yep. don't know why those hung on so long. they just didn't drop off!!!!i had never seen them like that either. i usually do not send the ones out that show that overblown maturity as they are not textbook niobe look. and they were huge. 7 inches across. huge for niobe.
this is my oldest niobe planting, so i am looking forward to the maturity curve with them.
will spring ever come?
Wow! That is amazing--they look like two entirely different plants! The one is electric pink and the other looks like maroon. Both are beautiful. Ohhhh, I just gotta get one now :-}
niobe took a couple of years to establish but gives a nice return on investment. or as mary toomey, the famous clematis expert from dublin, ireland had been known to say more than once, this clem pays the rent! meaning you do get a reward form establishing her and she makes her space in the garden worthwhile.
you can't say that for all of them unfortunately. and eventually for most gardeners decisions about which ones do"pay the rent" may be needed due to space alone.
i was fortunate enough to hear mary speak a couple of times in northern california at chalk hill and all of her wisdom has made a lasting impression on my, and my copy of her Encylopedia of Clematis (published several years before COTW was available) is well worn and a favorite winter read.
i have never sent out the photo of the ripe blooms in the sun before and am glad it was enjoyed by the daves garden crowd!
this bring me to my next questions...which clems would you say are less exciting to talk about? I mean are there certain varieties you wish you hadn't purchased or you just didn't like their performance?
Love your question, Dawn! I'll be studying the answers.
I love Florida Sieboldii and I've bought it twice but it failed to thrive for me.
clems that "don't pay the rent" for me in zone 5 a are (not taking time to spell check the list)
unzen
lousie rowe
will goodwin
duchess of albany (still working on that tho and my etoile rose is now strong...so we'll see. and i put sir trevor in last fall so i am hoping texensis types will flourish for me)
jackmani alba
kullus
mrs george jackman
fujumasume (need spell check on that one)
henrii
canidida lanuginosa
lemon chiffon (on my third one , put in last fall)
belle nantiase (growa wel, but wilts back several times a season)
probably have a few more, but i do not give up easily
also veronicas choice.
a few years ago i tried a couple that i thought might have been hardy, florida sieboldi and chirrosa freckles. RIP as i call it for both of them after the first winter.
I'll second the nay vote on Will Goodwin: we simply must have a personality clash.
Will Goodwin does great here, but it was in a corner, and my killer oleander blocked all the sun, and by the time I remembered it it was gone.
Placement must be half the battle.
i am trying again with will goodwin.
also have had trouble with lord neville, but again, ordered another one.
that will goodwin is so pretty..i did have a bloom or two last year, but it has really struggled. i think i ordered another one. just can't give up.
for while i was ordering 2 of each, but got pretty expensive. with two you have a greater chance.
Pirl/Niobe - have either of you tried Perle d'Azure? I have heard that it is slow to establish, but I love pictures that I have seen of it. I put one in last year, so it really has not had a chance to do much, but I am thinking about putting in another one.
perle d ' azure is a favorite. it is a clem who tends to be bare at bottom. mine developed some bad habits that way, as some will do no matter what pruning method is used. but it is one of the most popular clems in europe. it did take a year or so to establish. i put two in , just in case. here is a pic on the arch leading to my "woodland path" as i call it.
here is full view.
i added some clems to this arch. henrii (never that great for me.) josephine (which i love and have a big one elsewhere in the garden) and H F Young, which blooms low, which will help this planting achieve a beter look and feel eventually.
oops. meant to post pic. full view. this year should be a lot prettier if you can imagine the clems i added to the arch. mentioned in message prior to this one.
I love the colour of Perle D'Azur as well....I find it similar looking to the Semu.....I guess that is why I like it. I really need a clem in that type of colour.
Carolyn - I do have Perle on order for my Pirl garden.
Oh Perle for Pirl. I like that!
Me, too!
ClematisGuru - I love the idea of growing clematis with Alberta Spruce. My spruces look like they're going to have some "holes' in them this year (spider mites?). Clematis may be just the solution!
niobe: Great pictures of "perle d ' azure"! I've never tried growing that one.
I found your "can't grow" list very interesting. I noticed many on your list that I have had problems with as well...."Will Goodwin","Unzen", "Fujumasume", Henrii (very slow to establish) & "Lemon chiffon". Most of them are Group 2's and they never reappeared after the 1st Winter.
shirley, unzen and fujimasume have just been soooo slow to establish, painful. i put another lemon chiffon in last fall, and it promptly disappeared. i am waiting to see if it comes back this spring.
i think the nurseries should label "may be difficult to grow" . i don't mind struggling with a plant, but if someone new to clems tries certain ones, they will give up.
i don't know whay folks rave over henrii either, so slow to establish.
don't get me started, ever grown Mrs bates?
anyway there are so many wonderful clems, and if you bide your time it is all worth it. of course down in the south they may be another story.
i love clems on alberta spruce. the spider mites are always an issue with them. clems however,are not bothered by spider mites,at least not here in my garden.
they make a nice support and they do cover in some of the holes. when they get into a life threatening battle, i always let the clem win.
some of my old albertas are also limbed up so i can get a few more years out of them. and in this display, sometimes the clem covers the alberta. don't seem to have a good shot of that,but you get the idea.
my dream is that someone develops a blue alberta spruce which would be so lovely to show off clems, no?
i've even named it for them
should be called "blue berta"
that clem above is called alba luxurians. and it is also growing on Moonlight hydrangea.
