Re: Devil's was OT Cat Advice

Aralia spinosa is one of my favorites.  I have a large one.  Yes,
the stems are terribly thorny.  The leaf pedicels are prickly, too.
The compound, doubly pinnate leaves are sometimes as much
as 2 1/2 feet across, and the flower umbels can be as large.
When mine is in bloom you can hear the bees from 10 feet
away.  It does tend to seed around a bit, and I have found
that the stems begin to die back after ten years or so, but 
there are always more stalks to replace the old ones.  I 
guess I like it because it's odd and prickly like me.
I think it should do well for you, Zem.  New York seems to
be the northern edge of its hardiness, but I have seen it 
growing in thickets in Virginia, and the books say it is a
native of the central Atlantic states.
Auralie
 
In a message dated 08/03/2007 6:09:30 PM Eastern Standard Time, 
islandjim1@verizon.net writes:

Didn't know Aralia spinosa, so I looked it up. I'm guessing it's called  
"devil's walking stick" because the stems have thorns? Unlike Harry  
Lauder's WS, the stems seem straight.

Asidem: We have a succulent here [Pedilanthus tithymaloides] called  
"devil's backbone." Devil seems to be a popular plant modifier. In the  
case of our succulent, however, it's likely related to the crookedness  
of the stems rather than to a presence of thorns.

No matter. What's the charm of the A. spinosa, Zem--other than it's  
just kind of a neat/odd looking plant?




On Aug 3, 2007, at 10:37 AM, Zemuly Sanders wrote:

> I agree with you, Theresa.  Cats tend to sommunicate more among  
> themselves and less with you if there are a number of them.  I do have  
> mine separated into two "colonies" -- 4 in my bedroom and bathroom, 2  
> on the enclosed back porch, 1 in the kitchen with Otis, and 5 in the  
> dining room.  They are a lot to contend with.  Meanwhile, back to the  
> plant world, a friend at Master Gardeners last night promised to bring  
> me an Auralia spinosa at our plant swap next week.  I have always  
> wanted a Devil's Walking Stick, and I'm looking forward to getting it.  
>  She also said the deer have eaten all the leaves off the poisin ivy  
> in her yard.  We are having a terrible time with starving deer this  
> year.
> zem





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