Category: Flora

Grape vine hand rail, stage 1

On By CarynIn Craft, Flora

My husband built a beautiful rustic style curved stone staircase off our back porch. Our challenge has been getting a handrail to match the curve without throwing a lump of money at it. The first attempt involved cedar sapling trunks, but we didn’t have one long enough, and splicing two together was tricky. When I was wandering our woods looking for hand rail candidates, I saw a grape vine that I’ve been meaning to trim because fungus has started into the side of the bark.

Photo description: orange and white fungus on a large muscadine grape branch

I cut off the vine above the fungal damage, and since that vine was a nice diameter for a hand rail, freed it from the canopy. I then cut away the diseased tissue from the main vine and sealed it with pruning spray.

Photo description: sealed main vine, approximately 7-8 inches in diameter
Photo description: muscadine grape vine freed from the woods and dragged to the back yard

It took three of us to wrestle the vine into place as a hand rail, but because the vine is supple and we waited until the rain gave it a good soak, it was possible.

Photo description: grape vine installed as a hand rail on a curved stone staircase

We secured the vine with screws. The next step is to strip off the bark and seal the vine core so it lasts a little longer in the Texas weather.

Not long enough yet

On By CarynIn Flora

I’ve seen where people have french braided long grasses, so when I wandered through our meadow and saw the waving Spring grass I thought I would give it a try. (Yes, I was completely in the middle of another project for this side quest.)

Photo description: patch of evening primrose with a half circle of braided grass in front

I did more of a Dutch braid, where the braid lays on top of the joined strands, but it didn’t have as much definition as I hoped. I was also struggling to have enough grass to join in the braid and still get the curve I wanted. So in a few weeks, when the grass is higher, and I need a break from a task that takes me through the meadow again, I’ll give it another go.

Thorn experiment

On By CarynIn Craft, Flora

I found this wicked looking thorn laying in a parking lot. Most likely it stuck to a tire and fell off in route, and I’d like to say I picked it up so no one impaled their foot, but the was a secondary benefit. Really I wanted to see what I could make with it.

Photo description: approximately 4” thorn cluster with opposing spikes 1-2” long held lightly in my hand

I used my pocket knife to cut the side thorns off. The tips are wickedly sharp and hard, so I wanted to try to make a needle. I approached it as I would for carving solid wood. The center of the spikes are soft though, so the needle hole didn’t have enough support when I whittled both sides down.

Photo description: single thorn with the end carved into a needle eye, which broke, pocket knife on the side of the picture

If I were to make the attempt again, I would put the needle hole in the outer bark, and not reduce the integrity of the thorn by cutting the bark away.

Four-leaf clover

On By CarynIn Flora

I have found a new patch of clover in the front yard that is producing four-leaf varieties. I took two pictures of the same patch, a few days apart. How many can you spot? Swipe left to see the ones I found circled in red.

  • clover leaves
  • clover leaves with red circles
  • patch of clover leaves
  • clover leaves with red circles

When I was photographing the clover patch, I thought I counted eight, but in the photos I can’t switch my perspective and confirm that a fourth leaf is attached or part of a different cluster. I only circled the four-leaf clovers that I was sure of. Still, six in a single patch is a fun find.

P.S. the slideshow function I used for the images apparently only works in a browser. Bummer.

Still blooming

On By CarynIn Flora

This post is to document that my Thanksgiving cactus is still blooming in April.

Photo description: Close up of Thanksgiving cactus blooms

Texas is starting to warm up, which means the window this cactus leans against will warm up, and quit inducing buds. I’ll get to enjoy them for a little longer.