Vines

Dtown

New member
Hey guys I was wanting to get a recommendation on what species of vine to plant on my duck blind. Ideally I would like the vines to naturally cover the blind ever year on the remaining brush. I’ve heard “river bank vine”, but that’s hard to find a specific seed for. Thank you in advance.
 
I remember from many years ago seeing someone writing about using morning glories to plant around their blind for cover. It is a vine and fairly easy to grow, although I have only done it at home. Might be worth looking in to.
 
I'm not familiar with the vines common to your area but around here many of the wild vines drop their leaves in the fall and become sparse, aka herbaceous vines. I've also thought it would be nice to get something growing all over our blinds that would eliminate annual blind brushing. I think you need to focus in on woody vines (no poison ivy!) that grow in your area. I need to do the same.
 
I've never considered planting as a permanent cover, but it's a great idea. Since this is presumably in or near a wet area, consider whether any plants are considered invasive in your area and avoid them. A story circulates among salt marsh restoration folks here in Maine about a project to eliminate phragmites, an invasive marsh plant that does well in areas near roads and can outcompete spartina and other native marsh plants. After a day of planning a major herbicide treatment in an attempt to eliminate phragmites from a marsh, they returned to the boat ramp where they were met by a duck hunter who had grassed his boat completely with phragmites at its mature, seed-dropping best! It was fantastic cover for the boat, and I am sure it hid well in the areas of the marsh where phrag was already established, but also a seed source to spread the invasive all over the marsh. Most fresh and salt water marsh plants are pretty low here, so blinds in the open are often camouflaged with upland plants to make them look like small hummocks that are growing shrubs or trees instead of marsh grasses. A common camouglage for larger blinds in the salt marsh is to drive small to medium sized saplings around them. The leaves fall off, but just the bare stems around the blind are pretty effective, especially is the lower portions are enhanced on each hunt with a little seaweed and loose grass.
 
I'm not familiar with the vines common to your area but around here many of the wild vines drop their leaves in the fall and become sparse, aka herbaceous vines. I've also thought it would be nice to get something growing all over our blinds that would eliminate annual blind brushing. I think you need to focus in on woody vines (no poison ivy!) that grow in your area. I need to do the same.
I’ve been looking at the riverbank grape vines because they seem to hold their leaves a little longer and grow fast. I’ve planted button brush and black willows around the blind so far. I think the vines on top f the blind would look great.
 
I was going to suggest button bush as a part of the solution. We have black willow growing around our blinds. Knowing you have wet soil conditions should narrow down the list of suitable vines quite a bit.
 
I,ve transplanted Bayberry bushes in past around a marsh blind and they took off good. Plenty of green/gray cover once established and holds leaves all year long. Easy to trim to height desired with limb trimmers once they,re up past blind walls. And they grow fairly quick. Love areas right on edge of water and will stand a bit of flooding occasionally from exceptionally high water. In my area they're a common site at woods/marsh edge. Until beavers became established here cut bayberry was a great blind bushing tool but the beavers will decimate them once found. Had to switch back to red cedar which they leave alone.
 
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