Thanks, Brooke - I'll try that. Actually, my dad's farm will soon be my brother's, so I'm not going to worry about it anymore but I'll pass the info on to him. I will try that at my place where the honeysuckle roams (and the wild grapevines, too).

Wild graspevines - yuck, another real pest. Brooke, what color are the Honeysuckle flowers? I have some vines with a yellow flower that I think might be Honeysuckle, but am not sure. Very interesting about the 20 minutes to apply RU. I did not know that.

Royce, are your yellow-flowered vines blooming (beginning) now? If so, they may be Carolina Jasmine/Jessamine, which has a very sweet fragrance. Take a look at this page, but I think their camera has the same problem as your Nikon. The blooms on mine, which grow wild all over the place here, are more lemon yellow instead of the golden color in the picture on this link.

Even if I'm wrong, I'm glad I looked this up--I had no idea my vine was poisonous!

Lelia

Here is a link that might be useful: Carolina Jessamine

Lelia, I think that's it. I always heard it called wild honeysuckle and on the link below, it says some people call it wild honeysuckle. Picture at following link shows them yellow and so are mine. They also have a sweet fragrance as you mentioned. I did not know it was poisonous either.

Have no idea now about what wild honeysuckle looks like. Is it a vine, shrub, or what?

Here is a link that might be useful: Carolina Jessamine

Lelia, I read the part on your link about toxity in more detail. It says it can cause skin allergies, which is interesting to me. I am very allergic to things like poison ivy, poison oak, etc. Occasionally, in getting pine straw for mulch, I have a small allergic reaction, even in the winter. Nothing serious, perhaps only a couple of small itchy bumps, like from poison ivy/oak. I know that also grows wild in the woods, so I have just thought I touched one of those vines. Now I wonder if it was the Carolina Jessamine. It definitely grows in the area where I get the pine needles. Hmmm, might have to see how it likes Roundup.

Royce,
Here are pictures of wild honeysuckle aka Japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica)

The blooms do turn yellow when they age, but start out white (you can see yellow ones in the vine pictures). The white blooms in the closeup are fresh (new) blooms.

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Tammy

flower lover knows honeysuckle! That's it, nasty stuff.

There is a vining honeysuckle and a shrub honeysuckle, both are obnoxious. I have a clematis growing up a pole in one of the display gardens that is 10-12 years old. Noticed some funky foliage on the pole last year and guess what, I had a big clump of honeysuckle vine growing in there. Hubby just dug, hopefully, the honeysuckle out a couple of weeks ago after I trimmed the clematis back. I hope he got it all because I don't want to lose the clematis. It appears to be OK on one side of the pole and has started growing again but if all the honeysuckle is not gone, it will get strong RU as soon as it appears.

I don't know what wild grapevine is but don't send me any. Sounds like another awful pest. I have enough when you throw in the poison ivy. Hubby cut out some poison ivy from a tree row last year that were as big around as my wrist. When it resprouted, it met Mr. RU. I think it has been eliminated from the new area but will watch for it again this spring with another reintroduction if needed.

Brooke

Geez, now I am totally confused. Don't know "what I got". Don't think mine is blooming yet. When it blooms, I might post a picture, if I can find some that isn't in snake territory. At my place, it is just in the woods and doesn't particularly bother me, but am just curious. Thanks for all the info.

I am very allergic (skin reaction) to poison ivy, so guess I would have to think that is worse than any of the mentioned pests. I used to think it was safe to roam the woods and not be too careful in winter. Discovered touching the vines or roots still caused problems and I have to be careful even in winter.

Brooke, I am guessing that the wild grapevines are nearly, if not totally, as bad as wisteria. Some of those vines can be as large, or larger, than your arm and also grow up trees.

I love honeysuckel!!!! It smells so sweet on the afternoon breeze, and it tastes good too!! Just pull off a flower and pinch the bottom off, and suck the honey(necter) right out! Not that invasive here? Never really gets outa control, of course the horses and cows keep the vines in check.

The grape-vines around here produce fruit though, muscadines, and the poison ivy doesnt bother me, not allergic, but i know some-where some-day some-one up above will smote me when im in it up to my ears thinking im not allergic, and ill develope new allergies and be bed ridden for weeks!!!
We also have poison oak and dead nettles all over, they are already blooming here such nice purple flowers, such horrible stings!!

