I cannot stand it. Winter is really getting to me. I feel like we are permanently in January.
I was thinking if we shared our favorite photos of our clematis, that it may bring Spring and Summer sooner - at least in my mind ^_^
Please share your photos.
(I am at work, when I get home I will add some!)
I can't stand it!
It's endless and it really began early. I keep a calendar showing the hours I work outside for each year. November and most of December were too cold and much too windy! In 2012 the end of the year had much better/warmer weather than the same time in 2013.
So far I haven't placed any orders for any new clem's though Annette's love for Annabelle may tempt me on one of these snowy days. Can you believe we'll be getting snow and flurries a few times in the next four or five days? Enough!
1. Fireworks with Duchess of Edinburgh
2. Same clem's
3. Blue Light
4. Dr. Ruppel
5. HF Young
Gorgeous photos Arlene.
I am so looking forward to getting into my garden this year. Last year for gardening was not a good one for me. I know a lot of people wintersow, but that gets tedious for me. I was thinking about setting up a couple of cold frames.
1. Star of India - this is her second year for me. I am hoping she really flowers for me this year as it should be her 'leap' year.
2. Second year for Huldine and Perle D'Azure. I have both of these elsewhere in my gardens and love them. I had a Pergola put around my backdoor and planted these 2. I am hoping these two also take off this year.
3. Madame Julia Corrovan. She is probably my favorite.
4. Crimson Star - you can only get her through those companies that send you a twig. With a lot of babying over the years, she has really come into her own.
What do you all have? I would love to see them. Just going through all my photos is making me feel so much better.
Carolyn
Star of India is grand! Looks as though it's had the leap year.
You know all clem's love manure and compost so just cover the roots with the mix and enjoy the blooms.
Julia looks great! I should move mine to more sun. All the "should" jobs either get done first or not at all.
Nice dark color on Crimson Star.
My favorite is always Omoshiro. I should try layering it this year. There I go again with "should". The last two photos show Omoshiro #1 (I have two more) against the old pine stump and you can see how much the stump has deteriorated in just one year, from 2012 to 2013.
There is a definite correlation to warm and cool springs with regard to blooms. In the warmer springs the group 2 clem's begin to bloom late in April but the cool springs delay blooming of the group 2's to mid May.
We had a long very cold spring in 2011 and even Omoshiro didn't bloom until July. Even then it didn't have many blooms and neither did the others in that group. Let's hope for a prolonged warm spring this year.
Omoshiro is so beautiful, Arlene.
I have many of my own 'shoulds' as well. Every year I tell myself 'this spring, before the clems really get going, I want to put collars around the base and fill the collars with soil.' I remember ClematisGuru saying that and it made sense to me - especially with the ones that were planted before I learned they needed to be planted deeper and at an angle for those basal stems to break ground. Now - this spring I intend to do this. (hopefully)
Rouge Cardinal-----Arabella------ Clematis Integrifolia---- Sweet Autumn
Here are a few !!!
Judy
Judy
They are beautiful. I was looking back at some of my photos from last year. I should post some of them.
Very nice treat for the eyes on this first day of February! Thanks, Judy.
Really love the Clematis Integrifolia, thanks for the pic.
It was so nice yesterday , that i went out and cleaned out the leaves in the flower beds. I have Daffodils , Tulips and other things trying to come up.
That's good news! I should have clipped back one more Jackmanii yesterday but didn't.
I have not been with you all for a long time, we had ice storm here and my property realy got hit. My large oak lost some of the large limbs, took down some fence and got me praying all night, listening to the limbs fall on my roof. So I have decided for shure that the oak tree has to come down, I hope the tree people are comming on Thursday. But look at a good side of it I can plant some clematis around the huge stump, probobly 60" rad. I am already planing to buy some low junipers and meybe some other bushess, and when it will be all done, it would look as good as the front. Our city been destroyed by the last ice storm, looks like I was lucky comparing to some of the properties. I had to wait a week before someone even called me back. One large limb is still hanging, my son was here for 4 days, took care of most of the problem and secured that hanging limb with steel wire. I am blessed to have a son who came soon as he heard of the condition I was. God is good, all the time. Love you all Etelka
So very sorry to hear of all the damage, Etelka. You'll sleep better once the tree is down and if you leave the stump you won't be paying for the grinding out so that's a benefit.
Here's some ideas for stumps from Pinterest:
http://www.pinterest.com/ggingerg1/tree-stumps/
If you attach some wire fencing to the stump, it will give the clematis something to climb. See attached photo.
I'm so glad your son is so caring. Many guys aren't that good.
