Creeping vine plant is likely a bindweed

Q: All of a sudden, we have this creeping vine plant showing up in the backyard in various areas. We haven’t noticed any buds or blooms on any of them yet, but it sure is a rapid grower. Any idea what this plant could be and is it maybe a keeper? — T.M, Albuquerque

A: A rapid growing vine plant that just showed up? To me, it sounds like it could be bindweed.

It is a persistent plant and once you get it, it’s an ongoing battle to get rid of it. The trouble is, the flower on the bindweed is so pretty. It looks like a miniature morning glory bloom, except they’ll be pink fading to white. So you might allow the plants, or at least a few, come to bloom to be sure it is the bindweed.

Now, if you choose to eliminate them, everything I’ve read of late suggests using chemical control. A ready-to-use spray weed killer that you will be able to apply with lots of control. Be very cautious when applying, so you don’t maim or kill any other plants you value.

You could spend lots of time hand plucking the bindweed, but here’s the trouble with that. When pulling the bindweed, and it breaks without getting all the root, it’ll be back. These are ridiculously sturdy weeds.

Now you can win the pulling war, but you’ll want to be consistent with the hunting. Every week to ten days, go out to the area you’ve pulled bindweed from and see if any new have popped up. If so, pluck them as soon as possible. Eventually the root will be starved out by your constant removal of the ability to photosynthesize, and it will die. Just know you need to be religious with either/both the spraying-plucking in order to get this pesky weed. Good luck!

Q: We bought an older home that came with a lot of established landscaping. In the front yard, we have one plant that bloomed the creamiest pale-yellow flowers really early in March. We were told it’s a winter jasmine. So, what we’d like to know is, will it bloom again this year? Any suggestions on how to care for this very pretty plant? — E.B., Albuquerque

A: I have a couple of favorite winter jasmine plants here in the city and I always make a point of doing a drive-by to marvel at them. You’re correct, they are a very pretty plant.

As far as getting another bloom this year from your jasmine, no, it won’t. That’s not how they are made. But they will grace your landscaping next late winter, so you do have something to look forward to.

As to the care and tending of this lovely arching plant, here’s what I’ll suggest. Be sure to water it during the growing season. The glossy green leaves they wear are well worth your care.

Now, if the jasmine has gotten a bit too overgrown for your tastes, now is the time to prune it. The blooms are all done, and I want you to remember the rhyme “prune after the bloom.” If you’re happy with the look, leave it alone. But if you prune it later this year, you’ll effectively be removing next year’s flowering. Just like lilac and forsythia, jasmine sets next year’s bloom on the growth it grows this year.

The jasmine would appreciate a fertilization now too. I won’t call them heavy feeders, but they did just give you their all with that marvelous bloom, so a good fertilization is in order.

One more thought, too. I’d get in the habit of lifting the edges of the mound and check that the base of the plant isn’t being strangled by blown in dirt. You don’t want the trunk or crown to get buried in the least. That is a working part of the plant’s nose kind of, and if that area gets buried, the plants will have a more difficult time staying alive. Keeping the area beneath the jasmine tidier will help keep the plant healthier for sure. Winter jasmines are sturdy plants, and you can count yourselves lucky to have one growing in your world. Enjoy it!

Q: My children want to grow some vegetables this year. They are still young, and I want them to be successful! Any suggestions of really easy-to-grow vegetables I can start them off with? — N.G., Albuquerque

A: Peas, green beans, carrots and radishes are four of the easiest vegetables that come to mind.

When growing peas, it’ll be best to have some sort of trellis system for them to crawl up on. The simplest way to create that would be getting a tomato cage and placing it in the ground so the baby peas can reach up toward it and climb.

For the green beans, you’ll want to read the packaging. There are pole beans that’ll need a trellis just like the peas, or bush beans that grow in more of a mound shape. I prefer the pole beans because hummingbirds like to visit the flowers, which is always a treat.

When looking for the perfect carrot, aim for the ones that don’t get too long. The shorter varieties are more fun to harvest. Same with the radishes too. You aren’t wanting to make the children wait 90 days to harvest. Read the packaging and I’m confident you can find choices that’ll be shorter to harvest so the kids don’t lose interest. You do get to teach them patience so they will get rewarded later in the growing season.

Remember, they can do successive plantings, so they’ll have a longer time to enjoy the fruits of their labors.

Have fun with your next generation gardeners and Happy Diggin’ In!

Tracey Fitzgibbon is a certified nurseryman. Send garden-related questions to Digging In, Albuquerque Journal, 7777 Jefferson St. NE, Albuquerque, N.M. 87109, or to features@abqjournal.com.