The worst thing here though is the blackberry vines/brambles they are horrible!!! Although most produce excellent fruit they are a real pest when not wanted!

Brooke whats RU? I know you are using to kill weed-vines trees ETC where can you get it? Also does it harm nearby trees plants?
G

RU is the lazy typist way of saying Round Up. RU only works on green growing plants. It will not hurt anything if it never hits the foliage.

Agree with you on the blackberry/raspberry brambles. Around here, the birds get the fruit before it can be picked so we eventually got rid of the ones in a fence row next to the garden.

Be carefuly with the poison ivy/oak because eventually you can become allergic.

Brooke

We have lots of Birch and Maple and a couple of Poplar. As for the ones we planted, there is a Eastern Redbud and a Mountain Ash. Those two are under two feet tall so far. As for larger bushes, we have 8 different Rhododendrons in pinks and purples and whites.

Edward

I can attest to that, Brooke. I was NEVER allergic to poison ivy until about 3 years ago. Now I get it every year. Before, I could pull it, walk in it barefooted, anything I wanted to and it never bothered me. But not anymore!!!! Look out Gerard - the day will come :(

I also love the smell of honeysuckle (but hate the blasted thing at the same time). My property is surrounded on 3 sides by wooded acreage, and the first flush of honeysuckle bloom totally fills the air..........it smells like heaven :) But the fight to keep it at bay is horrible!!!
Tammy

I can attest to that too, Brooke and Tammy. I used to be able to touch Poison Ivy, sumac, you name it, did not bother me in the least bit! Showed several people ... you know bragging and all. They were amazed! A couple years ago my neighbor lady popped in for a visit showing me her poison sumac rash. Yuck. I had been chopping down some sumac trees in the back woods and was telling her it didn't bother me. A couple weeks later tho I noticed myself getting this rash on my fingers. Blistered up and looking just like what my neighbor lady had. Sure enough had to go to the doctor, it was confirmed. I won't touch any of that stuff anymore! I've also noticed as I get older, the allergies seem to be getting worse for me.
Nancy

It's just not fair, is it Nancy???? We're supposed to be getting better with age :)

I AM better with age - with age comes wisdom and wisdom brings the knowledge to avoid the stuff!

Brooke

(hows that for turning a negative into a positive)

Guess some things sorta even out. Brooke envies those of us who can have tree Crape Myrtles. I envy those of you who can have Rhodendrons.

Regarding fragrance, some things in small doses can be very nice, but too much is overpowering to me. Whatever the yellow blooming things are that I have are great at a distance, but can be too much if too many, too close. I have a Tea Olive shrub/tree at an abandoned house about 1000' from my house. It is nice at that distance, but is too much up close, when in full bloom. I have something blooming now that is near the greenhouse and way too much. Have forgotten it's name. Thought it was a Beauty Bush, but nothing I have read indicates it is terribly fragrant, so perhaps it is something else. As I have said before, I think my favorite for fragrance is Carolina Allspice. Never too strong. Just my preferences.

Still not sure, but think the shrub I mentioned above as overpowering in fragrance and a possible Beauty Bush, is one of the Viburnums.

Here is a link that might be useful: Viburnum

Royce, I am in probably the best spot for Rhododrendrons in the world. Everyone has huge beautiful ones. In the public gardens there are many that are over 15ft tall. I think the next most popular tree/shrub is the PeeGee Hydrangia. They are something in the fall. It is common to see them in the 10-12 foot range. We have a 2 foot one in the back yard that is new last year.

Edward

I hope you have a big backyard Edward - your Pee Gee will certainly need a big area to be happy. I too, love the hydrangea - we have added several in the last three years. Rhododendrons are great in this area but I lack the proper environment for them. I only have three but am hoping once the hydrangea start doing their thing, it will create the proper conditions for them.

Since your backyard sounds perfect, do you have hosta too?

Brooke

I think we have about 8-12 different varieties of hosta, 6 or 7 different ferns, and 3 different bleeding hearts. I went looking for a picture to post but Photobucket is down for maintainance.

