Taming a Monster: Pruning the Jasmine Arch

It amazes me how sometimes I can ignore a developing problem in the garden (or other areas of my life!) until the issue suddenly overwhelms me. This is what happened with the two jasmine vines, Trachelospermum jasminoides, that cover the arch by the patio. 

Yes, Confederate jasmine, also called star jasmine, is a vigorous vine, but I love the lush look and the thousands of fragrant late spring blooms. This is the jasmine arch a few years ago. I pruned it only minimally since then.Earlier this year my husband Lou attempted to control its growth by shearing it, which solved the problem for a couple of days, until the plant responded with multiple spurts of growth at every single cut he had made. Hint: Don't shear a jasmine vine unless you are using it as a ground cover. Otherwise it becomes a monster pruning problem. I told Lou to stop shearing it. Instead, I began tucking excessive shoots into and around the arch.

Then one day Lou complained that he no longer could walk under the arch. All those long tendrils I had been working with were escaping the arch and threatening to devour passersby. I discovered that even I had to duck to get through, and I am a foot shorter than my husband.

I did some research about the proper procedure for pruning a jasmine vine. I was not encouraged. One source told me to detangle the vine and then lay it on the ground, cut back one third to two thirds of the growth, then finally reattach the vines to the support. Once I started, I realized how difficult this was going to be. I have a mature vine on each side of the arch, and the two were hopelessly twined together. This is what the arch looked like just after I started:

Over two days, I patiently detangled as many vines as possible, then trimmed away excessive side growth and shortened main stems. It was a rather sticky job, since jasmine excretes a sap when cut. I realized that I should have been doing this every year as soon as it finished blooming. Then my vines would not have become so out-of-control. Lesson learned. 

Here is the final result:

It was worth the trouble. I am looking forward to next year's blooms. I can see the arch again, and dear hubby has no problem walking beneath it. 

For more information about Confederate jasmine see my previous post:  Confederate Jasmine for a Fragrant Layer in the Garden

Summer Rain and a Silver Tree Frog

Most of our summer rain comes from pop-up afternoon thunderstorms, which may be frequent but are always hit or miss.Today's view across the front lawn.A few days ago I watched as boiling clouds filled the horizon. A nice wind blew the clouds in our direction, and a green tint to the sky predicted a real gully-washer. Thunder shook the house, but the rain passed us by. People within a mile of us got a brief, heavy downpour, but not us. That is the way July has been.

Our biggest summer chore is watering our very large garden. Every year I lose a few plants to environmental stress because high temperatures, wilting humidity and droughty conditions can affect even native plants. So I am very grateful for the rain tropical storm Barry is sending our way today.I was able to take several photos during breaks in the rain today. Everything is wonderfully wet!My part of Alabama is at the far eastern edge of Barry's influence as it makes its way through Louisiana, so we should not experience dangerous winds or flooding, but only a much needed soaking over the next couple of days. An inch of rain has collected in my rain gauge so far today, and more is coming.

I recently discovered someone else who must appreciate the rain:

This little tree frog has been staying inside the large rain barrel we use to collect and store water for the woodland garden. At first I thought he was an albino, but research reveals that he probably is a type of Gray Tree Frog. These creatures are variable in color due to their ability to camouflage themselves by assuming tints from dark gray to green to white depending on where they are sitting. I found him on the metal grate inside the rain barrel, so he is doing a good job turning himself silver!

This is not the first tree frog to take summer refuge inside our woodland rain barrel. I took this photo of an American tree frog in 2016:

You can read about the American tree frog and our use of the woodland rain barrel in this previous post: My Tree Frog.