You learn something new every day.

 While waiting for my (new to me) car detailing to finish I noticed on the stepped wall behind me a creeping fig vine.

Fairly common plant but most people don't realize that it gets big leaves on it and can take over a wall in a matter of a few years. This wall must have been 20' tall made of keystone type retaining bricks so you can plant in the pockets created by them. You can see some Red Apple ice plant peeking out underneath.

After all these years and even learning this plant when I was taking landscape design is that it will grow fruit just like any other fig! Totally fascinating and of course it isn't edible but I was kind of floored that I never had seen fruit on this vine anywhere.

A lot of the fruit were on the ground, this one I pulled off after I took the picture. They were soft and wrinkled of course but very dry. I luckily had a knife handy (from my sweetie) and was able to cut it open.

Unfortunately didn't get a picture of it. The inside looked much like an edible fig, brown brush like interior with the flower parts at the 'blossom' end.

Now a word about using climbing plants on structures. BEWARE!

Do not ever use a vine or plant that sits against a building and has the potential to attach and grow into the eaves. The reasons are a few but very important. 

1. Anything that attaches to the stucco will ruin it permanently. The attaching type rootlets if you will, dig into the stucco and if you've seen the remnants of ivy on a building you'll know what I mean. This is even bad for a wood fence. It can rip the wood fibers apart if it doesn't just break off.

 

2. It creates a living highway for various insects, including termites. Ants can use it to climb up into the eaves of your house and nest, same with termites. There are three or four types of termites and all of them are bad near a building or fence.

 

3. If you ever need to paint or re-finish or replace the structure/building/wall/fence good luck. You will have to rip the plant down and not have anything left to paint.

 

There are some plants that don't attach, but can still hug the wall and therefore still have a problem. Cat's Claw Vine uses little hooked tendrils that just hang on any rough area. 

 

Quite literally claws that hang onto a vertical surface. The yellow trumpet flowers are very pretty though.

 

 

Like this. That is a building's nighmare. See how it's headed to that vent?

Also cat's claw does not attach and therefore it can be pulled down or fall off the structure at any given moment. I've seen it happen.

So that is my plant tip of the day. Beware of climbing things on your walls and fences. We all know the insidiousness of ivy and as a side note, morning glory takes over so fast I call it the kudzu of the west.

Vines are very nice for covering chain link fences for privacy but it also can create a haven for four legged critters to nest. Bad bad things.

More on flowers and fauna next time.