Death Grip

  Today, once again, saw me in the midst of the yard cleaning.  This is a humongous chore and will continue for the next few weeks as I am literally ripping out most everything.  It is a long overdue task but I am willing to tackle it.  When trimming a red maple tree that seems to have decided to grow long and lanky instead of nicely shaped, a single vine was not cooperating with my efforts.  A large smilax had wormed its way up the tree and was about to strangle the poor thing to death.  It had a death grip around several of the limbs and, no matter how hard I tried, the vine was not budging.  It came down to the small tree being trimmed far more than I had originally intended.  Poor thing now looks a bit lopsided and bald!

  The smilax roots had to be dug out from in between the maple's roots which was no easy task.  Leave just one smidgen and by the end of summer the tree will be engulfed again.  Smilax has a tendency of growing where you least expect and where you least want it.  Once it is established, it is the dickens to remove completely!  The vine twists and turns, grips and strangles until its host prop perishes.  While it is not a parasitic plant, it usually kills any nearby plants merely by choking them.  Even dead parts of the vine are capable of having a strong, strangling grip!

  My red maple will have a struggle to become shapely again but, at least, it is free from its suppressor!  No more will it gasp for life!  Live free, little maple!  Die, smilax!  You can grow all you want anywhere else but not in the yard where you stifle the growth of everything you touch!  Tale your death grip elsewhere!