There is a vine growing by the hydrant near the well house. It was there
when I moved here (North Central South Carolina) from Texas. I suppose my
mother planted it. She planted an eclectic collection of plants. She
bought and sold plants through the mail and had numerous friends over the
country that might send her things that would be considered unusual.
I have tried to identify the vine and the best I can come up with is
Lygodium japonicum. It is, literally, a climbing fern. It seems to like
the shady place it is in now. It certainly has prospered during the last
eight years climbing over the Breath of Spring and layering it with large
lush foliage. I like it.
I'd like to move some to Texas. Hopefully, I can find a shady place there
where the soil will provide a friendly medium for growth. I can put a spur
on the watering system and give it the moisture it needs so maybe it'll
work.
What I wonder about is how amenable to transplant it is. Today I went out
and selected a couple of the small smooth vines that emerge naked from the
earth and I untangled them from the bush they were growing into. I then
took a shovel and dug deeply under them and lifted the roots out of the
earth. There was no bulb but the roots were more than mere roots. It was
a black tangled net of thickened rootlike growth. It felt tough and
fibrous. I gathered all that seemed associated with this particular vine
and planted it in a new clay pot. I dug another and planted it as well. I
coiled the vine and the foliage (ferny foliage) into a nest and placed it
on top of the pots. I then soaked the pots in water for an hour or so (to
saturate and settle the soil) and then placed the pots into the holes I had
dug when I was lifting the plants. I'll keep them cool and damp until I
set out for Texas August fourth.
Anyone have any experience with Lygodium japonicum (AKA Japanese Climbing
Fern)? Anyone want to offer advice?
Thoughtfully,
Bob Blakely
Bob Blakely
rblakely@infoave.net
