Clematis in shrubs

One more try...

New growth is good news. Now the waiting begins but I'd guess it will be next year before you see flowers.

Pirl, I have a question about the self-watering pots. I have one that's about 10" in diameter that I used for Hagley Hybrid. I put a generous handful of reconstituted water crystal mixed with a little soil in the bottom, then filled with roughly 1/3 potting soil, 1/3 manure and 1/3 compost. I planted it deeply, on a slant, mulched heavily, and watered it in with Epsom Salts and a little Superthrive. So... Is the pot big enough to last the whole summer? How big are the ones you use? What happens when we get a lot of rain? Doesn't the pot become waterlogged? There is no way to empty mine.

I followed your tip about using a branch as a trellis for the Venosa Violacea. The Azaleas next to the house were way overgrown and were swamping everything in that bed. There are some very old peonies there that still bloom, I have no idea how. The group in front just finished blooming, so I cut those and the lavender ones waaaay back today. The group in front of the bay window is about to pop so I'll wait until they're done to bring them down a foot or so.

Now there's a big hole right in front, so I put the venosa in a 12" green plastic pot, stuck in a branch for it to climb on until it reaches the Azalas and wrapped euonymus branches around the pot to camouflage it. There's a Samobor geranium nearby which helps mask the bare stems until they leaf out, and I'm on the hunt for one or two more now that there's room for them. The summer color in that area is mainly blue and lavender flowers with some varied foliage accents, so I think the deeper Clem will be nice.

I'll post pics tomorrow of the after, this is the before.

Pam

The sturdy branch method worked well for me this year. I put one at the side of our obelisk and now the clem has grown to cover it. You can barely see the branch in this photo taken two weeks ago.

The self-watering pot should have an open lip to allow excess water to drain. Is this the type you bought? I wouldn't use one that you can't empty, if needed. Please post a photo of your pot. The second photo here shows some Japanese irises in the Walmart self-watering pot and excess water just drips out of the side lip. Just for clarity - I use the pots to get maximum growth on plants. The stone says 'Jocasta' but the company sent the wrong JI so it's been sent off to grow in another DG garden.

I use the 11.5" for two clematises (same variety), third photo.

A ten inch pot should handle the growth on Hagley for the entire summer.

THis is the pot with Hagley Hybrid in it. I went out today and drilled 1/4" holes a few inches apart about 1" up from the bottom. Water spurted out each time I broke through the pot. That should take care of the drainage. The pot is actually smaller than I thought, more like 8" but it should still be ok for a while.

I haven't figured out the best place for it yet. The DL's are pale yellow/white, the Heuchera is white autumn blooming, the astilbes are pink, the rose is the Fairy. There will be Butter and Cream Nasturtiums across the front, and lime and white Nicotianas.

I thought the pale pink of HH could be lovely climbing into the peonies and DLs on top of the wall, and maybe drifting into the low hedge next to them. There is also a barrel which will be planted with mainly white and blues. Ideally I would put HH on the lower level in the corner behind the astilbes, but I'm afraid it might be too dark there. In the past I've made the mistake of planting in too much shade, expecting the plant to reach for the light, but instead it sulks. Or maybe I expected too much too soon?

Glad you drilled the holes and I'm sure Hagley is happier now.

As a general rule of thumb, if astilbe is happy then the clematis would like more sunshine.

Maybe most of us are guilty of expecting too much too soon but we seem to dwell on one plant and want it to be instantly lush and gorgeous but each clematis needs time to develop good roots and then it should flourish.

I dug up a pitcheri clematis today and felt rather guilty about the small roots. It was all my fault for putting it in too much shade. From now on it will have much more sunshine.

Good rule of thumb. Maybe eventually HH can go between the plants on top of the wall, or in an opening in the box hedge where the roots will get more light.

You're right, I'm fixated on these Clem's now. But once they're all in somewhere, I have to move on... Soooo much to do! I know it's the same for all of us... Of course I did see a blooming Rooguchi I today when I nt to pick up more manure. I may just have to have ONE!