Edward

Here is a picture of the first Rhododendron I bought taken back in 2004. It is Aglo. It had 3 blooms the first year, none last year (a settling in year) and has 7 buds for this year.

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Here is one of the blooms.

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And here is one that isn't mine.

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Beautiful, Edward. Wish I could grow them. If I had some really good filtered shade in the afternoon, I would try it. Alas, all my trees are too small to offer shade.

OHMYGOSH - I hope you have the room for that in your yard! That is gorgeous! Shade has always been at a premium around here too but it is slowly changing. I love my daylilies but it is refreshing on a hot day to be able to work in the shade gardens.

Brooke

I used to have a native plum tree but Hurricane Charley took it out, and the eastern cedar we had in front of the house that had three trunks, Hurricane Jeanne took out two of the trunks and left the third trunk leaning over the road. That was the weekend my hubby got burned on 17% of his body with electrical burns. Neighbors helped take out the cedars while he was in the hospital. Since then the plum tree has come back from roots that were left in the ground when the parent tree was up rooted in Hurricane Charely. It is only about 3 feet tall so far. It bloomed in Feb and was so pretty for the few days it had the blooms. To replace thecedars, we planted 4 crepe myrtles, 2 reds and 2 purples. We purchased the crepe mrytles at a plant sale sponsored by our local newspaper for 3.00 a piece. They are still small but will grow rapidly.

Hi Guy's...so this is where ya'll go off to...LOL
I have a few tees...actually a bunch...many well over 100 feet tall...a Nice Mix..but a few too many Poplars...some nice Acer's...Sugar...Silver...Japenese...A number of Oakes..and a few Black Walnuts and a couple Ash..with a number of Hickory scattered around too. A few nice evergreen's too...Spruce..Fir and Pine. It's nice to have alot of shade in the back yard..dappled shade in the side yards and a bit of shade in the front yard...in the afternoons...

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I guess if you have seen one tree...you have seen them all...LOL :)

Your property is gorgeous max! Beautiful daylily beds and shade gardens on the same property, my idea of heaven.

Brooke

I have added two new Japanese maples to the collection. Saturday was our anniversary so my husband gifted me with an Acer j. Shishigarshiri, thankfully the call name is Lion's Head. It is an upright growing tree and the leaves are very unique. They are extremely small and give the appearance of looking evergreen. It will reside in an area I am working on by the front picket fence close to one of his friends, the Orodoni Nishiki.

Last week I also got a Acer j. Sharp's Pygmy that I will grow in a whiskey barrel with mini hosta as companions. This tree is so small that if planted in the ground it looks like a shrub. It has a mature height of 3'.

My redbuds are getting ready for a great spring show, my old pear tree is just starting to bloom and my dogwood's blooms are starting to swell. With temps in the 70's for the next few days, it will finally look like spring.

Brooke

Lovely trees and yards, everyone! I wish I had as much space as some of you do, but I'm making the most of every inch.

Our house had nothing but grass up to the foundation when we bought it, and one lonely, large, neglected old crabapple tree in the front yard. We live beside a ravine, and just barely over the property line on the edge of the ravine (they're essentially ours) is a long row of hemlock trees. I love the crabapple for its extremely heavy fragrance in late April/early May, but the tree isn't in good shape and loses limbs every year in storms or from heavy snow. We might have to remove it in the fall. The hemlocks are healthy, but quite messy, shedding needles and twigs and cones EVERYWHERE all the time. I've started a shady woodland garden under them. The neighbors behind us have a couple mature (60') pine trees, and the ravine is filled with an assortment of maples, sumac, and a couple more pines, so the "borrowed view" is a lot more wooded than you'd think in our little piece of suburbia. In fact, the lot is what sold me on the house. . . .

The only tree I've planted so far has been a lovely white dogwood (cornus florida). I've planted a handful of lilacs ('Krasavitsa Moskvy,' 'Wonderblue,' 'Andanken an Ludwig Spaeth,' 'President Lincoln,' and 'Blue Skies'), which I suppose aren't truly "trees," but soon I'll be planting an amelanchier (serviceberry) in the back yard, for the fall color and to attract birds. If I had more land, I'd have MANY more trees, because I love them. (OH, how I envy you that JM 'Aureum'! And the tulip poplars! And the sweet gum trees, which aren't hardy up here at all.) This year I did winter sow some acorns from two parks our kids love to visit - I'll have to go back to the parks with a book and try to identify the specific oak varieties if anything sprouts. I can't plant them in my yard, but my parents have a huge wooded lot and could squeeze in a few more trees with no problem.

