I've been longing for a clematis for years--finally broke down and ordered a yellow "Golden Tiara" from Lindenberg. It supposedly is very hardy. Does anyone have experience with this? I was thinking of putting it against a 12 x 8 post on the north-east corner of our front porch. In the summer it will get about 5 hours of sun in the morning, and a couple of hours of filtered late afternoon sun. Can I grow it in a deep box? My previous clematis experience was years ago in West Vancouver, so isn't much use.
Rosemary
Hardy Clematis
Hi Rosemary,
The house I bought in Edmonton several years ago came with a clematis vine with beautiful deep purple flowers, growing in a bed against the east wall of the house. Clematis vines are fairly common on the prairies. The only caveat I've heard of is that they like a lot of water, and to have their roots shaded in summer, if your summer gets warm. Not sure whether their hardiness would stand up if in a box....? Here's a thread on GW, where they talk about it - hope I can post this.
http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/balcony/msg0311551832266.html
Hopefully someone else in our forum will have some experience with this as well.
Shannon
You might want to check this site to see which clematis would be suitable for your zone Rosemary - http://www.clematis.org/home.html - I looked, but could not find Golden Tiara, maybe its a new one. I have another clematis link on my computer at home, I'll send it to you tonight. Weezingreens in Alaska has a Polish Spirit that does well in her zone (its purple). You can grow clematis in a box, but I'm not sure about overwintering it in your zone. The link above can give you tips on that too. They do like lots and lots of mulch - To achieve this, I dig down about 6" around mine every fall, and pile all of its foliage in the hole, and cover it with dirt and then wood mulch. Here's mine last summer.
Christine
Isn't that a gorgeous display, Christine...and is that your reflection we can see in the window?
I think it is! :-)
Very beautiful display.
Thank you, it was a total fluke newbie combo that worked. At the time I didn't even know how big a clematis would get, I just thought "oooh, they're pretty". Yup, that's me, master photographess messing up. My clematis are are (purple) Polish Spirit and (pink) Comptesse du Bouchard, both type 3, which like a real hard prune every year.
thanks Shannon and Christine for the valuable links; I should have checked before...I hadn't realized they could do so well in cold climates. I was thinking of banking the box up with hay in winter--living here, I don't have to worry about appearances! We often don't get more than a couple of visitors between December and May. I can't really dig down there because it gets too wet in spring--all the snow from the steep north-east roof lands there, sometimes a 12-15' bank of it, and when it melts, it's a mess.
Christine, those two lovely entwined clematis are an inspiration. And I think having the picture of you in the window is so cool! Boy, am I getting inspired, or what!
Rosemary
Thanks so much Rosemary. Its nice to know we provided you with some inspiration.
I think your plan of using a container will work fine. Just remember to plant your clematis deep and put a good depth of mulch on the surface. Also make sure that your box is at least 18"X18". Hay should work nicely to protect it, but weigh it down somehow or wrap it up in burlap. I'll get that other link to you later tonight and we can figure out what type yours is.
Christine.
Rosemary you should have said something in the forum about wanting a clematis. I have a yellow one to that could be the "Golden Tiara" that I know I can give you a baby when the snow melts. I'll let you know tonight.
:) Donna
If Weezi can grow them, surely I can! That Garden Web site had exactly my question, although she lived in an apartment. I'm greatly encouraged. DH agreed to do the necessary digging along the sunniest part of our NW wall of the house, so I'm in business! Well, *almost*--just have to wait until late April, when the ground has thawed enough.
Donna, I'm still finding my footing in DG. Am sometimes overwhelmed by the amount of information and the good and informed friendly help of you all.
Here is what the blurb in Lindenberg Seeds says about the Golden Tiara: Golden yellow blooms, about 3" across, face outward instead of down. Very hardy and disease resistant. Blooms all summer." ($11.99...but they owe me a credit).
Rosemary
Bluebird Clematis Clematis macropetela 'Bluebird' should do well for you also Rosemary:
Fast growing and free flowering with lavender-blue, semi-double flowers. Siberian variety bred for Prairie hardiness. Blooms on old growth. Pruning optional to remove dead or weak stems.
I saw it blooming at a farm outside of Saskatoon. It's pictured in the link below but I think the color is off.....the one I saw had a more "bluebird" blue to it (it covered a large shed and took my breath away). It only blooms in late spring however.
http://www.canadasfinestplants.com/getPlantByID.asp?id=234
Rosemary the one I have is called Clematis tanguitea "Golden Harvest".
Here is a picture of it.
:) Donna
Rosemary, here's that other clematis search site - http://www.clematis.hull.ac.uk/clemalphasearch.cfm - but Golden Tiara's not in it either. Hmmm, maybe its a completely new one. Still, some very pretty pictures if you want to have a look see. Good luck!
Christine.