Coming from: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1229422/
Now we have a new year and let's hope it's a good one for all of us and a nice warm spring to encourage lots of blooms.
We can continue to share our successes and failures while we try to help each other with any problems we encounter.
Note to John and Lee and all the other men: My apologies for the wording on the sign. Your wives have also said to buy what you want!
This message was edited Jan 1, 2012 10:11 AM
I hope everyone had a wonderful New Year's Day....I'm already dreaming of the gardens....
It was great 1st day for 2012. I spent most of the day in the yard, in between the rain drops. I got a few more bulbs planted, did more garden clean up, and cut all of my clematis. They all have nice leaf buds, and some of them are already putting on new growth. I found that Clem. Josephine has layered herself without my help, and that portion of it has formed nice roots. It appears that several stems have done this on this particular plant. I'm going to separate them from the main plant in spring, and plant them elsewhere. This particular area of the garden stays moist during our hot summers, and portions of the stems got covered by pine straw mulch which must have lead to this occurring.
The weather here is finally getting much colder this week, last year this time the ground was already frozen. I'm actually looking forward to the colder weather. Too many of my bulbs have already sprouted, and the clematis need to slow down.
This message was edited Jan 2, 2012 8:00 AM
Hi, Pirl
I have about 5 vines now and was wondering what is the best way to reproduce them? Cuttings, layering? Also, I leave the vines intact but Brett mentioned cutting this one back because of how it looks during winter :(
The dead stems do look bad during the winter. This has only been growing 2 yr. It is on the front porch as you come up to the house.
Teresa
Annette - you did so well for the first day of the year. I hope to get out for an hour tomorrow to continue cutting back plants that have gone dormant. That's great news on Josephine and she is a beauty. My opinion is that the pine needle mulch really does a great job of keeping the soil temperature more constant and keeping the soil damp enough that it does encourage layering. We will also be getting those few days of nasty cold weather this week so you are not alone. We have daffodils at 3" tall already so the cold should halt the growth, which will resume without a problem in spring.
Hi Teresa! Do you know the name of that clematis or the pruning class? Just be careful as you cut it back. Sure, they don't look great in winter but that is the price we pay for when the clematises are in full bloom. (Hydrangeas are not exactly thrilling in winter either!) Check at each bud to make sure you're not cutting off good growth. If it's lanky and really distressing to you then you could cut it back but try and find out the pruning class before you do it.
Layering is easiest. Just lightly scratch the leaf bud where you will be hoping for roots. Lay it down in a hole you've prepared with manure and compost, then water and add more compost on top and a brick to weigh it down would be a big help. Just post if you have more questions or if I've not been clear enough on what to do.
I got a JP Maple moved today and all my clems covered in the manure and then heavy layer of leaves on top. Too late to get mulch. Some large sticks and small branches picked up and watched the birds enjoy the feeder . It was a great day to be outside. I also opened some windows and doors to let some nice fresh air in while I moped the kitchen floor. My mind is starting to think about where I need to move things and where I want to start a new bed. Time to get out the garden plan and see what did well and what did not. On to 2012 and a new gardening season.
All these great gardeners off to such energetic starts to 2012 while I sit and eat Godiva. I guess someone has to be the poster person for failed New Year's resolutions!
Great job, Marie. One easy way to help organize your thoughts or ideas or jobs to be done is to take photos of the areas and then label them as A 2012 Hosta (or whatever area/areas you want to revamp). Even if it snows you can see the area exactly as it is. Taking the same photo in snow is also a help because it gives you a blank slate and you can add the names of plants you want to move in...or out.
Here's an example - since this is basically just a Japanese iris garden I can just add names of any I want to buy and make notes of those that will find new homes.
Hi Everyone, Roberta and I have just returned from a charming Christmas with our middle son John in LA. We had planned to see the Getty Museum located north of Sana Monica this time. The gardeners showed me a few Clem. Seboldii Florida that they were growing on and intend for use on a few pillars. I did not have time to talk to them about clematis in general. I just finished my 2012 seed order for North American Rock Garden and it includes seed for Clem. Scotti, Texensis and Columbiana...wish me luck. t.t.f.n. Lee Sherwood McDonald
Glad to know you had a great Christmas, Lee. Have you ever tried to grow that clem, Lee (or anyone)? I did grow it twice and thought the heat killed it each time but I've read it prefers the heat of the south...as in the variation of the name that includes Florida.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/56983/
Good luck with your other seeds, Lee.
