A Tribute to Flowering Vines

So I have recently become enamored with flowering vines. It used to be very common to find homes with vines trailing along the exteriors and around entrance ways. This old photograph shows the Wilson farm, in the Depot, with a variety of vines accenting the exterior of the old homestead. They certainly must have enjoyed them as much as I have!

    The reason why I have come to like flowering vines is because they are incredibly easy to grow, if you know which ones to choose. I faithfully, every summer, used to purchase morning glory vines, and in August would be bitterly disappointed with how poorly they were doing. I am happy to report there are much better choices out there! I have recently planted a vine wall which enjoys only morning sun. The vines have thrived there!

The plant that turned me on to vines is Mandevilla. I first planted them outside my office in containers and was impressed by their growth and continuous, abundant blooms.

      This summer I planted “Moonflower” vines (Ipomoea alba) along with other vines on the blank wall under my bay window. I have nurtured them, watering regularly and tying and guiding the vines as they grow upwards. Wow, the “Moonflower”  vine is voracious, covering the whole front of the wall and leading my wife to dub it the “Little Shop of Horrors” vine. That is just fine with me, because I am happy if anything I plant actually grows and thrives. After patiently waiting all summer, last night three white blooms appeared, filling the air with a beautiful fragrance. It was worth the wait.

    By far, the most spectacular vine on my wall garden is the Passion Flower vine (Passiflora) with 4,000 species. The complex blooms of the Passion Flower Vine are said to represent The Passion of Christ; the central stamen representing the cross, various parts representing the apostles, and more.  So give vine gardening a try; it’s easy, if it wasn’t, I couldn’t pull it off! Ah next year, maybe add, Climbing Snapdragon(Asarina) or Cup and Saucer Vine (Cobaea scandens) or search for a different variety of Passion Flower vine.

Cobbett’s Pond and Searles Castle

This old view shows Cobbett’s Pond with Searles Castle in the background. Dunkin Beach does not yet exist, where Castleton is today and “Granite Hill” is an open pasture.

Dinsmore Associates Office next to Pelham Bank and Trust

Its hard to believe that it has been forty years since we opened the real estate brokerage business in Windham. Our small office was located next to the Pelham Bank and Trust on Route 111. I know what your thinking, yes that crappy “Pinto” Mustang was mine… but I loved that car because it saved me from near certain death in West Virginia.

Building Mr. Searles Walls

Many of the laborers and masons who worked in the construction of Searles Castle, in Windham, were immigrants from Italy. A few years back, I had a gentleman drop by my office who provided me a photograph of his grandfather, Jacob Pitchochelli with his family. The gentleman shown in the photograph above driving the oxen is also Jacob Pitchochelli. Wouldn’t Mr. Searles and all of the people who labored to build the walls of Searles Castle, and who must have taken such pride in their work, be disappointed that so much of it has been destroyed or is falling to the ground today. The beautiful gate being constructed in the photograph above, became a safety hazard and was torn down.

Jacob Pitchochelli with his family