When I moved to Motovun six years ago, the Virginia Creeper on the north wall of my terrace was doing pretty well. This was its place for at least thirty years before my arrival. But it started dying two years ago, most likely due to its advanced age, and I replaced it with the Silver Lace Vine. I pulled out the creeper’s roots from the planter under the wall, but it somehow managed to survive by shedding new roots between the stones in the back of the wall. The vine and the creeper are now fighting for sunlight, and the old creeper is doing surprisingly well. Seeing that a bit of competition is not a bad gardening idea, this year I brought to the wall a few branches of the wisteria that grows in the garden some way under the wall. The three-way fight has just started, but the wisteria seems to be thriving among its competitors. It may take over the entire wall in a few short years. If I am a pitiful gardener, Mother Nature is certainly not. All I need to do is leave it to its own vicious devices.

Addendum I (May 12, 2015)

So many years later, the wisteria is undoubtedly the winner. Looking at the north wall of my terrace this afternoon, I realized that the Virginia Creeper and the Silver Lace Vine were barely visible behind the wisteria. Although they are still alive, they are doing rather poorly. As of late, my main problem is to make sure that the wisteria does not climb up the façade of my house. Beautiful as it is, it also serves as a highway for several kinds of snake that thrive in these parts. They are not poisonous, but they are not exactly pleasant to look at. Returning to competition as a gardening trick of sorts, it surely beats many others. The three-way fight is now definitely over.

Addendum II (December 2, 2017)

The three-way fight? Now that wisteria is starting to shed its leaves, many of which have turned yellow lately, I can see that ivy has joined the fray with all its might. As of late, it is coming up the terrace walls from all sides (“Ivy,” June 26, 2017). Still, I was surprised to spot its shiny leaves right behind wisteria’s. Till today, I was blissfully unaware of the four-way fight that must have been raging for quite a while. Although I will do my best to help the wisteria and thwart the ivy, the ultimate winner is anyone’s guess. For all I know, they may even thrive in each other’s company.