they didn't "get " the coned area, (neither does hubbie) but when they see it drippin and droolin with clems next summer they will like it (i hope).
it is a little alien looking right now. esp with the holes pre dug.
c. cecile from the caddick clem nursery in uk is a beauty. i have a couple of new atragenes that bloomed late this summer and i can see that i am going to expand the cultivars in this group.
have added this year alpina constance, a species macropetala and frankie as well as this one. under appreciated by me till now i think.
Hardwick Hall Mid Summer
I didn't know it was possible to get clems from the UK.
I was looking at Frankie, but I seem to remember it is not for my zone. Glad it is happy in your garden.
it was developed in UK, then sold here by chalk hill. should have clarified that. there are many clems there that are not available (yet) in the USA. not sure where propagated or how imported.
you are right atragene group needs a fully dormant period. i have never developed my collection very deeply in the atragene group, added some this year and will add more next year.
here is macropetala markhams pink, another atragene. this was actually one of my first clems, purchased like 8 years ago, maybe 9 from chalk hill. it is my earliest blooming clem each season. not sure how long this original plant will live, but i have layered some to protect my display.
i am also propagating some from layers/cuttings and will be giving them away next summer to anyone who wants the plant. i want to spread the genes so to speak!!!! these are one of the easiest clem groups to grow from cuttings.
Pretty! Well I am happy to know that you didn't smuggle it out of the UK!
i've heard of folks doing that, but i have not been there in about 8 years. now, when i go again...might be tempting for sure!
Are your clems getting ready for a nice long winters sleep???mine that I cut done are going to bloom again!
some are growing vigorously, since bastille day pruning up to 4 and 5 ft. they will bloom again.
some are green and healthy looking but not a lot of new growth...some of these are preparing to sleep.
about 75 clems got worm castings and top dressing two weeks ago, immediate response. i have a test group of 50 of the other new fertilizing method as well.
had some struggling plants from donahues and some less common ones from joy creek that i had planted out a bit too early and felt they needed "hospital time", so i prepared a grittier soil mix and lifted them , planted them back in to gallons. ,most have shown a great immediate response to the treatment. these also got the worm castings and top dressing.
all in all a great late summer status in the garden and with the clems. much less brown off due to hydration and nutrient plan as well as nip, tuck, prune as appropiate to the clem type, age and condition.
need to finish top dressing quite a few clems this weekend. mother nature has been different but good all in all this year!
When you plant your clems do you put bonemeal in your holes???need to get some more worm castings next year..HD has it but kinda pricey...used to buy it on line a few years ago don't like the price of shipping now!!
i hear ya on the shipping fees. not sustainable. i do not put bone meal in holes,(concerned about potential raccoon digging) usually put 3 or 4 handfuls in a wheelbarrow of my soil mixture for planting.
i do not put anything in the bottom, but have thought about that. i have my own compost too and a lot to use up right now, along with the worm castings.
my main thing in addition to that as mentioned in july is getting the soil grittier. much grittier than i used to and it is already making a difference with my plants.
when i top dress the clems i am making the mixture gritty, gritty ,gritty too so it goes down into the soil.
wish all of my clems had been planted with the methods and soil i am using now, but what i didn't know 8 years ago.......could fill an big wheelbarrow!!
CG, you crack me up...LOL
Janet
CG, what do you mix in the top dressing to make it gritty? Is that where you use the oyster shells? I have been using just composted steer manure (in bags). What us the top dressing you like? By the way, I am using the GroPower flower and bloom. All my clems look like they are liking it. But, remember, all my clems are babies.
i am top dressing with Nia's Posy Power, with lots of oystershell and some other sharp gravel i have around, and my own home made compost (i compost in huge bins without much turning so it takes 1 year to make it).
i have used the bagged manure before in place of the Nias Posy Power. depending on time of year i use the bloom and gro granular fertilizer under the handfuls of top dressing mixture or not.
i top dress the clems about 3 times a year with a gallon or two of the mixture applied around the base of the clem, push back from stems.
sometimes the top dressing as described above without the fertilization of Bloom and Gro depending on time of year.
