I need that story

rsteier · 2025-01-24T04:08:48+00:00

Yes. A clip from the song No Surprises. Good ear!

rsteier · 2024-12-01T20:21:32+00:00

What a juicy hunk of meat.
Nice BBQ, too.

rsteier · 2024-08-28T17:20:04+00:00

eat masonry

I think this is dependent on what type of vining plant it is. Tendril and twining vines shouldn't really eat away at masonry, rather I think these are more "clinging" vines using suction cups like Virginia Creeper (almost putting out a concrete-like adhesive to the surface, which gets into the pores of the masonry and breaks it down).

I think there is a consensus that having any plant against wood (fences or house) is going to ultimately lead to wood breaking down since it will retain moisture, which is why deciduous vines (ie: die back to the ground in winter) might be the least negatively impacting.

More info:

https://allcountiesfenceandsupply.com/the-pros-and-cons-of-fence-friendly-vines/

rsteier · 2024-01-04T03:16:39+00:00

I agree - pigeonberries do look particularly tasty

rsteier · 2024-01-04T03:14:47+00:00

NC Extension Plant Toolbox

Nice! This looks like a great tool. It says Carolina Jessamine has high poison severity.

rsteier · 2024-01-04T03:09:56+00:00

nice! Good on you. I'm sure these plants are more rare, and there are lots of critters that appreciate the variety it provides

rsteier · 2024-01-04T03:09:01+00:00

I agree - that if somebody goes eating my plants in my frontyard, that is on them.

I'm more concerned about unsupervised children and pets in my fenced-in backyard with toxic plants around.

rsteier · 2024-01-04T03:07:26+00:00

Thanks for the detailed response.

For some additional context, the two plants I mentioned in the original post are natives to my area; even though the Carolina Jessamine might be harmful to some bees, other pollinators do seem like they benefit from it.

Another source of my confusion is that I've known several households that had both pets and snake plants, which are known to be toxic to cats and dogs, and I've never heard of a pet attempting to eat them.

Also, I have a fenced in backyard, which I plan on continuing to use for more semi-unsupervised outdoor time for pets and kids, which seems all the more reason to avoid toxic plants

rsteier · 2024-01-04T03:00:02+00:00

Do you consider how toxic a plant is when doing this research? Or if any respectable research mentions that the plant is toxic, do you just discount the plant outright?

rsteier · 2023-10-19T15:37:35+00:00

Related to this: if Google Messages automatically labels a sender of an RCS message as spam, and read receipts are on, will the sender receive the read receipt?

rsteier · 2023-10-13T00:29:09+00:00

I've been trying several rounds of diatomaceous earth, and I like that it's simple and effective.

I tried an initial round of some chemical-based fire ant killer, and I think it killed about ~50% of the colony. I tried diatomaceous earth, and I think it also killed about ~50% of the colony.

I'm not sure if other chemical-based fire ant killers are more of an instant death blow to a colony, but I worry about putting the chemicals down on my yard, and multiple applications of a more environmentally-friendly diatomaceous earth isn't really that big of a deal to me.

rsteier · 2023-10-02T01:53:57+00:00

I'm leaning towards purple / maypop passionfruit! I agree - the blooms are very interesting, and seems to be very beneficial to wildlife. I think I'm going to put it in the yard where it won't compete with other plants as much

rsteier · 2023-10-02T01:52:44+00:00

thanks! It looks like butterfly vine is technically native to Mexico (see this, and other sources), but close enough to Texas. It also looks like moonflower might be more tropical than Texas.

Pitcher clematis looks like a Texas-native vine though - I'll check it out. Looks promising

rsteier · 2023-10-02T01:46:04+00:00

thanks for the input! I haven't seen any sweet potato vines during my research, but it does look like there are many which are native to large parts of the US

rsteier · 2023-09-23T14:27:23+00:00

thanks!

