Gardening on the Moon ( GOTM )

Written by Jeff

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Planting Time

We had purchased the snail vine earlier and kept it in a sheltered part of our landscape. It was very top-heavy and we wanted to avoid having it knocked over.

The snail vine awaits in a sheltered spot!

The first step was to center the vine and plant it between the two sections of the trellis.

The vine had many twisted tendrils which wrapped around each other and it took great care to separate them without tearing.

Looking closely, you may be able to see the intertwined tendrils.

It took much care and patience to separate all of the tendrils without tearing them.

Once the tendrils were separated and laid out, they were tied to various parts of the trellis using old nylon hosiery. This provides some movement for the plant and does not cut into the tender parts. The tendrils were tied to the corresponding side of the trellis.

Below is a picture taken later in the summer once the snail vine had filled out. By the fall, the trellis was nearly invisible.

The snail vine has an interesting flower shape. Here is a close up. I have been told that they are fragrant, but I really can’t say I have noticed that aspect.

This was certainly a worthy project and we enjoyed watching the products of our labors as the plant thrived. Once the spring arrives, we cut the vine nearly down to the ground, give it some compost/fertilizer and watch it repeat the performance (we hope)!

Read Part I of Plant Stabbings and Other Issues

Gardening on the Moon, www.gardeningonthemoon.com, originally published this post