BEWARE THE VITEX

Few plants are more troublesome to remove than the vitex. Just ask David. This is the second one he has removed this week. The first one, by the front corner of the garage, took him three days and 2 chains on the chainsaw to remove. Those roots run deep and required removal of a section of retaining wall in order to dig down far enough to sever that tap root.

The second one at the end of the driveway took less time but still put up a big fight.

When he finished the job he said to me, "This time our family motto didn't apply". What's our family motto? Initium es diminium factore, which translates as half the battle is getting started. Starting this project was certainly not more than half the battle!

While David was busy with his battle I have a more long term battle on my hands. Don't think for one minute that this grass looks pretty in the evening sunlight. It is ugly King Ranch bluestem. An invasive bluestem grass introduced as cattle feed and planted along the highways in the 1930s. It found its way onto my lot a few years ago and despite all my efforts I have been unable to hold it at bay. It has crowded out many of the finer native grasses even threatening the basket grasses which grow in huge clumps along the escarpment. There is no easy way to get rid of it save to cut off the seed heads and follow up with herbicide treatment when spring growth starts. That's where I was all weekend-cutting off seed heads.