This glossy evergreen vine grows just about everywhere outside the boundaries of my yard. I love to see it in winter greening up otherwise boring deciduous trees . It's loaded with sharp thorns that grab and don't want to let go, but I think it's beautiful. I have an inexpensive arbor that I'm training this unruly vine (as well as native Jessamine) to completely cover. Why waste money on expensive, ornate arbors if they're going to be completely covered with evergreen vines?
I'm guessing some version of Smilax species. Anyone else hazard a guess. It is very pretty...
I don't know the Latin name, but I've heard it referred to as Greenbrier. Always wondered if it grows near the hotel of the same name in West Virginia...People use it a lot around here for decorating mantels, etc. at Christmas.
Smilax, greenbrier, cat brier - all one and the same. You wouldn't want to know what I call it (LOL) because it does not grow around the perimeter of my property, it grows everywhere, and it is very difficult to get rid of.
I feel your pain, Ardesia. It's the needle palm of vines, thorny and preternaturally green and glossy even on the coldest morning. For that reason, I still give it a bloody thumbs up.
LOL, the thorns are the least of it's problems. When you have 10,000 you'll know what I am talking about.
Its a love-hate thing, kinda've like poison ivy. I swear, there really isn't a prettier plant than poison ivy. Can't you just see the glossy catalog description now
..." this tough as nails vine grows in sun or shade, dry soil or wet marsh....with its glossy green leaves, succulent red berries and brilliant fall color every yard should display this unbelievable species..."
And the scary thing is, its all too true....it is a beautiful plant. Just like smilax, wisteria, kudzu, wild Rosa species and all the other beautiful, lovely, can't kill'em invasives.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/34063/
This message was edited Jun 2, 2010 12:09 PM
I've spent a good amount of time trying to kill that stuff off so I would say don't purposely put that any where. It is indestructible.
Greenbriar ( Smilax rotundifolia) there are other species of smilax in the south east, but this one seems the most prevalent. http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/94170/. It is a pretty nasty vine where it interfaces with humans. has its place in the wild tho.
Smilax is used alot in our area for decorating because of its glossy, evergreen leaves, and also for its habit of lying flat making it nice for tables and backdrops. That is the only thing that is good about it. It is very hard to eliminate once it finds a home in your garden.
That's clearly Smilax. Eliminate it immediately, or you'll be sorry for the rest of your life!
LOL. I just came across this thread. So that's what it's called. It's absolutely everywhere in my yard, so I guess it's fortunate that it's kinda pretty. I can't see ever being able to get rid of it all.
I have it in my yard around my oak tree and constantly trying to get rid of it.
I keep a small spray bottle of Round-up in my garden cart. When I see smilax, I cut it at ground level and immediatlely spray it with the round-up. My Mother-in-law called it "Hell vine" because she said that was how far it grew under the ground.
Smilax is used alot in our area for decorating because of its glossy, evergreen leaves, and also for its habit of lying flat making it nice for tables and backdrops. That is the only thing that is good about it. It is very hard to eliminate once it finds a home in your garden.
I guess everything has a purpose but I agree with you, Trish, nice in the woods but not in my yard or around my trees.
Hey, Deb---I've actually seen Smilax for sale on various websites...wondered who would be dumb enough to actually BUY that thing? The stuff is impossible to get rid of... I've cut off 20' vines at the root, poured straight (undiluted) glyphosate on the stump, and the thing came back only marginally worse for wear. To my mind, it's the native equivalent of Kudzu...
LOL, they actually sell Wax Myrtle and trumpet vine too. We are missing the boat not marketing our weeds to the rest of the country.
I use a product called Vine-X on tough vines. It works best on poison ivy but it will at least slow down the smilax. I notice it pops up from the roots after a while but then I can use the glyphosate on the young plants and this has helped a lot.
We call it "S.O.B." vine!
It grows from tubers; my granddaughter and I dug out a patch of established Smilax, and the tubers were potato sized. If you try to pull up the vine, it breaks off and regrows from the tubers. I've adopted a two part strategy: dig them up when I can, being certain to get the whole tuber or colony of tubers; and on larger and older vines, about 1/4" thick that stick up through my ligustrum, I cut them off and spray the cut ends with a brush killers.
If you don't control these, they'll be like kudzu, growing over everything.
As I lived in NC for some 30 yrs I have some experience with this Gosh Awful Sweet Brier.
To get RU to work you need to put it on the leaves and stems of any plant you are eradicating. The leaves absorb the systemic RU and take it to the root, tuber, etc. Then they die from root up.
Cutting off and pouring RU on the stump never worked for my friend who would say as she really labored to get to the roots in that tough NC red clay, "No one's going to convince me that this stuff works if you don't pour it on the roots."
This crud has berries, but you have to look to really find them. Remove and throw them away.
When out hiking you can eat the tender growing tips.
Now I've moved south to sandy NE Fla I can dig such deep holes by myself and I have dug up many of these.
Here is a picture of some I dug back in 2005, http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/70241/
That 14" one is not near the really big ones I dug in 96.
Sidney
Maybe this is exactly what I need to cover that ugly ol' car shed I just posted about... especially if it is evergreen! I bet our woods are full of it but I just never noticed.
Am I crazy?
Linny
Yup! Crazy, lol! It would be ok except for the thorns...sharp as little needles! Don't do it!!
Smilax is a lustrous, beautiful demon - desirable, but if left unchecked, could bring about the rapture. I say go for it!
Ahh, Donna;) Rapture?! LOL!
Couldn't help it, the devil made me do it :)
I suspected as much;)
I'm dating myself, but I was channeling Flip Wilson :)
Get Back! LOL! Guess I'm dating myself, too;)
If anyone wants to dig smilax up I have some free ones for you?? Wax mryles, sweet gums and some sort of maples are in a good supply too.
Core, how would you like some pine trees ?
No thanks I pull up pines all the time too. I'm amazed at how a pine tree can manage to grow just about everywhere in my yard, if it doesn't get mowed a pine tree will be growing there in no time.
Once you have survived a hurricane, pine trees go on your no-no list.
Not only are pine trees on the no-no list. So are Bradford Pear trees. Hurricane Isabelle took care of ours when we lived in VA and just at the beginning of the storm before the strong winds came through. Didn't mean to get off the subject but went in the woods yesterday next to our yard to throw away some weeds and got tangled up in those awful smilax vines before I realized it was there. I have 8 inch scratch marks down my arm from my shouder down past my elbow. Ouch Ouch!
Flip,
You can't throw away weeds in the woods, LOL, LOL.
The only way to get rid of weeds is to burn or BOIL them. Putting them in the woods just gives them a new growing space.
Watch for a cheap 4 or 5 gallon metal cooking pot. Build a fire, add water to pot and set on top of fire. Add weeds boil until limp. Remove limp weeds add fresh weeds, repeat.
Only burn weeds with a permit and Never burn Oleander. I think Oleander smoke can kill ya.
;)
Weed soup! Actually, I think the smilax roots are edible, didn't the Native Americans boil them? They are probably all carbs though so that would never work in today's world.
Instead of witch's brew....weed brew LOL
