Lo vs. the Vines 2009 - round 1

Bella watching the sunset over the orange trees.  End of round 1.

I am definitely realizing that I am a greenhorn gardener in a very mature yard.  So I worked like a dog all weekend yanking decades old vines out of our citrus trees and off our fences.  I pruned some of the undergrowth out of our lemon tree and it looks adorable now.   I must have cut a whole dumpster's worth of dead growth with loppers and hauled it to the back corner of the yard.  Bella the Cat watched interestedly from inside the whole weekend.

After cutting for hours in the sun I really developed an intuitive feeling for the vines.  They are so old- at least 30 years or more- and I couldn't help but marvel that due to their unchecked growth over the years they had really established themselves.  It's an example of the great lengths (literally) such an invasive plant with 0 impediment can reach. I could start following long tendrils back to the source branch, which made my cuts more effective.  I didn't event get a chance to rake all the dead growth out of the weeds on the ground.  At least the overhead growth is cut back and sunlight will start reaching the potted plants more effectively.

Round 1: Lo wins.