morning glory
One of my first views of the outside world in the morning is when I open the blinds of the window over the kitchen sink. On this particular morning, I wandered, semi-awake, into the kitchen to try to crank up my day. First gaze through partially focused eyes revealed my garden area, mostly finished for the year, but still in color from the flowers planted along certain borders and one smaller bed.
My mind smiled as I took in the colors thereof – the orange and red hues in various shades and tones of the zinnias and the golden yellow of the marigolds. Mixed in with both of these were the beautiful blue colors of - - - blue? - I didn’t plant any blue flowers!! Uh-oh, blue is the color of the flowers of - - - ARRRGGG - - - morning glory!!
Even though I glory in God’s creation and the beauty thereof, even of certain weeds, this is one infestation that I prefer to view from afar. Even though I knew I had pulled up many of these in their smaller form, I didn’t realize I had allowed these vines to get large enough to bloom. This dread is because after they flower, they produce seed and these will produce more morning glories. Then as more morning glories are growing, they take over the garden and all you have are morning glories.
As I am wont to do, I went to the computer, got on the web and typed in ‘morning glory’ to learn more about them and to find ways to control future infestations. What came before my very naïve and vanilla blue eyes was many sites touting the ‘medicinal’ and/or hallucinogenic properties of the dried, ground up seeds of morning glory and methods of preparation for best results.
This was obviously not what I was seeking, so I went back and typed ‘morning glory control’ and got the results I desired. Wow, what a difference a word can make! What I read was very enlightening but not necessarily good news inasmuch as the controlling was not going to be as simple as I had thought. It seems that the text was more concerned about the rhizomes (the horizontal underground stems – roots) than the seeds. This is not what I wanted to hear since that is the main method of propagation of my other odious garden plant pests – brambles.
It was then that I realized I have not one, but two unwanted plants that will re-grow from even a small part of root that is left in the soil. This reminds of a spiritual parallel – if we allow even a small bit of wrongdoing to remain in our lives (a root of bitterness comes to mind), it will re-grow into something that will choke out our relationship with God. It’s best to simply allow God in every part of our lives and for Him to weed out anything that is contrary to His will – because it will only cause problems for others and us later on. ec
My mind smiled as I took in the colors thereof – the orange and red hues in various shades and tones of the zinnias and the golden yellow of the marigolds. Mixed in with both of these were the beautiful blue colors of - - - blue? - I didn’t plant any blue flowers!! Uh-oh, blue is the color of the flowers of - - - ARRRGGG - - - morning glory!!
Even though I glory in God’s creation and the beauty thereof, even of certain weeds, this is one infestation that I prefer to view from afar. Even though I knew I had pulled up many of these in their smaller form, I didn’t realize I had allowed these vines to get large enough to bloom. This dread is because after they flower, they produce seed and these will produce more morning glories. Then as more morning glories are growing, they take over the garden and all you have are morning glories.
As I am wont to do, I went to the computer, got on the web and typed in ‘morning glory’ to learn more about them and to find ways to control future infestations. What came before my very naïve and vanilla blue eyes was many sites touting the ‘medicinal’ and/or hallucinogenic properties of the dried, ground up seeds of morning glory and methods of preparation for best results.
This was obviously not what I was seeking, so I went back and typed ‘morning glory control’ and got the results I desired. Wow, what a difference a word can make! What I read was very enlightening but not necessarily good news inasmuch as the controlling was not going to be as simple as I had thought. It seems that the text was more concerned about the rhizomes (the horizontal underground stems – roots) than the seeds. This is not what I wanted to hear since that is the main method of propagation of my other odious garden plant pests – brambles.
It was then that I realized I have not one, but two unwanted plants that will re-grow from even a small part of root that is left in the soil. This reminds of a spiritual parallel – if we allow even a small bit of wrongdoing to remain in our lives (a root of bitterness comes to mind), it will re-grow into something that will choke out our relationship with God. It’s best to simply allow God in every part of our lives and for Him to weed out anything that is contrary to His will – because it will only cause problems for others and us later on. ec
posted by mreddie | 10:42 AM
7 Comments:
morning glories sound like they operate like nasturtiums then...but it worries me a bit because I love the look of morning glories and wanted to plant them along my side fence....Now I'm not sure. I think it won't matter if they take over on that side, but who knows! Will I have created a monster? :)
jay are - One of the articles I read in the web tells of them going from one yard to the next and trying to take over there as well. My efforts this week will be to try to uproot the ones in the garden and areas nearby. ec
Ha! I have morning glories, deep, glorious, purple ones, planted around my deck so that they'll twine and grow along the lattace. I'm the one who pulls the vines away after a frost but hubby moans and groans about them every year saying, "Brenda, do you know how much money that's spent on the farm every year to KILL those worrisome weeds?"
So? I think they're pretty and they haven't wandered away from my deck in the many years I've had them. :-) Have a heart ec, God must have put them, and their wiley ways, on earth for me (and others like me) to enjoy. (big grin)
I was thinking whilst reading your post about my mom trying to coax morning glories to live and climb up our old windmill. And how my dad used to pull them up because on the farm they were horrible pests. :-)
I grew a Morning Glory for one or two years, and for years after, I ws pulling out shoots that were starting to grow. Years.
All these friends must be from a warmer climate that I do. My daughter loves her deep blue morning glories around her yard lantern. BUT she has to plant them over and over, every yea. They do not come up alone, and they do not stray from the lamp post.
So, if yours thrive year after year
thank God for them, and wish them off on us.
Betty G
brenda - I do agree they are beautiful, even if they only open their blooms in the morning. The problem comes in when they try to take over the garden in which I am growing veggies - I prefer to admire them from afar.
jayleigh - I remember reading in the farm papers and magazines about ways and chemicals to control them on the farm.
AC - That one thing can be said about them - they are persistant!
boopchile - They are much of a pest in gardens and farmlands of the South - they are pretty, in someone else's yard. ec
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