YOUTH

A Frolic In The Grape Vines

At this time of the year in Australia, grape vines, both ornamental and fruit bearing, tend to grow a mile a minute, They twist and turn around training wires, over branches, around posts and would take over your house if you let them go. They really need regular pruning throughout the season and this is what excites me. A frolic in the grape vines with my secateurs in hand gives me loads of material for creating and making. Gardening is my passion and with 2 acres to play in, 3 grape vines, a wisteria and several hardenbergia, not to mention a myriad of clematis I have plenty of material to randomly weave.

I was introduced to basket making by my sister who is very talented and skilled in this area. She diligently collects materials, dries them and stores them ready to make her creations. Me on the other hand has a more “fly by the seat of my pants” approach and while I am pruning in the garden, particularly my grapevine, I take a seat and rest awhile, and get busy making. One thing I make each year is a top for my bird baths. It looks great in the garden and gives the little birds a resting place and some shelter while they bathe. They are quick and easy to make with the long tendrils that are pruned off in one piece and there are often lots of little curls and twists that make it look interesting. Just make a circle the size of your bird bath and twist them together, under and over until the circle sits nicely on the bath.

A friend noticed these in my garden and asked me one day if I could make something special for his wife’s headstone at the cemetery. I wanted to get the shape right, so I first made a wire heart shape and then just wrapped the pruned grape vines around it and tucked them into each other until you couldn’t see the wire anymore. Then I was able to add some flowers that would age well without water. I was pleased with the result and so was my friend. So when another friend asked me to make some for their wedding, I had the recipe at hand.

I enjoy my garden vase with flowers that don’t need water and I sometimes catch a glimpse of myself or my colourful flowers as I walk by with my woven mirror on the gum tree. Last year I made a fence in the garden just using 4 stakes in the ground and randomly weaving from side to side, and up and down for strength and stability.

Each year the vines grow, and each year I make something new. The possibilities for making and creating are endless. There is no need to ask the question “Where does all the pruning go?” rather “What am I going to make?” — Flowergardenannie