Correct! What may be difficult to grow Clematis in one area may thrive in another! I was a Clematis newbie when I purchase "Henryii" umpteen years ago. Out of all the ones you mentioned, I'm going to give "Fujumasume" a 2nd try. However, my strategy will be different. I'm going to grow this one in containers for a minimum of 6 months. I'll re-evaluate it in the Fall and see if it should be planted in the garden. If not, I'll keep it in the container and over winter it in my un-heated garage. I want it to have a very large root system established before it is planted in the garden this time. I hope that with time & maturity, it will thrive and reward me with its gorgeous double blooms!
When you re-evaluate it in the fall do you remove it from the pot to check the roots or just check that roots are emerging from the holes in the pot?
Now see, Henryi is maybe the easiest, showiest clem I grow. Maybe by accident I planted it in the perfect spot.
Wow, evaluate it in the fall! Obviously I'm a clematis slob. If they take much work, I don't grow them. I've found very few people in our area grow clems, and most of those because they found out that I have been able to grow some.
"Alba Luxurians" is beautiful! What a great idea to growing Clematis with climbing Hydrangea! I also have climbing Hydrangea and it never occurred to me to combine it with Clematis! Ssseeehhh....hitting myself on the side of my head! Did you plant them both at the same time? My climbing Hydrangea are very established and growing along the north side of my split rail fence. There are gaps
along the fenceline where the Hydrangea have not covered that area. It would be perfect for Clematis! Yeehaa! Time to buy more Clems!
That's two of us banging our heads, Shirley. Now to decide which one will get planted with the climbing hydrangea. Such problems!
pirl: I've done both. I take the Clematis out of their containers and examine the root systems. Also, if I can see roots peeking out of the bottom of the pot, I know it has well developed roots.
Irwells50: I plant my Clematis in the Fall because for the past several years, our Summers have been very hot, very little rain and we have been under drought restrictions with limited use of water for the garden. Therefore, I keep my Clematis in containers on my deck, which is much easier for me to take care of, then evaluate in the Fall for planting. Plus, in the Fall the weather is much cooler, less humid and it doesn't feel like I'm working in a sauna!
Clematis do require some work in the beginning. That is why I grow them out in containers first. I learned the hard way and lost to many when I planted them in the Spring. They were still young plants, immature root systems and then my Summer heat and lack of rain dried them out to much and they didn't survive. You have to know your growing area. Some people in the Northern areas are very successful with planting their Clematis in Spring. However, I'm more successful with Clematis that are planted in the Fall.
You should check with Jeanne_TX. She has a lot of Clematis and a gorgeous garden in TX. You should chat with her. She is very knowledgeable about Clems and has been growing them for years!
Since my hydrangeas are on the North side, I'm going to plant light colored pastel Clematis with them. Sounds like a plan to me!
I've never grown one in a planter, but I have a Rebecca on order that I'm going to try in a large planter.
Here is a link about growing Clematis in containers. Hope it helps. I'm not familiar with "Rebecca". Is that a new Clematis and where are you getting from?
http://www.britishclematis.org.uk/containers.htm
Bluestone perennials
http://www.bluestoneperennials.com/b/bp/CLREP.html
clems on climbing hydrangea is a main stay here in my garden. just plant the clem on the outside of the hydrangea so you can keep an eye on the roots. i think having the hydrangea established would make it easier to
start the clem.
here is guernsey cream on climbing hydrangea...common hydrangea, don't even know the name of this one.
guernsey cream blooms early and it is a real show stopper. this is kind of a distance photo so you can see the landscape effect of the 2 together vs the clem itself.
here is another display of the guernsey and common climbing hydrangea going up an old tree trunk that i call the "totem"
just noticed in the prior pic you can see weed in with the ground cover.
i also grow josephine on climbing hydrangea, nice combo. no pic, but will post one this spring.
finally guernsey cream up close. it is a fantastic, maintence free clem.
this photo shows the early pistachio color and shape and the mature flowers creamy color and recurving sepals.
Does your hydrangea bloom??
yes. here is a shot of the moonlight hydrangea blooming. i must admit i pay little attention to the hydrangea, they are there for clem support and wall or tree trunk coverage only. the moonlight is a lacey cap type.
should have pointed out there is one alba luxurians bloom with the moonlight hydrangea bloom.
here is another moonlight hyd. shot.
