I moped on the couch for a while this morning, nursing my second cold in as many weeks. Then I hauled myself back up and went outside.  The sun is shining today with a high of 77 degrees F (25 degrees C).  Cold or no cold, I needed to be outside in that fresh air. Lindy, Slinky and Mouse all thought so too, so they followed me outdoors.

After wandering around the garden, I donned my gloves and my shears and tackled one of my projects: the now deceased Hardenbergia vine.

Dismantling the vine

Digging it up wasn’t possible,  but at least I could cut back the woody vines.  I used my “Martha Stewart”  ruby saw and a pair of lopping shears and chopped the vine back to the roots.  Over the past decade, the Hardenbergia gradually wound its vines around the trellis, rooting it to the ground below.  I pruned away the dead wood in parts, a bit like disassembling a puzzle.

“Puzzle” pieces

When done, I poked around in the soil in search of clues. No obvious sign of the plant’s demise was evident (like a gopher or a fungus).  Perhaps it was just time.

Rope like vines embrace the trellis

Beauty, even in death

Now that the vine and trellis are out, I’m giving some thought to the replacement.  The Hardenbergia required a major pruning once a year, a task that had me up on the ladder for long stretches of time.  Planting something closer to the ground is more my speed these days.

Please stay tuned!

• Here is the Hardenbergia in its prime.
• My Martha Stewart glitter saw