Pacific Northwest clem journey

well ,i'm back from clem heaven!. the trip was amazing. the two gardens of note are the silver star vinery and the joy creek gardens. ssv had more clems of course, as they specialize,and joy creek's overall garden was amazing also. both had display gardens for clems only and clems in landscape settings and gardens such as you and i might covet.
where to start.
the pruning workshop was not really a workshop, but it was interesting to see brewsters colllection and meet the folks there. we did some pruning to tidy up some plants. i am glad to have been there for that, but the highlight was ssv and joy creek. ssv has every type of clem, each grown in several spots (display garden and landscape style).....seeing most of the clems grown in different ways was interesting.
pruning wise, reinforcement that mid july (bastille day timing) is when you do the mid season bigger pruning. it seems perfect timing here with the clems looking like they need it. this seems to be the timing in the pacific northwest as well as here and the uk!

the clems were huge, floriferous and the landscape and garden design with them very motivating. i am not going to name cultivars with some of these photos. oen thing that blew my mind was the diversafolias...huge, huge huge. i have not mastered those to the extent of some of these beauties and there were some varieties that went on my must get list after seeing them in full mature healthy glory.anyway i will just continue posting here and you can see for yourself.

this is a garden dedicated to deb fishers parents, there are two of the statues and many clems among other perennials, very beautiful.

this etoile violette made me re think mine. one of mine was planted 8 yrs ago and this year took a real step back. 8 yrs ago i was not digging good holes or making good soil to plant in like i am now. so i am going to dig one of mine up and see what it looks like and re plant. it may be pooped out or at the bottom of any enrichment or hitting solid clay or rock. decided this while i was out there, no clem is forever where and how we plant it, alto 8 yrs is a good ride. time to figure that out. i ordered some more etoile violettes also, that is how inspiring ssv's were. ssc has many big clems that have been moved or re-sited and this was very motivating. anyway here is one of the big etiole violettes at ssv.

roses every where with clems naturally. deb fisher recommended a rose, glauca. this one is not glauca......but i just thought of it. it is an own root rose with bluish foliage, i ordered 5 of them and am going to give them a try. anyway her is a typical rose combo in the ssv garden.

ssv has a very hard winter but can grow the more tender clems such as florida seiboldi and floro plena.

the color combos were so amazing. i know my photos do not capture all of the color and richness. i liked this one very much.

on and on the combos and plantings. amazingly rich tapestry of color and botanical interest.

a lot of birdhouses are incorporated into the gardens at ssv, which are charming and functional too.

i love the color combos that are monochromatic and tone on tone as well as the contrasting ones.

clems everywhere

very well designed gardens, using clems as you would other perennials.....

joy creek gardens was amazing too.showcasing all the plants they sell, of which clems are a more limited amount. i bought grace, sundance and augustifolia there, see those on cotw. they were in the display garden,but i did not take pictures of those.

ssv has shipped to me for arrival tomorrow.....the sale and seeing some varieties i had overlooked spawned some purchasing.

joy creek had amazing , simple color combos that have inspired me. the combos of the light yellow green foliage of shrubs or perennials with all the purple clems is the standout memory. as i relocate or replant my etiole violettes i am going to go for this combo.

the blue on blue with evergreens and hydrangea were pretty too. even without featuring clems.

the diversafolias were such a stand out at ssv and joy creek. here is alionushka at joy creek.

clems clems clems

another purple and yellow green combo.....with this, i better get back to work. it was a GREAT TRIP. just being able to be able to ask questions at the mecca was inspiring. biggest take way besides mid season HARD pruning for 3's is soil improvement and the addition of more gravel to the mixture.

when i mentioned to deb that i sometimes used sand in my soil mixture i got a real ah ha......her response is that sand and clay are two of the ingredients in cement. it is a real no no as far as soil improvement in clay type soils such as central ohio. both joy creek and the brewster rogerson collection and ssv use a lot of gravel chips in the soil mixture. i have never gone crazy with sand, but have used it so i was especially grateful to get this information, which makes so much sense.

tomorrow, back to my own garden and there is a lot to do, but i have big motivation after being in these gardens!

Clap-clap-clap.....! Enjoyed that very much....thanks for sharing, as usual....kim

thanks. it was so much fun, wish the whole forum could have been there. i am very inspired and awed by the experts at ssv and joy creek and implementing some of what i picked up.

Today, at lunch, I bought a beautiful hydrangea paniculata "quickfire" because I have a hp "tardiva" that I absolutely love. I'm thinking about keeping it in a pot on the porch until this fall and then planting it with a clem......or two.....kim

the hydrangeas out there were so scrumtious. and with the clems, i think the combos were as pretty as roses.

Oh, CG. Glorious.

Kimmy, I just got a Tardiva. Planting it with clems would be lovely. Now I just have to decide where and which clem. Any thoughts on yours? How it is doing, etc?

Guru, What a trip........... It's 2:25 A M, and I am not sleepy. I think my clem ideas are
going to cause me problems. The pictures are pure beauty. Thanks' for sharing with us.

confussedlady

Hey Jennie: I think it would have to be something small and prune 1 (?) because I cut my Tardiva WAY back in the fall or winter so it puts out a bunch of new growth and gets "sturdier" as it ages. So, I was thinking of something kind of dainty but haven't got a clue. I ordered as many clem books as our library had (8, I think) and picked them up at lunch today. I know so little that I really can't help you much. But, I will be trying to learn a lot more and planting many more. Your place is really lovely. I enjoyed your pictures and hearing about your life there. I hope to post here more often (just got pc at home) and learn how to show pictures. I hope you like Tardiva as much as I do.....kim