So now, back to the Azalea area... I decided to have Venosa Violacea climb up the Pieris. It turns out there are huge slabs of rock where I thought it would look good, so it may have to stay in a container of some sort forever. For the time being, though, the one it's in is big enough. I draped euonymus over the pot until you can barely see it. To fill the hole in the shrubbery I put Johnson's blue geranium, will go with Rozanne already nearby but be taller, and added Sizaja Ptitsa. A work in progress...

You've done an excellent job of hiding it in the shrubs.

I do love the look of clem's and large rocks. The clem's are so soft looking and the rocks are a great counterpoint

The pitcheri I mentioned earlier was planted next to a boxwood. Never again. It really limited the root growth. In the last two weeks I cut back both boxwoods and today we managed to get one out and to the dump. Just one to go. Hard physical work is good to release the anguish on the day after a Rainbow Bridge event that broke out hearts.

Here's the now late Harry (next to the boxwood we removed today) watching as Jack planted the windowboxes a few years ago. He never even tried to run away. Guess he knew how good life was here. He'd have been 15 on June 1st.

He loved sitting on the bench at the kitchen window watching people, snow plows or trying to attack the UPS guy.

Most of all he loved his rides with Jack.

What a good dog.

So very special, Katherine.

Oh Pirl, I'm so sorry... What a sweet looking dog.

Thanks, Pam. He was such a joy.

Oh Arlene - I am so very sorry for the loss of Harry. It is so hard to loose those we love.

Carolyn - thank you. It all happened so fast. We never have enough time to love them all we can.

Harry went from his usual three walks a day with Jack, last weekend, to slower walks on Monday and Tuesday. By Thursday he couldn't walk and stopped eating. At least he did give us warning. Thanks, Harry.

It is so hard to lose a loyal friend. It looks like he had an exceptionally good long life. Is he to be buried in your garden?

Yes, Anna, it's a heart breaker for both of us but Jack is taking it very hard without his loyal walking companion.

I've ripped out (by hand) the last of the boxwoods adjoining the "dog's pen", where he kept watch for Jack's return on shopping day, and created a Harry's Garden. We haven't yet talked about where his ashes will be buried.

It is very therapeutic to rip, dig and stomp when dealing with loss. It is wonderful to have a memorial garden

It certainly helps with sleeping! I've dug, ripped out, moved a big, heavy Mexican pot, planted, watered, fed, put down a lot more pine needle mulch, and will do more tomorrow.

The Roguchi that I moved from the side of the first boxwood has grown at least 8" in a week. It really wanted relief from the roots of the boxwood and now it will perform much better.

If anyone is having problems with a clematis by a shrub I'd urge you to consider digging it up and moving it. Cut it back (if required) before moving it. Just makes it easier to handle and more growth should begin pronto.

Hmmm... I guess I won't be adorning my big boxwoods with Clematis! I've just spent the better part of the weekend weeding a couple of particularly messy areas, and noticed how dense the roots are around one that I had had plans for. Maybe I'll do MG's and Moonflowers instead.

Meanwhile we went to Ocean Job Lot today and I bought several basic green wire trellises for $5. They are only about 3' or so tall, so can fit right into the flower beds and will work just fine for now. They will also fit into the 12" pots I'm using for the time being, which will give me lots of flexibility on placement.

I'm looking forward to seeing Harry's garden as it develops. I know he's sadly missed. What a lovely way to remember him.

When I first decided to put the pitcheri clematis next to the boxwood I dug a good hole but not close to 18" or even 12" deep. It was the tiny roots of the boxwood that grew so well in the amended area. They went right for the goodies.

If you do the MG's or Moonflowers you do know that you'll have them forever, right? I've only had the MG but we're still removing seedlings after seven years. Their seeds remain viable 80 years so they'll outlive us.

The inexpensive trellises will work just fine. You can add a piece of rebar in the back for reinforcement when you do plant them in your garden. They are also so easy to move when the mood dictates.

I'll post photos when I get the placement of plants that I want. Thank you for asking.

