The granite walls of the courtyard to the side of my house are over ten feet high. I planted this monster just after we moved and it has taken on a life of its own. It is my weather vane and I watch its yearly cycle as I write.
In February it starts, with tiny red shoots covering the dead looking stems and you know that warmer weather is coming. By the start of spring, the whole wall is a vibrant acid green. As the summer hits the green darkens slightly and it keeps this colour until now. Almost overnight it changes, reds, browns and oranges replacing the green. It doesn't stay for long, early October winds will strip it of its coat. It won't be long now....autumn is coming.
13 comments:
You are so connected to Mother Earth Minx; to your environment and all in it in a way that is beautiful, tender & peaceful.
I'm sure you could write wonderful country tales
love
Stunning, Minx. Once upon a time, in another lifetime, the Chicken lived in Guernsey. There was a ten foot high granite wall also covered in Boston Ivy - a signaller of seasons, a constantly changing tapestry of colour. Very bootiful.
Minx, I like the way you've described your weather vane.
I'm looking forward to the signs of autumn here up North. We've had the fog yesterday. Of course, very few people thought to turn their car lights on!
Quite an evocative piece.
Is that a Virginia creeper? I used to have one in the garden of the last house we had, and like you enjoyed watching it's year;y creep through the seasons. The more rain there was, the more lush the green...
Thanks for reminding me of it!
We used to have one of them and although people kept telling me to get rid of it because it'd damage the walls and wotnot, I loved it. It doesn't belong at this house but maybe one day, elsewhere.
It looks gorgeous. Love the colour.
It actually feels a bit more like autumn here in London today. It's cooler, greyer and the misty mornings have begun. Lovely! Now I am inspired to finish my novel at last.
I likethe idea of having a gauge for the seasons as part of your home :-)
Bollocks! Not you, m'dear - but I KNOW Ileft a comment here yesterday ... it was about using Virginia Creeper in exactly the same way to measure the passing of the seasons. Ah well, maybe it exists somewhere in the ether ...
Nice. I love climbing planets..
It's not a Virginia Creeper. Is it a Boston Ivy then? Who knows, who cares - I'll call it 'Planet' for short!!
The trees all turned last weekend over here, but not the weather. Strange that. But now the doozers are out in the park with their hoover machines and rakes. And the dogs have exciting little piles to hide not so nice surprises.
I have one exactly the same in my garden (I didn't know what it was called before I read this post and I still don't after reading the comments!). Interestingly, yours has turned autmnal whereas mine is still bright green. I recognise the colours of your photo very well, to be followed by all the leaves falling off, my back breaking picking/sweeping them all up, then spending the winter staring at a fence!
I reckon it's what my parents called their Virginia Creeper. After it died away it left tiny footprints where it had been all over the house.
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