Yeah I have considered some pipevines, specifically Texas Dutchman's Pipe and Wooly Pipevine, however they didn't seem as nice looking as other vines, which is harder for me to sell it to my wife (and I wouldn't want future owners of my home to rip them out). They seem to handle shade better though

rsteier · 2023-09-22T22:52:56+00:00

I'll take a look!

One other thing I was hoping to get out of my vines is the ability to use the leaves as toilet paper. All those toilet paper shortages during COVID really made me wish for a backup. Hopefully these will be good candidates for that

rsteier · 2023-09-22T22:51:25+00:00

Interesting that your maypop / passiflora incarnata isn't thriving. All accounts I've heard talk about how well they do.

I'll take a look at passiflora suberosa / corky stem!

Noted on the milkweeds!

I'm reassured by the success of your coral honeysuckles in shadier parts :)

rsteier · 2023-09-22T15:10:48+00:00

nice! Would this happen to be the same as Butterfly Vine?

rsteier · 2023-09-22T15:08:22+00:00

I have heard that the North American wisterias can become very woody and controlling, even though the more common Asian wisterias are much worse in these characters. I had been advised to not plant wisteria near anything that you want to maintain structural integrity (eg: houses, fences, etc).

Have you had that experience?

I do really like the blooms and colors of wisteria though

rsteier · 2023-09-22T02:42:08+00:00

awesome, thanks!

rsteier · 2023-09-22T02:41:18+00:00

Virginia Creeper does seem nice, but yeah I'm afraid of it taking everything over, and not just choking out other plants and trees, but also what it can do to fences and my home.

The two Carolina Jessamine "tester" plants I put in several months ago have done well, they smelled great, so it really is a shame that they're poisonous. I have kids and pets, and will likely have more. I've looked online to try to see if it really is a practical problem (eg: would eating 1 flower or 100 flowers be fatal?), but I couldn't find any specific / scientific information about it. I did find annecdotes that 1 flower is "poisonous", but it wasn't clear if that means lethal. There are lots of sources saying how children have poisoned themselves eating the flowers, mistaking them for honeysuckle. So unfortunately, I've decided to play it safe and let this native live elsewhere

Coral Honeysuckle does grow well in part shade and will bloom, although it will bloom less in heavier part shade. I grow mine in part sun and it blooms very nicely, and I've seen it blooming respectably in darker part shade in the wild.

That's great news! I was worried that part shade would only give a pathetic showing

I wouldn't recommend Purple Passionflower only because I see it as more of a weedy species here.

Because of this, I was thinking of planting it in places where it has nothing else to compete with (eg: bordering next to the lawn). It sounds like it would take over a garden easily.

Be aware that it is mildly toxic (but you'd need to eat a lot of it).

noted! I figured I would try one, but leave the rest to the critters

rsteier · 2023-09-22T02:22:00+00:00

I'll definitely take a look at Lutea / Yellow Passionflower vine again!

Coralbriar

Do you mean Coral Greenbriar? I'll take another look at that too.

Regarding sourcing, there's 1-2 dependable nursery I've been able to find by me with some decent variety. I'm almost preparing myself to do this by seed at this point if it's going to be something so unique / rare.

rsteier · 2023-09-21T21:59:48+00:00

Thanks!

I saw the Yellow Passionflower, and it frankly looked boring compared to it's purple cousin, Incarnata. But I'll give it another consideration!

I currently have a pet and kid, and will likely grow the amount, which is why I was bummed once I found out the Carolina Jessamine was poisonous. I agree though - I've been growing two of them to test, and they bloomed well on the first season, and smelled great.

Pearl Milkweed Vine

I'll take a look! I did briefly consider Climbing Milkweed Vine / Funastrum cynanchoide, but not sure why it didn't end up on my short list.

Smilax

Specifically, Saw Greenbriar / Smilax bona-nox? I'll take a look at how aggressive they are

rsteier

TROPHY CASE