A Plum Adventure

I have learned an interesting thing about Plum trees: They are VERY prolific in that they will reproduce rapidly to the point where they can take over a plot of land in only a couple of years if allowed to. They are like weeds to some people around here. These are native plums that produce a huge load of fruit most years. Below is how I gleaned this bit of information.

An elderly lady I know has a yard that was being taken over by the "Nuisance Plum Trees". So, a friend and I happily visited her yesterday (garden gloves, shovel and bags in hand) and dug out these "Invasive Pests".  You should have seen us! Oh! My middle aged friend is a hardy woman who doesn't let grass grow under her- if you know what I mean. She is a Do-er. So, together, we stood and jumped on shovels to break through tuberous roots in order to dig up individual trees. While she would use her shovel as a lever to lift parts of the root balls, I would grab hold of the bottom of the trunk and pull to lift it out of the ground. In doing this, I knew exactly when the trees were finally wrestled free from the ground. I knew this because I was usually hunched over, pulling with all my might. When my butt hit the floor, the tree was up and we were ready to move on to the next one. Luckily, I never landed in the many camouflaged fire ant beds I noticed only after about the 5th tree when I looked right next to where I landed and saw the ants pouring out of their mound.

We must have dug up 10 or more plum trees, 3 rose bushes and other plants our elder friend could no longer care for. As a result, we should be able to really enjoy some fruit next summer (possibly even this summer if they get well-established in time). I took 3 plum trees and 2 rose bushes home to plant.

When I got home, I planted one Plum Tree on either side of our dirt road driveway by the house. I'm hoping to train them to grow in an arch so that people know where to turn to get to the house (hard to tell on a packed dirt road). The 3rd, I had no idea where to put it. So, I called a friend who is trying to establish a "Wildlife Habitat" in her back yard to see if she could use the tree. She loved that I thought of her and happily accepted the tree this afternoon.

BTW, you're not supposed to thank others for plants that they give you. It's commonly thought that if you DO thank aomeone for plants they give you, then the plants will not grow. Wierd, eh?

Poisonous Plants to Avoid

 It occurs to me that some seemingly unassuming plants might just be the last thing you touch, smell, taste, etc. Little did I know that some common plants are HIGHLY TOXIC to humans as well as animals/livestock/etc. In doing some research in this arena, I found some helpful sites.

Here are some links to sites with info on toxic plants. 

Cute Killers
Wiki's List of Poisonous Plants
One Person's Running List of Poisonous Plants
Poisonous Plants of the Southeastern United States

So, If you have children, pets or other creatures that may accidentally encounter these plants, keep your eyes on them and make sure they know what they can and can not stick in their mouths.