Peeling Back More than Ivy
Don’t (double) fence me in.
Today I started a new, seemingly simple project. The north side of the yard has what was once a lovely bed along the fence line with lilies, crepe myrtles, and (maybe) daisies. The house was vacant for several months when we bought it, and so this area is overgrown. Today’s goal was to get up close, see what’s in there, and maybe pull some weeds. This house’s yard have been a dream of vintage Southern gardening, including lots of ground cover, so I thought I knew what I was in for. Carpets of English ivy, probably some vinca, and approximately six thousand privet seedlings. I didn’t expect to find poison ivy, to bend my trowel on a privet root, or to be stymied by the protected vine zone. The poison ivy required some precautions, but it’s gone for now. James assures me the trowel can be repaired. The protected vine zone, though, is its own special project.
Our background is fenced in, doubly so. The entire yard is surrounded by a weathered wooden privacy fence. Just inside it are the remnants of a chainlink fence. For most of the yard, just the metal posts remain. On the north side, however, the entire fence is in tact. I don’t really mind the look. Heck, I kind of like the juxtaposition. Unfortunately, this double fence situation has created a protected vine zone. There’s enough room for ivy to grow on the privacy fence but not enough space behind the chainlink fence to pull or hack at it. Enter James, eager to test out the tin snips my dad gave him. He’s cut through parts of the fence, and we’ve begun pulling it out of the ground. It’s pretty stubborn in places, so it’s going to take time. It’s a process, but the process is the point with all of these projects.
