Jeepers Creepers!

I love me my plants. One of the things I really loved about this house when we were looking was the mature trees and the landscaped (albeit, several years ago) yawn and backyard. Well, in an attempt to renew the front greenery to its former glory, I have been slowly working at trimming, taming, and such. But that is when I found these five-leaved little monsters...aptly named Virginia Creepers:

They can be planted as grouncover, but that is a stupid idea. You want to know why that is a stupid idea? Because these little suckers are invasive and they will kill your shrubs by acting as parasitic vines...oh and right, now they are everywhere. I managed to pull some off the trees, but there are still plenty more hiding in the shrubs. I'd like to think that the old owner did not plant them, but either way they are coming out. It is rather satisfying to rip them out as the whole vine comes along, but I have a feeling this will be a several year process as they are everywhere.


Oh, as a fun tidbit of knowledge, if you have theses (especially if they are growing wild) you need to be careful as they enjoy the same growing conditions as poison ivy and are often found growing together. Luckily, I haven't run into any of Creeper's three-leaved friends. Whew!