I just realized that I potted up the Pinky that was next to the Hinoki cypress last week. It will eventually be in my daughter's garden. The more I move away from shrubs the more I realize they do have issues if they're too close. Another Pinky that was nearby didn't survive. I enjoy them more and they grow better on trees - not even big trees - like the Tardiva hydrangea and the Limelight hydrangeas.

Do you think sinking a bottomless pot would work to keep the boxwood roots out of the Clem?

I know you're right about the MGs. I'm hesitant about putting them in areas where I think they'd take hold, keep mulling over where they might not become a problem if/when they re-seed.

So far, I haven't seen any Moonflower volunteers here. I've only grown them a couple of times so far, but have several starts this year ready to go in. They are so amazing when they bloom, and since I'm not really expecting Clem flowers this year, it would be nice to have something!

Of course, I still could break down one of these days and buy one that's blooming already. I came really close the other day when the local nursery had a beautiful Rooguchi flowering its head off. What stopped me was that it was in an enormous container and very expensive.

It would have to be a very deep bottomless pot, Pam, or those boxwood roots will find the compost and manure and invade the pot.

MG's are glorious in bloom but the downside is the self-seeding. Even the cultivars with a minimum of seeding, it's an issue to pull every unwanted one and do it weekly.

My friend has had the Moonflower and no self-seeding but that would only give you night blooms, which is still better than no blooms.

I've seen my share of clem's whose prices are extreme and I do avoid them. Here's one that was on Cape Cod that I didn't buy!

Wow, pricey! But it's a beauty- talk about instant gratification! I'm glad I saw the Rooguchi. It really is very special. I will end up with one sooner or later. But no more until more of the ones I have find homes!

Nelly Moser is in. I was able to move a huge stone out from the wall and found that there is lots of root room between the stones underneath. I put a few cranesbills around to shield the stems from inadvertant disturbance, as that area is a corridor. On one side there is a narrow pass through up to the patio, and on the other stairs lead down next to the house to the lower level. My only concern is that she gets enough sun. It's direct in the morning for a while, then none, then filtered in late afternoon. Somewhere I read- maybe on a grower's website?- that if she's on a north facing wall it should be painted white. That's not possible here, but it's more easterly than north. Also there may be a way to lift her up some by using rocks to make a small raised bed. I'll keep thinking about it, and see what happens meanwhile. If she doesn't seem to be growing I'll have to do something.

Night blooms could be amazing on those boxes, certainly worth a try.

This weekend was a killer in the garden, way too hot and humid. I couldn't stay out in the sun for long without a break. I have so many annuals to get in, and tomatoes and herbs. I thought I'd have plenty of time between Friday afternoon and today, but just couldn't finish all I'd planned. I did get a fair amount done in the shady areas- hanging baskets, the pruning and 3 more Clem's done, for instance. But this morning I thought I would get all ten tomatoes in before we left at 1, but had to give up after 6. And there are still a couple of flats worth of annuals I didn't get to either. C'est la vie...

That "no more until more of the ones I have find homes". I must have said that quite a few times. This year I did better at resisting than ever before.

Nelly will enjoy her new spot. She's not fond of the mid-day sun and many of us aren't fond of it either. Give her a month to six weeks before you take any more action with her. She needs time to get settled.

Yes, night blooms would be beautiful and so unexpected.

Ditto to 90% of your last paragraph. We gardeners always run out of time, energy or both. The heat had me nuts yesterday but the breezes today made it much more tolerable.

Pirl, your little dog must be a Lhasa apso or so. I had a female in Pensylvania and she was a nicest dog, the only one I ever let to sleep on my bed. She was four years old when I had to move to a new apartment and they told me strait thet no kids no dogs. So finnaly the landlord agreed to have my son, but I had to give Chuli away. She went to a nice young family and was very happy there. I guess if I had to get a new inside dog, it would be a Lhasa Apso. (spelling ?) They don't shed and no alergies from them. Now I have a outside Brownie and she is a good dog, but she loves it outside. In the back she is not diging in the garden . All my clematises are in the front yard. We had a good rain for a day and a half and hoping the new clems will be happy.Tomorow is my last day of cooking and I will be free till September to play in the dirt.

