Curious to see how others are growing their clematis.Where do you plant your clematis?
What orientation (N, S, etc)? Full sun all day, full sun part of the day, partial shade most of the day? How is that working for you? Do you get 'gobs' of flowers or just a few?
What do you typically use for a support?
Do you plant them alone, with other clematis, in other plants?
Thanks for your response.
Where Do You Plant Your Clematis?
I have clems on all four sides of our property with the majority having southern or eastern exposure. The ones on the north side were just planted last year so too early to tell if they're too shaded where I have them.
The southern and eastern exposures are in sun all day and yes, I get gobs of flowers! But I'm sure it gets much hotter where you are located.
Mine are all in mixed perennial beds, with the exception of the ones on the north side. We have lots of chain link fence so I'm trying to cover it with clems. I also have a few growing on trellises and some integrifolias snaking on the ground through other plants.
All exposures here, too, and most interplanted with perennials in front of them and on trellises, the dog's fence (totally covered with quite a few of them), growing through Andromeda and on roses, more on stumps and on an Obelisk. More will go on the rear post and rail fence once they arrive and I can plant them.
I built two pergolas with Montana for early blooms followed by Jackmanii, tangutica, Roguchi, Bonanza, Avant Garde and moon Vines, I have trellises and lattice fences and strategic patterns of wire on solid fences with many many clems of all forms & colors as backdrops for certain colors of irises and daylilies below them.
I have Venosa Violacea, Claire De Lune & Passionflower going up my giant 18' around Elm Tree in an upward spiral pattern. I have mature Will Goodwins and Guernsey Creams climbing up my 40' potted Bamboo. I twisted a Comtessa De Brouchard around a Lilac and others in various bushes & plants with heavy stalks . I made cedar boxes with antique old weathered scroll trellises attached. I have lattice fencing around my 24' circle bed of irises and hope for some exciting borders of Cezanne, Dr Ruppel, Earnest Markham, etc... for those this year.
actually here's a whole yard dedicated to the joys of vertical gardening! Clematis rising to the heavens all over the place is my goal... HA!
another one, a definite "before" shot.
I hope to make the same collage of the same spots in June!
and for a little memory of promising color on it's merry way.
I have mine growing up a fence in behind perennials......I used chicken wire on the fence.
Mine are mostly in south exposures: on the side of the house, on lattices at the ends of the raised veggie beds, along a chain link fence with wires strung above to create a clematis fence and now along my yard fence , also up the Hawthorn tree. I had a pergola built in a perennial bed last year so have 3 posts up which will grow more clematis this summer.
The pic is one of the lattices in the veggie garden with Rouge Cardinal in full bloom.
Oh I also have a couple of integrifolias growing up a funky obelisk in the front yard - that is a south-west exposure.They were just planted last year but still put out a few flowers - hope for more this summer.
Your clematis is wonderful and so is your trellis, fancyvan. So many are not made that well. The funky obelisk is cute. Looks a little bit drunk to me.
Yeah, I like that funky obelisk. :) Where, may I ask, did you find it? :)
Local greenhouse!
Ah well, maybe I'll find one in my local greenhouse then. :)
Ticker several garden places here had them last year. If you want to print off the picture to help in a search feel free. They were about $60 CDN. NO idea where they came from although I could probably find out .
Fancyvan, Thanks! I may come back to you for that information later if I can't find something like it here. ;) We have some folks that make stuff to order, so... :)
Ticker if you have ironmongers there who do this sort of thing I think you could just show them the picture and they could make it! Not very difficult. In fact if I cannot find another this year I just might do that - we have a company here who makes great garden stuff!
I agree, we have a bunch of folks that do that sort of thing locally.. :)
i started a thread: "Where do you grow your MGs?" on the MG forum modeled after this thread if anybody wants to check it out. Great trellis ideas with lots of rustics and how to make them.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/826540/
Fancy just love that red clematis you have - GORGEOUS!!!!!
Soulja that is kinda neat! I love the look of that trellis....it certainly would be nice in an open area with clematis covering it!!! Great idea!
Fancyfan, can you show how your extended your chain link? I've got at least a dozen clematis growing on my chain link, but they run out of room at only 4 feet.
Debbie
Debbie:
This picture shows the chain link fence which is only 4 feet high- pic was taken before I extended it and you cant see any clematis on it either!
You will see at either end there are cedar posts as part of the wooden structures in the veggie garden.
What I did was screw in a large hook as high as I could on the posts at either end.
Then I took a fairly sturdy but flexible wire and ran it back and forth over the fence rail up to the hook and back down creating a off centre V shape and working my way to the ends of the chain link.
Here is a pic with the clematis growing on it taken from the other side. There are two clematis there tending to grow to the left which is south. You can see some of the wires on the right side. This was taken a couple of years ago. I now have two more clematis growing on the right side.
I have not got a picture of the fence 'naked' so to speak. However I will go and get a pic tomorrow so you can see the wires better.
I did not want to extend the wires straight across as that would have blocked my view into the veggie garden and out to the back lane.
These are all 'A' groups so I dont have to prune them regularly.
This message was edited Mar 29, 2008 7:23 PM
This pic shows another way I grow them which I mentioned above. I have long raised veggie beds and at the north end of the area is a pergola with lattice at the ends of each bed. I grow clematis there plus iris to shade the roots and sometimes climbing annuals too.
what a show fancyvan. beautiful ideas for veggies & clems which I've also had in mind. I have lots of lettuce started and am in the process of configuring a raised veggie bed below the lattice fence I made where I'll grow clems, MGs & mandevilla. nice backdrop eh? may i ask what clems you're growing and how old they are?
Rouge Cardinal- maybe 4 yrs old - on the left side and a NOID on the right - rescued from a neighboring garden 4-5 yrs ago- said to be purple so I assumed it would be Jackmani which is the most common around here, many of them very old 2 yrs ago it flowered for the first time and this is what it looks like.