Hi Pirl and everyone, no I have never thought about growing any of the Seboldii selections. What I have read didn't encourage me to try!! I have anecdotal accounts of gardeners that found them winter hardy in Zone 5a. but, I never saw any on going coments on the plants they wrote of....and I am a skeptical soul! I also have not tried any of The Montana group again, mostly for fear of winter hardiness ! There is a secondary reason for not trying these and other groups, I have found so much joy with the large and small flowered groups!! I am like most of us in this chat group, I just love most clematis! Thank you for the encourragement on growing the clem. species from seed, I will do my best. Lee Sherwood McDonald
You're right, Lee. Most articles about the florida Sieboldiana are not really encouraging for any northerners. I've had one bloom on each of the two I've owned. One was nice but that was back in 35mm film days. Don't laugh too hard when you see the one I had in 2009. (I told you not to laugh!)
Teehee, pirl, how big is that bloom supposed to be? I've noticed that when it got really hot here that the clematis blooms were smaller.
Lee, I agree that we all love clematis here. I'm looking forward to spring so that I can see how the new vines planted last spring will do. How long does it take a seedling vine to bloom? Annette
This message was edited Jan 2, 2012 7:16 PM
Maybe 1.25". Not on the impressive list!
What a disappointment. With clematis space at a premium in the garden, it would be shovel pruned in mine!
You wouldn't believe how expensive it was and the fact that I bought Vienetta as well, same vendor, and never got a flower. The plants did not come from any of the clem growers we speak about on these threads, just to put many minds to rest.
The flower I showed above was while it was potted for the first year. I brought them inside to a cool room for the winter and in spring put them out again but there was no new growth. By summer I gave up and put them, in their pots, in the compost pile knowing how well plants can grow in the compost bins but no miracle occurred and they became history. They did get the same watering as the vegetable garden and they had good drainage so I just gave up on them.
Well thanks to you all I have avoided the Florida. Its bloom does look beautiful in the catalogs. I did buy 2 montanas last spring and hope they survive. We are zone 6 , but it acts like zone 7 the last few years so we shall see.
We had a high of 33 today and a predicted high of 26 tommorrow.
I will be mulching roses tommorrow with wood chips. Roses have me blanked so far. An acquaintance of mine who is a rosarian says mulch them after the ground is frozen. We will see. I hope all are enjoying warm nights with catalogs either on line or in a comfortable chair.
John
We get too tempted by the impossible ones, John. I hope your montanas grow as well as mine has - it truly is my monster clem.
The reason for mulching after the ground has frozen is to keep it frozen and avoid thawing and heaving. What do you mean when you say the roses have you blanked, John? Is that like underwhelmed? My roses do terrible in part to the deer feasting as well as the Japanese Beetles. To treat with Milky Spore would be useless unless all my neighbors did the same thing. If the JB's don't find goodies on the neighbors' properties they'll come to my roses.
Our forecast is for a blistering 34 degrees. No worries about UV rays when I'm quite comfortable inside.
Has anyone gone looking at clem's yet? I did view 240 but resisted every temptation and only saved one photo of 'Jenny'.
I have to see how the 3 I bought this past year fare.....if there are failures, I'll replace them....otherwise, not buying too much....
Arlene I'm finding roses a lot of work for little reward. I have just unloaded my little Tacoma truck and mulched most of the roses with it and am on my way back to get another load. I occassionally will have a rose bush that is really nice but not nearly what I want.
I have a knock out that always looks good, but I'm not thrilled with it.
The Japanese Beetles were not to bad here last year.
John
Marilyn - You haven't even glanced at any clematis sites, Marilyn? It's fun to look and decide we have enough...and then will come one we have to fit in somehow.
John - I feel the same way about roses. The only one that performs beautifully is The Paul Mc Cartney Rose. Others limp along as though I were torturing them. I do remove every bud by July 3rd when the JB's invade here. We have two Knock Out Rainbow roses that Jack bought (was talked into is more like it) and they don't thrill me at all. I do have one rugosa, Therese Bugnet, and the aroma is powerful. It reminds me of Cape Cod so it will always be in the rose garden but I've added some fragrant lilies and other plants so I may refer to it as the Fragrant Garden rather than showing off the poorly performing roses.
