A Little Vine With My Cottage

It never fails. Whenever we are in the front yard working, someone will stop in front of our house. First they slow down. Then they come to a complete stop. Next they roll the window down. Mr. and I just look at each other because we know what comes next. "Excuse me, do you mind if I ask you what kind of vine that is growing over your front door?" Some have even gone so far as to jump out of their car and run up to have a closer look. We don't mind. We actually like that it has caught the attention of many passers-by.

The vine is a Clematis Armandii. It is an evergreen, which is unusual for a clematis, and it flowers white. Blooms appear in March. They are so fragrant and are a nice welcome.

Hubs and I planted this vine 10 or so years ago and never once regretted it. To encourage it to grow up the wall, we attached it to the house with poultry nails. Poultry nails are u-shaped nails that are pointed on each end. The nails have long since grown into the plant and have completely disappeared now. We also secured the vine onto the fascia board just under the gutters with the same nails. This quick grower covered our entrance in no time.

The only downside is that the aphids love it. The flowers secrete a sweet sap that attracts aphids. Every year I blast those disgusting little critters with the hose. I have even sprayed them with bug spray which I really don't like to do. I once read that a soapy solution would work. Tried that too, but the little creeps continued to hang around feasting on our sweet vine.

The upside is that lady bugs love to eat aphids. For that reason, we always see lots of lady bugs on our front porch. Lady bugs make me smile for two reasons. They are just about the cutest bug there ever was AND they eat aphids. This year, I am going to go to my local garden center and buy a bag of lady bugs.

That's right. Together with my army of lady bugs, we are going to wage war on the pesky little uninvited, leaf eating, mess making, varmints. Don't worry. I will take lots of pictures when this happens. Should prove to be a very satisfying day.

Aphids, when I unleash my girls, you'd better watch out, ha!

By the way, if you see one of these, please don't hurt it. It's only lady bug larvae. No, they aren't as cute as the lady bugs they eventually become, but we still like them.