Clematis: Clematis Guru's Hardwick Hall Summer Blooms, 1 by ClematisGuru

ClematisGuru wrote:
you are all too kind.
the collars have really helped me take better care of the clems. and when i have a helper here, as i am lucky to do at times, for weeding, mulching and hole digging, the collar is an easy stop light. i am the only one to weed or mulch inside a collar. i find when watering i can break up the flow of water and soak the ground around plus fill the collar a couple of times so i know i have deep watered that plant vs maybe it got enough.
the mgr of a nearby garden store come over here yesterday, for the first time, and she loved the collars......i told her now you know why i have begged you to give and sell me your old thin 3 gallon nursery pots.
if you are just collaring, use the 3 gallon thin nursery pot size. the thin ones are easy to cut (no need to ask hubbie to get saw out) the one gallon are too small. you may have to instal some in the spring after your hard prune and some of mine on clems that were older when i started the collaring and were larger 1's or 2's i cut the collar into a strip and restapled it into the circle. i think jj has used landscape edging for this if i remember from a post.
at one time i tried making 3 collars form one pot, but it did not work, need that upper top edge to have longevity and stability.
and of course when the plant goes missing or takes a break, you know right where to look for it. or dig for the root.
i recently saw pics on line of someplaces in europe that do the collars too..so necessity is the mother of invention and it is a helpful invention that has been used before.
the perle de azure is just ethereal this year, really magical in color and i think it is the polish spirit next to it that brings out it's best. it is the first year the polish has been up high and blooming as it is just in ground 2 years, and the perle de azure 5 years. this shows you the vigor of polish spirit vs other clems. i have found it really useful clem to fill in displays and give counterpoint with color as fast as possible with a vitacella clem. and the blooms are larger and prettier every year with polish spirit.
again thanks for comments and mutual appreciation of all things clem.
shurayakahime is having a good year too. this one started off weak for about 2 years, so i never expected much, but is a nice stable white with a long bloom period and still rather compact at 4 years. am surpried pleasantly by it and it will be in my top 15 i am sure. i am going to rank all the clems i have later in the sumer by length to establish, floriferousness, problems, vigor, length of bloom time etc....top clem may be margaret hunt which have been posting ad naseum. but this is the nice white that i am starting to really appreciate while i wait for huldine, huxtable etc.