There are two areas that will need replanting here and maybe some clematises to match the hydrangeas. It's an imaginary garden/sitting area in my mind right now since it's covered with black plastic to kill any remaining Houttuynia cordata 'Chameleon' roots I may have missed. Maybe I should start a new craze on Black Plastic as Art Expression? Looking at it daily, from the kitchen windows, almost makes Florida look good to me for the winter.
Here's part one of "The View" - I bet not one person is jealous!
The other black plastic garden:
This is how it was before the Houttuynia went totally out of control:
Hi pirl and all! Just wanted to add something here so I can track along with you all, a new year and garden here for me so it should be exciting to watch as my new clematis make progress. Trying to stay away from buying any more until I have planted what's already here. That can be hard as you all post such beautiful enabling photos!
My Sieboldii is still in it's 5 gal pot and rarely without blooms, although not mine, this was taken last month at a local nursery but in one of their shade houses.
This message was edited Jan 3, 2012 11:47 AM
WOW
Sure, Sue comes along and posts a shot we'd all love to have growing in our own gardens! The only time I'll see that one, Sue, is in my dreams. It's gorgeous.
Now I see that I posted the same photo twice. Sorry!
Here, hopefully, is the other black plastic garden.
What a project, Pirl! I hope that will kill off all the invasives...no, I haven't looked at one clem site yet....I'm running out of room....
That project began in 2005, Marilyn, but it was only July of 2011 that I got determined to rid myself of the scourge. My intent was to replant all the pots of daylilies but now I fear just one little piece could bring the weed back so I may just give away daylilies or send them to the dump and only keep what I really love.
Having the space seems to be an issue for many of us.
Hey pirl..been lurking (lol), if you throw those away let me know I'll send postage and they will have a nice new home to come to. lol. Only got 2 daylilies so far. Hint, hint! Kathy.
I'd love to have the energy to do it, Kathy, but even if I wanted to send them they all have that weed mixed in with the daylily roots. I do have several in other areas to be divided so I'll Dmail you if I get to it in April but feel free to remind me.
Hi, CalSue
Love that clem. I have been tempted to order it. Has anyone had it 2 or 3 yrs?
Just wondering how well it does. It sure has a pretty face!
I agree about roses. Mom has had beautiful ones thru the yrs but with black spot, thorns, trimming, ect. I find they are just not my cup of tea. I do have a couple of Knockout doubles that are ok but they get so tall and lanky :(
Teresa
Teresa in KY
I've tried it twice, Teresa, and it never even made it to year two. It wants a warmer area that I can offer it.
Hi Everyone, Pirl, Do you know that there at least 3 vars. of hydrangea that bloom on new wood and re bloom? I have two different ones of this newer type and they are lovely, full growing, full blooming even during the first summer. If interested look them up on goggle. The stretched out Red Knockout rose some one mentioned may be shade or over fertilization. I am so amused with"Red knock Out", they are really darn good roses for northern climes and so as I read the specialist groups and mags. I see them being heavily criticized for being too floriferous, got to love that !) and too common!......good heavens everyone complains about rose work load as opposed to their yield and now that we have a possible line of useful roses they are criticized! Some people wold complain if you hung them with a golden rope!!
Lee Sherwood McDonald
I have rose Carefree Celebration ....it's very easy to grow, has apricot-coral roses...many....purple new foliage, & a nice scent...Morden Sunset, a Canadian bred rose, is also in bloom from May to Nov.....a very easy keeper with golden orange blooms.....I don't fuss with roses, if they aren't easy, I toss them.....
I already have many hydrangeas, Lee, but not the ones you mentioned. It's hard enough now to find room for the many rooted cuttings I've made from the 100 or more I now have.
The Knock Out roses do expand and they fill spaces (here) that would otherwise be vacant and leave room for weeds. If the deer and JB's didn't like them it would be grand to have them in flower. They don't have the shape of hybrid teas, which can be so filled with roses...or blackspot or mildew. There are good and bad points in many plants and roses aren't any exception - neither are clematises or lilies or daylilies, etc. My California friend just spent two weeks of long days to prune his climbers and other roses. That's a lot of work!
Marilyn - sometimes tossing them is better than watching them languish. I've sent my share to the dump.
Here's one the deer missed - rose tree 'Peace', taken just before the skies poured rain.
Nice rose
Hi Jo....I like that one, also!
Thanks. That rose gave me a few beauties in 2011.
Thought you all would enjoy this:
http://awaytogarden.com/
