Adventures in Poke Vine

Hello from our new place we have lovingly named, “The Lil’ Acre.”

It was a crash landing to our new home and I don’t say that lightly but we are here. While the timing never seems right, we do feel right at home here.

Friends know I’m a winter girl in my soul, but my growing passion for gardening has me planting my spring garden in my head. Oddly, (or perhaps not so oddly) Michigan gave us some higher temperatures in November so while our new home needs a lot of rehab on the inside, we put it aside for the day to do some projects outside.

Which mostly includes exploring and starting our composting system. I’ve taken to country life very well so far, you should have seen the grin on my face at the Trackor Supply when I asked where the “Hog Wire” is.

We inherited this apple tree and it introduced itself by pelting us with dozens of apples. It needs some attention. The apples grow very high up, which makes it difficult to pick. We’ve already begun rehabbing this tree and are hoping we can get at least a few years out of it. If you know my husband, he will be delighted to scale the branches for harvest… (I will do my best to stop him.) For now, the birds are still enjoying the fruit.

I’m enjoying the many trinkets and stories that is coming (literally) out the walls here.

One of my favorite finds has been these dried curly vines that edge some of the property, which I now know is poke vine. This fall, I’ve been very limited in what creative tools I have on hand because of the move. The poke vine immediately inspired me and without any access to my art supplies at the time, I was itching to do anything with my hands.

I started making wreaths out them. The first one was a bit of a puzzle, the flexibility of the vine dictated its shape and the curls easily hook around each other as if they were just looking for something to hold on to. I filled in holes with vine that was a bit drier and stiffer, pushing and pulling the tension to round out the circle.

Having enjoyed the experience so much, I felt the urge to run inside and google how to preserve the vines, how to sculpt and weave with them. I stopped myself mid-step, imagining myself going inside, pulling out my iPad, only to find out I didn’t have the cool tools or the knowledge to make these. This is not the country life I’m working toward.

Ah, perfectionism, the anti-fun voice that’s so hard to turn off. I can remember quite clearly in elementary school making brooms and baskets under a willow tree at recess — all without a YouTube tutorial. Sometimes we were witches, sometimes we were Cinderella. Friends, I didn’t go Google. I just kept making.

In fact I can’t stop…

My root cellar is filling up and I fear I may run out of space if I don’t slow my roll! I think I have enough to make a natural arch for my future garden or maybe even a bespoke-style fence. When spring comes I’ll know for sure.

I’m looking forward to sharing with you in the spring what I end up doing with these. I hope this finds you inspired to take on a project… and do it YOUR way.