Clematis: A few pics from a beginner, 1 by Sharkey

Sharkey wrote:
Hi BG, I haven't noticed you on the forum lately. How are things in LA other than hot and humid? Thank you SO much for your positive feedback, but you're giving me too much credit.

Did you purchase Galore a few months ago when you bought most of your clems? If not, I would recommend it highly after seeing what it is doing here. As I indicated, it was planted last spring as a liner I think I ordered from Koi. I didn't know to dig a very large hole, but I think I dug it as deep as I could next to our newly built steps to the deck. It's thoroughly shaded at bottom by the rose bush. I pruned it by half about a month ago after blooming and now it has grown back with new buds. I'm posting another view of it taken in mid May. If it did this well second yr, I have high hopes for it in the future.

We tend to post our best photos, but I will show you a few others that did okay, but nothing great yet. I still think we should follow the guidelines about potting up the liners a few months before planting, as I can see a difference. As far as watering, at first I was doing a weekly soak and supplementing every other day with lighter watering. Then comes the heat wave and drought and I started watering almost every day worried that I was going to drown them, but also wondering how they would survive in this heat without it. So, part has been a guessing game and some beginner's luck.

I've also tried to follow alll of the advice I've read on these forums about mixing good soil. I use a lot of Black Kow Manure in my mixture. CG's idea for the collars is a great one and I also use the oyster shells. I finally found some plastic edging that can be bent and attached to a second one to make a circle to use as collars. They were very inexpensive at Home Depot and I think will be sturdier than my nursery buckets.

I worry a lot about this extreme heat on the south side of the house. That's where my fireplace is located and I have 4 trellises with a 5th one planned in a few months. It's where I need some "showy" blooms. All of the clems planted there are new, so I'm hoping they will thrive. Barbara H. has wilted and I cut her all the way back. No sign of recovery yet, but fed her the "brew" today.

We can't get discouraged. I'm determined to prove that Floridians CAN grow clems. Let's just hope we escape any major hurricanes this summer and damaging winds. Things have been mighty quiet so far.
Keep me posted on how your clems are doing.