Category: Clematis

The First Clematis of the Season: Fragrant Spring on the Fort in the Walled Garden

julia erickson4 Comments

My first clematis of the season, Fragrant Spring, is starting to bloom. It is growing up a trellis on the side of the children’s fort in the backyard. I purchased it from my favorite clematis nursery, Chalk Hill Clematis, which unfortunately has now closed. If anyone has any recommended clematis nurseries, let me know.
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Related post: How to Build a Children’s Playhouse (the Fort)
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Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day November 2008 – More Blooms Than I Ever Expected

julia erickson4 Comments

Well, I still thankfully have yet to experience my first frost of the season, so my zone 6b garden has more blooms than I would normally expect for this time of year. Given my prior bloom days posts for September featuring dahlias and October featuring roses, I’m going to focus on other blooms–annuals, perennials and one flowering tree–though both dahlias and roses are also continuing to bloom. Check out what is blooming in other bloggers‘ gardens over at May Dreams Gardens.
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One of my favorite clematis, ‘Venusa Violacea‘ in the Cutting Garden.

Nicotiana in the entrance to the Bird Garden.
Autumn Cherry in the Walled Garden (more pictures and information here).

Petunia in a container in the Bird Garden.

Brown Eyed Susans continue to bloom from August until the frost in the Front Border. As a cut flower, it lasts for over a week in a vase.

Japanese Anemone in the Front Border. The white was so bright it took me several attempts to get this picture.
Self seeding Cleome or Spider Flower are all over the garden. This one is in the Walled Garden.
Mexican Sunflower in the Children’s Garden.

Verbena bonariensis in the raised vegetable beds in the Children’s Garden.

Globe Thistle on Lilac Hill.

Mexican Bush Sage – Salvia leucantha outside the Children’s Garden.

Chrysanthemum on the edge of the Rose Garden.

Nasturtium trailing from a container on the deck.

Petunia in a container on the deck.

Salvia elegans in a large pot on the deck.

Asclepias curassavica–annual Butterfly Weed–at the entrance to the Bird Garden.

Salvia farinacea outside the Bird Garden.

Geranium ‘Roxanne’ is everywhere in the garden. It’s one of the most useful edging plants I know. This one is in the Long Border.
Salvia guaranitica grows in many places. It acts like a screen in the Egg Garden and elsewhere it’s a wonderful hummingbird attractant. This one is in the Children’s Garden.

Amaranthus ‘Hopi Red Dye’ self seeds itself in the Cutting Garden.

Zinnia in the Cutting Garden.

Silver Leaf Sunflowers is one of two sunflowers still blooming. The other is Italian White.

A Lattice Screen to Hide My Gardening Supplies and Grow Clematis

julia erickson1 Comment

Back in August, the Garden Bloggers’ Design Workshop at Gardening Gone Wild focused on Trellises and Screens. I didn’t get around to contributing at that time, but one thing that Nan wrote in the wrap-up compelled me to add something to the conversation.

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Nan writes: “One issue brought up in a comment but not addressed by many posts was about trellises that work well for clematis…I’ve never had much luck with purchased supports for clematis…” Well, in hopes of providing some encouragement, here are two pictures of the lattice screens beneath my deck (that hide my gardening supplies and tools) with some very happy clematis. The pink one is Aseo and the purple one is Jackmanii.
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In addition to those beneath my deck, I have trellises and screens in two other parts of my garden: (i) in the Cutting Garden next to the chimney (pictured below) which provides a place to grow the vigorous rose Complicata and (ii) on the deck in containers to provide privacy from the next door neighbors on which I grow annual vines (this year, I grew Moon flowers).