush Killer). The Nature Conservancy says to spray in late fall or winter to avoid damaging desirable plants; but be sure to spray when it's warm enough that the honeysuckle isn't dormant. If the neighbor's property is uphill, honeysuckle seeds will continue to reach your property. [I don't know if they're also spread by birds, though I suspect not, since I never find seedlings under the shade trees in my front yard.] Another possibility is to have someone till your side of the property and hope there's no rain for a while. That did wonders for the honeysuckle situation in part of my pasture (I actually had it plowed for planting vegetables, but it killed the remaining honeysuckle I hadn't eradicated in that area). http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/fact/loja1.htm http://www.imapinvasives.org/GIST/ESA/esapages/lonijapo.html Both sites also have information about fighting other particular nasties.

Ezzirah, Any onions sold as bundled plants in Oklahoma should be types that grow well here....I've only seen long daylength types sold here as bulb-like sets, not as bundled plants. The original Granex was released in Texas in the early 1950s, I think, and is still sold today. There now are many named granex types sold for the south and they all grow well and produce, but not all are equally productive and disease resistant. The Grano types (like Texas 1015Y) are improved granex types and the improvement is mainly improved disease resistance, which in the case of onions generally means improved resistance to pinkrot. When selecting onions to grow in Oklahoma, any granex, grano or bermuda type ought to grow just fine. It is the long daylength types that won't bulb up here. Another easy way to choose is to watch for the word 'sweet' or 'supersweet' in a variety name or in the variety description because those are the types that grow well in the south. (We can't grown the hotter or more pungent/more spicy onions here because they don't bulb up.) The only downside to growing sweet or supersweet tyes is that they generally don't store for as long as they hotter and more pungent onion types. With proper curing, though, I've had them last easily 6 months in storage which is longer than average for sweet onions. For longer-term storage, I chop them or slice them and freeze them. Onions are one of the easiest veggies to grow here. As long as you don't plant them in soil that stays too wet and as long as late, severe cold doesn't hit them they're a cinch to grow. Dawn

I had a heavily brambled area that was supposed to be a right-of-way. I tipped the hand mower up to a 90 degree angle and went for it. Grass established, the area also flourished with wild strawberries, devil's paintbrushes and a lot of other wild flowers. It was a lot more difficult than it sounds and worked out nicely. Most projects are not that straight forward though. What I see a lot of people do is start at the edges of the property and work their way out. I love woodland gardening! Depending upon the situation, you can probably cut a balance between... maintenance, progress, urgent issues and final goals. For maintenance, a lot of people have it somewhat clear around the house. I would be sure that this part of the property is set and work my way out. Progress is starting from maintenance and working your way out. Where I garden, I only have a small patch of woods. My brother has a much larger patch. It is really interesting being right with the plants if you are not too much in a hurry to get everything cleared. I have lots of plants that come back every year that are really wonderful. I can give a whole tour any time of the growing year to point out interesting plants. The children love to hear about pokeberry and how the pokeberry ink was used to write the constitution. The thing is, all different kinds of plants will become obvious during the year. Trilliums (my brother has these) are so lovely! They can get completely lost in a rushed clearing. I start at the edges and remove trees, brush and brambles that are invasive, diseased or crowded out to unhealthy have some of the nicer specimens flourish. Sometimes even a broken dying stump as artistic value. I have gone to garden areas where they have done wonderful things and photographed the stumps! While clearing, I am watching for those lovely surprises by my feet. Trilliums, wild lily of the valley, star flowers really make the place a special home! Urgent issues may come up from time to time. My brother has some wetlands, and wetter property in his woods. He did find it necessary to go on a project to clear out some trees and concentrate on important issues. He had to remove a lot of the Virginia creeper that was choking some house stomping sized trees. This year that is his largest concentration. Final goals can be considered at every point of the project. Even while working on urgent issues, if you have discovered some native or desirable plants, you can probably stick a few in the ground so they can be populating. While clearing, you can be making the path, if you are thinking about a certain route through the woods. I grew up where there were several paths crossing paths through the woods to get to special places. I could branch off towards different springs, to the abandoned quarry or go directly to the pond or visit a friend. Gardening is an ongoing project. I would keep it to enjoyable levels. A couple years from now you will sit back and enjoy your artistic endeavor and think about how you would never arrive.

When those long, 12 foot canes were growing, it would have been best if you cut them off at about 6 feet. That keeps them under control to the point you hardly even need a trellis. As well, a lot more side shoots sprout out the sides, making for a lot more berries. I wouldn't worry about trying to make more plants from cuttings - I don't think it will work anyway - because you will find new plants will start to sprout out from underground roots. Often I am getting new plants a foot or more away from the original plant that I just dig up and replant where I want it. Actually, I get so many that I cut out a good number of them just to keep the plants growing and not too crowded within the rows where I want them.