Amazing Clematis Blooms
This spring we have some amazing clematis blooms after years of trying (about 20 years, but who’s counting), and going through many clematis plants that haven’t made it for reasons unknown to us. Our patience finally paid off. Yay!!
These two clematis vines are starting their 4th season. The first 2 springs we had no blooms at all. Last year we had maybe 5 or 6 pitiful looking blooms on each plant. And this year? Well see for yourself.
One important thing we did learn through our failed attempts was that clematis vines like their roots to be in the shade, because they like to be cool. But the foliage and flowers need to be in the sun.
That’s a neat trick to pull off. But I guess we did it this time with the potentilla bushes that are at the bottom of the plants.
The clematis below is not growing as vigorously as the one above, even though they were planted at the same time. But, it’s still doing much better than we ever thought it would.
So, after a few years of patience and resisting the urge to rip them out when they looked scraggly and dead we are rewarded with this abundance of blooms.
I think maybe one of the tricks was just leaving them alone to do their thing. Sometimes we gardeners give our plants too much love.
Now they just need to grow a lot taller so they can climb up the trellises that we made from an old arbour. That’s not asking too much is it? I think we should quit while we’re ahead and just enjoy them.
Have you ever been challenged by a plant that you loved and didn’t want to give up on?
Thanks so much for reading!
XOX
oh my! they are beautiful! I LOOVE gardening!
I used to LIVE in my front garden, then I got a phobia to bees of all things! now when I see bees I have 10 hissy fits! but come fall, I get out there and works it, well as much as I can, and early spring before the bug/bees get too bad.
Just a suggestion here, if you turn OFF the verify word thinggy, you will get more comments, it took me 3 times in my other comment on your birdbath ((:
Hi Gina: I love gardening too, but it's been quite the challenge lately because of the heat. The spring is my favorite time of year. Thanks so much for the suggestion re the word thingy. There's so much to learn, but I'm really enjoying it. I've turned it off now. Thanks so much for taking the time to get your comment through. I know I've had the same difficulty on other blogs so this suggetion was really appreciated! Take care, Tuula 🙂
My gardening challenge is – I'm determined to have hollyhocks along my fence & every year they start to come up & then seem to get hit with a frost that kills them. I'm not having very good luck. But I keep trying. Any suggestions?
Cindi
thetwistedgarden.blogspot.com