Laurel

I have a few trees too, ya'll. 1 American Persimmon
1 Norway Pine
1 plum
7 crepe myrtles
1 ginko
1 bradford pear
1 golden raintree that isn't evasive.
1 southern Magnolia
1 star magnolia
2 saucer magnolia
4 white dogwoods
4 pink dogwood
1 curly pine
4 white pines
1 clump river birch
1 white birch
2 flowering crabapples
5 japanese maples.
1 variegated japanese butterfly maple
1 varigated japanese weeping willow tree.
1 corkscrew weeping willow
3 red oaks
2 wild magnolia trees.

2 apple ( granny smith & golden delicious)
1 red buckeye
2 bottlebrush buckeye.
3 maple
4 hickorys.
3 redbuds.

I'll have to echo Max...here's where everyone is!

Okay, I have three dogwoods, a saucer magnolia, a magnolia stellata, a crabapple, two redbuds, a fringe tree (small, a baby), Japanese Zelkova, Redspire Pear (not Bradford, but stinky when it blooms...right by the house...great planning, huh), a Magnolia Grandiflora (yes, drops lots of big leaves), a service berry and four Japanese Maples, (Butterfly, Waterfall, Autumn Moon,...and one whose name escapes me for the moment). Oh yeah, a small Stewartia and a small buckeye (hopefully red).

I love fragrant shrubs! Royce, I think Carolina Allspice smells like strawberry yogurt! My very favorite for fragrance is winter daphne (aureo marginata in particular...maybe I spelled that right). Since I live in zone denial, I've brought back a tea olive and a banana shrub from S.C. The banana shrub is just coming into bloom and will have the big 13 buds (that I've counted) vs the 3 from last year! I have three varieties of mock orange, three fragrant viburnums (Pink Dawn, Korean Spice and Mohawk) and two supposedly hardy gardenias (which better bloom this year or what is the point...Chuck Hayes and Kleims). A couple years ago I planted wintersweet...but no blooms, maybe next year. Right now I have a broom in bloom...strong fragrance, but not a particularly attractive shrub.

I took out my Carolina Jessamine...could never smell any fragrance...isn't that funny. Hanging over my fence and trying to creep through my little wooded corner is...honeysuckle! It is a war with it!

Well, this must be boring to read a list, but like most of you, I love growing most things! In my little corner of the world, I am trying to cram as much as possible into it.

Love crepe myrtles, especially that beautiful bark. Have several, but am still waiting for them to mature enough to gawk at the bark.

A former neighbor let a black locust spring up in his yard, near my fence. That was the tree from...... Suckered all over my yard...grows extremely fast and has thorns...I had to take drastic measures, although I am generally live and let live.

Thanks for the idea, Brooke! I had moved the Butterfly JM into a pot as it is small and just seemed to get lost. I think I will try some of the tiny hosta with it! Another reason to shop (as if I need one!)!

This feels a bit like show and tell! Someone else's turn!

In mentioning my favorite fragrance, I forgot the wild crabapple. It and Carolina Allspice are my two favorites. Although there are wild crabapples in the nearby woods, I don't have any close enough to detect from my home. Guess that's why I forgot.

I am not familiar with Daphnes. Don't think they grow well here. Have never seen one.

I have mixed feelings about the Tea Olive. I like them far away, but they are overwhelming when close by. I don't want one closer than 100 yards and perhaps not that close. I have a Viburnum and it too is a little too much when too close. Mine is about 100 feet from the house and ok at that distance. I would not want it right beside the house. I had a Mock Orange, but mine was not fragrant, so it is no more. For a long time I was interested in planting a Serviceberry, but never did. Don't remember why I gave up the idea. I have never seen one, so possibly they don't grow well here. Dunno.

What great trees and shrubs grown by daylily addicts! I guess most of us are truly plant addicts and not just daylilies.