Thank you, CG. I will look for the oystershell. I have never seen Nia's Posy Power here, but I will look. The steer manure alone really packs down when it is dry. It is "crusty". I am so glad that I followed your recommendations on pruning and fertilizing. They are all looking very perky.
there are are other products in addition to nias that are similar in your area. one may be whitneys or whitney farms compost? i know that is used at the rogerson collection in portland.
we also have one here in my area called "bumper crop" that i use sometimes. they are ammended , composted manure mixtures.
I wonder how the mushroom compost compares to these products. I have easy access to that as long as the mushroom farm in our area doesn't close again. Would this along with oyster shells be a good top dressing?
I love what my mushroom compost has done for my perennials this summer.
Janet
sharkey on my soil, esp with how long some (and my natural soil characteristics) of my clems have been in ground i add the grit to all top dressing every time. i want to get as much in to the soil as i can. and slugs do not like it. and it looks good.
when i started top dressing my clems a few years ago it really was a breakthrough for my clemming, when i started using a collar to hold the top dressing in and help my watering be more direct it was a huge jump forward to results. the grit is another bump forward. the more grit i use the better results i get.
Using grit instead of wood mulch also helps keep other insects away. Crushed oyster shells (used as poultry grit) cuts up the bodies of crawling insects and they dehydrate and die. A bonus for people who are having trouble controlling earwigs or slugs.
That may have been said already, but it's so perfect a dressing that it bears repeating.
I agree, Julia. I've been very pleased with the results in the areas I've added the oyster shells. An added bonus.... we've got a huge oyster trade in Louisiana, so the crushed shells are extremely inexpensive here. Saving $ is always a good thing!
It's too bad I don't have a way to crush my own oyster shells because we buy LOTS of bags of raw oysters during the winter. Nothing is better than a cold raw Apalachicola oyster.
Guru, the collars were a great idea. I was using cut nursery pots at first, then found plastic edging that I use connecting two pieces to make a circle. It has worked very well for me. Without these, the top dressing, fertilizer, etc. would just wash away. This was just one of the valuable lessons I learned from you. You said you top dress 2 or 3 times a year. Is this your last dressing until early spring?
sharkey, good question not sure if it last dressing till spring. i would say maybe. depends on how they look. i imagine i will do a last go in november if the weather is fab and i am enjoying being out there. certainly yes if any need it. i have to check out the edging you are using at the gardenstore, the pots are so easy and i have a lot of them due to nice gardenstores, however, in come cases they could look better and they do fade .
anyway glad the idea was helpful. i can not imagine growing clems without them.
Here's Kilian Donohue blooming again:
Don't you just love surprises like that, Angie? It's so lovely.
Yes, indeed, Pirl, and now she's thrown another bloom! I'm so excited. Now if I can Rooguchi's mildew cleared up, we'll be good again.
Angie
Does Roguchi have good air circulation?
Yep. I don't know what it is. He's out in full sun on a trellis with a rose, but the rose is not smothering him or even crowding him. The rest of the plot around him is open. I've crushed egg shells at his feet and kept him well watered. I'm hoping he'll recover and flourish. He's still throwing blooms, so that's a good sign.
I had one in a pot and the powdery mildew from the bee balm blew over to it and covered it. I just went a head and pruned down to the ground since it was that time to do it instead of treating it. I've now decided to get rid of my bee balm as I'm not going to grow things that will cause other plants to get the mildew. I hate that stuff. I even treated the bee balm and it didn't help at all.
Check to see what other plants are close by that might have the mildew as they might be causing the problem.
Janet
My Monarda also had to be relocated due to the mildew problem. I have four clems within 10 feet and so far they're okay but I wouldn't hesitate to prune them to the ground before it spreads. Consider moving it if you can't find the cause of the mildew.