Etelka - Harry was a Lhasa Apso and such a smart and happy little boy. Your Brownie looks special, too. How nicely he sits on that chair!

I'm guessing the rain is headed our way. The day was hot but when the breezes began they really got impressive. I planted all but one variety of annuals by 8:45 tonight. If I can just work for an hour or two in the morning I'd be happy.

Your last day of cooking and then freedom until September! How delightful. Enjoy every minute in the garden.

Pam - just found this, which should be ideal for your garden since from a distance it wouldn't be noticed at all. Free shipping!

http://www.simplytrellises.com/garden-trellises/wall-trellis/jeweledvinetrellis.cfm

If you'd like to see some gorgeous roses and clematises grown with roses, go see this thread. It's pure delight.

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1264641/#new

I can't belive one person can grow that many different kind of roses. I will order one of James Galway and Dark Lady roses in ln the fall. Greetings , Pirl. Etelka

His roses and clematis are so amazing, Etelka. Zuzu, from Sebastapol, CA, used to be the rose queen here at DG and she has well over a thousand roses and hundreds of clematises.

Thanks, Pirl, that's a great suggestion - and a great source! I love the $5 shipping! There's a secret staircase on a lower level, near the denuded azalea, where is like to put a simple arbor. I'm thinking something like this:
http://www.simplytrellises.com/garden-arbors/arbors/rosearch.cfm

I'm thinking even simpler, without the embellishment on the sides. I also wonder how sturdy this one could be for such a low price.

And....Tada!!! ... I have a bud! Osaja Ptitsa is about to bloom! I'll post a picture as soon as it begins to open. I'm so excited, didn't expect anything this year. And Nellie Moser has some new growth, so she's happy where she is. Yay!

Pam

The one you selected even has free shipping! It is hard to make a judgement without knowing the quality or seeing it. I didn't look for any guarantee but think it would be the wise thing to do.

The embellishment on the sides probably adds to the strength and stability, don't you think so?

Hurray for Osaja Ptitsa and for good old reliable Nelly Moser.

Soooooo... today we stopped at a local nursery to pick up a few last minute fillers. Jerry got into a discussion about arbors with the owner, who is now quite friendly with us, and next thing I knew he was asking me to pick something from a catalogue. So I did, I'm not stupid! It's coming Friday. It's 4 times the price of the one on line, and I have no idea if it's that much more substantial. But there was another design by the same company at the nursery and it looked OK, so it should be fine. Even better, next weekend we're having guests who say they want to help in the garden. Teehee... They'll think twice before they say that to me again!

Good work! Make sure to take Jerry along on all your gardening trips.

The guests will love helping out and assisting you.

First, the good news: Sizaja Ptitsa's bud kept growing, but no sign of opening before I left today.
The bad news: Blue Light had a bud before it wilted :(. I'm pretty sure it didn't like it when the sun came out after a couple of weeks of rain nearly every day. I think it wants to be in a shadier area. Should I just put up a screen for now? I hate to move it at this point. The lowest set of leaves still looked green, so I left them, just pruned of what was completely dead.


Edited to correct name

This message was edited Jun 19, 2012 4:45 AM

Pam

The pruning group 2's are notorious for this. Half of my Dr. Ruppel wilted and died back after flowering earlier this year. Seems like he did that last year as well.... Your blue light should come back. Just prune back the dead on your vine.

I agree with Carolyn.

So I won't worry. I did give Epsom salts to all yesterday before I left. They've been getting it once a week. I think it was you, Pirl, who has Blue Light facing south? And your zone is much hotter than mine. I guess it just needs to acclimate itself.

On the whole, of the ten new clems and the 2 I moved this spring, all are doing well except for these 2. And a Veronica's Choice that arrived dry and soon wilted was replaced, and the wilted one is growing again. So I really don't have much to complain about.

Tadaaaaa...