My Heart's Not In It

bittersweet

50s, rain today.

During a lull in the showers today I went out to the back hill to cut back the multiflora rose and bittersweet and poison ivy.  It was cool and humid, not a bad day to battle with the tall stalks and weeds there.

In past years I have allocated several days in early spring to really routing out the invasive stuff, and have taken pleasure in getting the job done.

This year I kind of give up.  My heart's not in it.  I did pull down the worst of the bittersweet vines that were choking some trees all the way up into the canopy (despite my efforts of the previous year).  And I routed out a few new rose canes.

But meh... it's nowhere near as rewarding, the Vine X container leaked, my gloves and pruner got slippery from it and all had to be bagged and thrown away (the second container is not leaking, I can still use that for spot treatments.)

multiflora rose

In the open meadow to the east there are dozens of new roses.  I can't possibly keep that cleared, and I might as well let it fill in and become a big impenetrable barrier... maybe it will even stop the deer from using that path through the meadow.

On the hill I'll continue to free my new trees from any choking vines, but I can't really keep the area cleared.  Let it take over, it does anyway, and I'll just cut down the worst vines on the trees each year as I see them, and be done.

(When I came in a shower started and in the downpour all the VineX I had applied moments before was washed off I'm sure. arrrgh)