I only have one fragrant shrub but am making a list of the fragrant ones you all are enjoying. Yesterday the aroma from my Carol Macke daphne was outstanding! Guess what, I didn't even know it was fragrant because I just got it for the year round interest of the foliage and the beautiful spring blooms.

Brooke

My Kwanzan Cherry has started to put on a show for Spring....The robins are nesting in it again this year too.

Rick
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That's beautiful, rick. Alas, I had one but it got some kind of fungus and died. We just cut down a double flowering peach. It was diseased too!!!....Ellie

Ellie, I think the problem we have in the South is that the flowering "fruit trees", i. e., flowering peach, flowering cherry, etc. are subject to the same diseases/insects as the real fruit tree - which is everything. I had about a dozen flowering cherry trees. Many are now dead and when I get a round tuit, I intend to get rid of the others. Mine have borers.

Royce

It's a shame too because I love the flowering cherry trees. The crabapples too!! It's so nice in the spring to look out and see the gorgeous blossoms. The bradford pear I have is nothing special. I am sorry that I started it because it is only full of blooms for a day or two then you see the green leaves. That is not attractive and it's the same even in Fort Payne.

I guess the redbuds and the dogwoods are the best for this area.

So royce, post us some picture's of the dls. you have blooming...Please...Ellie

With all the rain we have had in the last couple of day, I was walking across my back yard and lo and behold, about 15 small oak trees have popped up. We haven't been able to mow so I guess they thought they would just get a head start. They are about 2 1/2 to 3" tall. LOL, what to do, what to do? ...Ellie

My old crabapple is just about ready to bloom. It has medium pink single flowers, and the most heavenly fragrance of any crabapple I've every smelled. But the tree is old and not in good shape at all, it has NO disease resistance at all, and we've gone round and round about whether or not to replace it this fall (before a heavy winter does it in for us - it loses branches every year as it is). I like the idea of taking some cuttings from it and growing them myself, but I've never done that with a crabapple tree. CAN you root crabapples from a cutting??

Laurel

Laurel - might but highly unlikely on the crabapple rooting. It would have to be new twig growth, rooting hormone, with the cuttings misted multiple times a day, in the shade. I failed trying a JM in that manner but that doesn't mean someone else wouldn't be successful because I know I messed up the misting part.

If you really want to propogate this crabapple, an air layer would be the way to go. They are much easier and Ma Nature is kinder to the outcome.

Brooke

I finally got some pictures of some of the Japanese maples that have followed me home from the nursery.

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{{gwi:631117}} Emperor Deshojo

{{gwi:631118}} Orodoni Nishiki

{{gwi:631120}} Lion's Head

{{gwi:631121}} Peaches and Cream

{{gwi:631122}} Sharp's Pygmy

{{gwi:631123}} Aureum

A couple of other new last year trees, that are definitely high on my list

{{gwi:631124}} variegated Sweet Gum, Silver King

{{gwi:631125}} yellow twig dogwood

{{gwi:631126}} redbud Forest Pansy

Brooke - thumbnails are clickable

Thanks, Brooke - I think I'll try the air layering method. My parents have lots of spare real estate, and I have their blessing to "play" on their lot, so if I manage to start some seedlings I'll have a place to plant them.

Laurel

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That looks like a very pretty rhodie you have blooming there, Edward.
Tammy

Thanks, it is a PJM that I bought last year. The Rhododendron club had their sale this weekend and my wife brought home 5 more. The one I am most excited about is Henry's Red.

Edward

This one was new last year.

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Edward, you seem to know lots about Rhodis. Would you happen to know which one this is? I've had it for years, and can't remember it's name.
Jan

Here is a link that might be useful: My Rhododendron

Hi Jan. If I were a betting man I would put my money on Catawba Rhododendron (Rhododendron catawbiense).

Edward

This one is Henry's Red. I got it at this spring's sale.

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Thanks Edward. Your red one is gorgeous. I have a red one, but it is in too much shade, and really hasn't grown like my lavender one, and doesn't bloom much either. I'll see if I can find a photo of it to post later.
Jan

Hi,
I have two small Sweetbay Magnolias - and might get rid of one, depending...

Is Sweetbay Magnolia (Magnolia virginiana var. virginiana) self-fertile? Does anyone have just one specimen growing in a region where there are none nearby and yet still get fruit?

Thanks,
Steven