Ep 108. Value of Virginia Creeper vs. Poison Ivy

While it grows rampant in the wild, Virginia Creeper is native, therefore not considered invasive, and is valued as an ornamental plant. And, like its look-alike Poison Ivy, Virginia Creeper is loved by wildlife. 

In this episode, I share my big sister's "I dare you" challenge as a child and a fun review of how to tell the difference between Virginia Creeper and Poison Ivy.

We wrap up with a sad sequel to Mending Fences with Forysthia (Ep 96), hoping to turn a neighbor's invasive anger around. 

Related Stories and Helpful Links 

Value of Virginia Creeper vs. Poison Ivy 

 Removing Poison Ivy without Chemicals

 Previous stories we make mention of in the episode:

 One World / Memorial Day and  Robins of Renewal in the Garden

 Mending Fences with Forsythia

 Mile-a-Minute Weed Remedies

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I'd love to hear about your garden and nature stories. And your thoughts about topics for future podcast episodes. You can email me at AskMaryStone@gmail.com. Thanks so much for tuning in.

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Mary Stone, Columnist & Garden Designer
      AskMaryStone.com

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 Welcome to Garden Dilemmas, Delights, and Discoveries.

 It's not only about gardens; it's about nature's inspirations, about grasping the glories of the world around us, gathering what we learned from Mother Nature, and carrying these lessons into our garden of life. So, let's jump in, in the spirit of learning from each other. We have lots to talk about.

Thanks for tuning in, Mary Stone 
Garden Dilemmas? AskMaryStone.com
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Transcript

Ep 108. Value of Virginia Creeper vs. Poison Ivy

Sat, May 13, 2023 1:02PM • 11:03

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

poison ivy, virginia creeper, vine, plant, neighbor, garden, elisabeth, berries, shade, fall, ivy, dilemma, wisteria, trees, roots, nest, invasive, dilemmas, mary stone, garden, nature, inspiration

SPEAKERS

Mary Stone

Mary Stone  00:00

Hello, fellow lovers of all things green. I'm Mary Stone, and welcome to Garden Dilemmas, Delights, and Discoveries. It's not only about gardens, it's about nature's inspirations, about grasping the glories of the world around us, gathering what we learned from mother nature, and carrying these lessons into our garden of life. So, let's jump in in the spirit of learning from each other. We have lots to talk about.

Mary Stone  00:26

Hello there, it's Mary Stone on the screen porch, and I'm doing something different. I'm visiting you in the evening. It's not yet dark out. But I had a very busy day on the road. And last few days, actually. The weather has been just spectacular, cool, cool mornings warming up in the afternoon. Just so delightful. Before sitting with you this evening, I have to say I discovered that the robins are once again nesting on the viburnum outside the kitchen window. And I look forward to seeing what will come of it. And I'm saying that not knowing for sure that I was going to be able to see the nest because it's much higher in the viburnum this time. And the nest is so unusual because they started building it, and it was very loose, and then they added a second layer. So, it almost looks like a condominium, a nest condominium. 

Mary Stone  01:18

At first I didn't think I would get to see the birds in action, but you can see them from the second floor. So, there you go, it just goes to show there's more than one way to look at things, isn't there? We spoke about another robin family in Episode 16- One World / Robins of Renewal that I invite you to tune into. It's such a heartfelt story that had a sad Sunday that turned around with some healing sounds of their morning song, "cheer up, cheer up, cheer up." I think you'll adore this story. I'll put a link in the show notes. 

Mary Stone  01:51

Thanks to those of you that reached back after last week's chat about the Mile-a-Minute Weed dilemma. I visited with Elisabeth, a lovely client who moved back to Blairstown from Chicago to be near her family. She purchased the farm built in the 1800s. What a treat to see the outcome of a renovated and restored home painted in a dramatic yet soothing shade of dark grey with black trim. She implemented the design we worked on, filled with native plants and natural hardscape materials to enhance the gorgeous properties, views, and function. While being kind wildlife. Elisabeth shared her mile-a-minute dilemma squelching a shade garden she had planted this year, she'll stay on top of weeding it out, as we talked about last week. And she's also been pulling the Virginia Creeper vines from her trees which I never considered a dilemma. I always thought of it as a favorable vine enjoyed by wildlife. Though I suppose that the foliage gets so aggressive that it inhibits the photosynthesis of the host plant. It could be a problem.

Mary Stone  02:53

 Unlike Wisteria, it doesn't choke a tree by the nature of the vine, which adheres to things with many little suction cups, kind of like what octopuses have on their arms. I guess those are called suckers. It's really quite nifty, the design. And it turns out also that Virginia Creeper is often confused with Poison Ivy, which leads to this week's story that starts like this. 

Mary Stone  03:17

Hello fellow listeners and readers. When I was a girl, my sister dared me to rub a leaf all over myself. Even then, I was a plant person and always up to an "I dare you" challenge. The leaf was in a group of three, and I picked one and dutifully painted myself with it. I bet you know where this is going. I'm allergic to poison ivy, as are about 80% of us, some more than others. My reaction was awful (big surprise), causing my eyes to swell shut. Most people will react more to repeated or extreme exposure, such as what dear sis challenged me to do. Long forgiven, though, my counterchallenge to ride the Red Flyer wagon down the steep drive left permanent scars on her knees. (Smiley face). And it's true. She has a big scar on her left knee; I think it is.