With it being a tree stump, does it hold more moisture than a pot? I have 2 stumps that I am thinking of doing this too. It would make them look a lot better.
Stumps don't "hold" water. Once they do begin to rot any open areas could collect water. If you put a pot of flowers on the stump you'll still have to water it.
I meant if I cut a hole in the stump first then put in flowers.
It probably wouldn't hold water. My guess is that it would drain right through the stump.
This stump has two Omoshiro clem's and at least two Nelly Moser clem's on the sunny sides and you can see it rotted from the center outward. I have no idea how much more it has decomposed since I took this photo four months ago. Once the rot begins it moves fast. We had this old pine cut down in '92 but it remained fairly solid until about 3 or 4 years ago.
Arlene
You planted directly into the stump and not into a container placed into the stump - correct?
Actually, when the hole appeared I just placed (not real planting) a handful of Angelina sedum in the hole. It took quite some time to take off and spread. I'll take more photos when the sun shines again.
That is a good idea , I like that sedum there. I have this ground cover that I dont think you can kill. If you drop it some where it grows. So it just might like it on the top of a stump with some dirt .
Pirl, sun ?--- What the hech is that...lol
Angelina is determined to grow even when I accidentally drop a piece and it ends up between the bricks.
We've had lots of sunshine this winter but the blinding snow that's been on the ground since 1/2 is just too much. Many days I've just closed the blinds.
That must be what I have. Someone gave it to me and I dont know if it was a good thing or bad. ..lol
I pull it, walk on it. and it still lives...lol
It was real nice Sunday, so I got almost all the leaves out of the beds. that is a start of my spring clean up. The Daffodils were sprouting and so were some of my lilies and tulips. I thought if I got the leaves off they would realize it is not spring.
I bought some bulbs the other day at Walmart. That made me feel like spring is on its way.
Angelina lives though all adversity and spreads but it is one that is too easy to pull out when she oversteps her limits. She is capable of obliterating an entire path in less than one summer.
Good for you! I wish I had gone out but I didn't. I'm eager to finish the cutting back of astilbe and baptisias that I didn't get to in late December before the snow arrived on January 2nd. I did spot daffodils today in my 3 minute jaunt outside.
Tomorrow I'll be at all the big box stores! Can't wait!
What bulbs did you buy at Walmart?
Short Canna's, Tall Canna,s, Elephant Ears, Liatris spicata for the front yard center bed. I want to go for the Tropical look around the fish pond with the canna's and EE's. I started cutting back some, just to find that the voles had a field day with my Yarrow roots. So I took some of them and planted them somewhere else.
Voles multiply so quickly. I hope they are all sterile in your garden!
They only way they get sterile, is when the cats get them.
Now that the leaves are gone the cats can find them better.
I have fought them for years
It seems they go first for anything I planted new. Oh did I also say I am invest with Moles too. I am hoping to get a handle on them early spring.
Funny!
Wow, moles and voles. Sounds like a new singing duo!
I would not give them very good reviews...lol
MTV awards! Mole To Vole!
Now I know we are really bored...lol
To the max!
cabin fever!
I am already making my lists. I know I have at least 1 clematis I want to move and then move my Pee Wee hydrangea into that spot. Just need to figure out where to put that clematis.
When I was working out in the beds the other day, I saw things I need to do.
I am unemployed now , so If spring comes before I have to go back to work, or I decide to shoot myself from boredome, I will get a lot done this spring.
Lets hope for spring first...lol
I have a folder to remind me of jobs I want to do or get done by someone else and it has 80 jobs in it. There are so many idea folders that I couldn't even think of counting them.
Carolyn - would the clematis be happy growing on the hydrangea?
It's not a good idea to shoot yourself, Marie! Maybe shooting at the snow would make digging a little easier! LOL
Arlene
I do like your idea, but part of my problem is that area is not getting the light it used to get. It's a texensis, so full sun for him.
Ah, you're right.
You'll enjoy getting outside and finding a good spot IF we ever get nice enough weather to go to the gardens!
Arlene -
I hope so! If it would at least warm up some, I could get out into the garden and start cutting back vines and do some spring cleaning ^_^
Yeh, I would rather be doing outside spring cleaning than inside spring cleaning any day...lol
As I have gotten older I find that the house does not bother me as much. Who do I have to impress, no one..But the outside flower beds, Now that makes me happy. It rewards me with nice blooms and lots of green leaves.
Marie - I could not agree more!
Ditto. I spent all winter cleaning inside. It's boring and no one notices.
The weather is supposed to be good on Sunday with temp's at or above 40 so if there's sunshine, too, at least we can all get outside for a few hours.