Mary Stone  04:10

"What's the bright red vine I have growing up my tree? poison ivy?" asked Josephine of Andover, New Jersey. As poison ivy turns a glorious bright red in the fall, it could be, but so does Virginia Creeper. The two are often mistaken for one another. But the telltale sign is Virginia Creeper has five leaflets. Poison Ivy has three. And Virginia Creeper has dark purple berries in the fall, while poison ivy has greenish-white ones. And as you would expect, there are photos in the column, which there will be a link for in the show notes. Virginia Creeper berries contain oxalic acid, which is moderately toxic to humans and other mammals but provides a food source for birds. The sap of the plant has needle-shaped crystals of calcium oxalate.

Mary Stone  05:00

Crushing the leaves can prick the skin, causing irritation and blisters to some, so wear gloves when handling it, but it's nothing like poison ivy as far as outcome, I'll have to say that. 

Mary Stone  05:12

On the other hand, urushiol oil in all parts of the poison ivy plant - the leaves, stems, roots and flowers, and even the berries causes an itchy rash when people touch it. Yet poison ivy is commonly munched by many animals, such as deer, bears, and birds enjoy the berries. Both vines can cover trees or shrubs and even kill them by shading their photosynthesizing ability, which is why Elisabeth pulls them from the trees. But I adore Virginia Creeper scrambling along my boulder wall. 

Mary Stone  05:43

While Virginia Creeper grows rampant in the wild, it's also an ornamental plant. It can quickly cover walls keeping buildings cooler by shading the surface, and its fall color is a showstopper, that is for sure. It adheres to the surface by discs rather than penetrating roots, so it doesn't cause a problem with masonry. But as with Boston Ivy, ripping the plant from the wall can damage the surface of it. But if you kill the plant first by cutting the vines at the root, the adhesive pads will eventually deteriorate and release their grip. So, I don't consider it a problem plant, but again with Elisabeth, I can see where if it's overtaking trees, it can be a problem. But before he wrestled down vines, it's the best idea what you're tackling. You may have heard the rhymes to help identify poison ivy: Leaflets three let it be. Hairy vine, no friend of mine. Berries white run in fright.

Mary Stone  06:44

The oil remains active for years, so handling dead leaves or vines can still cause a bad reaction. And the oil can transfer to tools or pet fir and then to you. And that has been my dilemma for sure because when Jolie walks along the side of the road, there's so much poison ivy, and so I'm always very careful. There are easy remedies to remove the oil from your skin and your tools. I'll put a link in the show notes. You don't have to use all the fancy stuff. Good old Dawn dish detergent; I'm spilling the beans a little bit.

Mary Stone  07:15

Even if you think you aren't allergic, a whopping exposure such as cutting up a downed tree wrapped in a dead poison ivy vine may cause a bad reaction. Isn't that right, Curt? If it's hairy, you better ask Mary. That was the funny ending of that story. I mean, it was interesting. It was the middle of winter when my neighbor and Curt went to tend to this tree that fell across the driveway. And I warned them that that's a poison ivy vine, but they tackled it because both were not allergic. But Curt got a heck of a case of poison ivy because of the overexposure, so be careful. Like everything else. 

Mary Stone  07:52

Speaking of neighbors, every time I walk the roads with Jolee, we stop at Susan and Don's house because she has to see if they're out working in the garden. And they were this week. In fact, Susan was tackling an invasion of Wisteria left behind by Don's sister, who once lived on the property where they built their new home. I introduced you to Don and Susan and Episode 96, Mending Fences with Forsythia.

Mary Stone  08:19

Susan showed me the thick Wisteria roots trailing the surface. Talk about an octopus of roots. It was crazy. I had never considered that it would trail that way. And it is true that Wisteria is considered invasive, unlike Virginia Creeper, which is not invasive. In fact, because it's native, it can't be invasive, and it's something you can manage, as I said. 

Mary Stone  08:43

There's a little bit of a side note I'm going to share it because I really think it's important. And that is the sequel to Mending Fences with Forsythia is the neighbor was very irritated that Don kindly mowed in front of the fence when he was mowing his lawn. And he took great offense. He made such a big deal about it that he put up signs about no trespassing. I mean, there's so unsightly. Now Don and Susan get to look at signs in addition to the chain link fence. So, for sure, her forsythia patch will have to be planted. It just seems so odd to me that they're so angry about this piece of land that was once a right-of-way that Don’s sister had access to, and it just makes me think like invasive plants; anger can get invasive too. Rather than that, we should show kindness and love for each other and be neighborly. Treat your neighbor as though they’re family because we're all one in this world. So anyway, hopefully, they will work it out, and if they approach it with kindness and love, perhaps the neighbor's point of view or invasive anger will heal. And they can become great neighbors, which is far better than having fences as neighbors, right?

Mary Stone  10:07

So thanks for coming by. I always enjoy our time together, and I appreciate so much all of you that write back to me and those of you that subscribe. I want to thank you. And I invite those of you that haven't to do that so, so it magically appears in your feed, and please share the podcast with a friend or two so some more can join us in learning and growing in the garden of life. It means so much. See you next time. 

You can follow garden dilemmas on Facebook or online at Garden Dilemmas.com and on Instagram at hashtag Mary Elaine Stone. Garden Dilemmas, Delights, and Discoveries is produced by Alex Bartling. Thanks for coming by. I look forward to chatting again from my screen porch. And always remember to embrace the unexpected in this garden of life. Have a great day.