Dad and I spend a few hours today cutting wood for my new pergola!!! I can't wait!!!! it will be 12 x 12 with the roof - I have now decided on planting clematis up two of the posts. Tomorrow I will be staining and then I hope to have it up in the next 2 weeks! Stay tuned - I will take photo's - if I remember! LOL
My new project - had to share!!!
How exciting, Dawn. You owe Dad big hugs for that one!
You've been looking forward to this for some time now, Dawn. Please take BEFORE and after pictures so we can see the changes.
Cool! I am planning one myself for my new patio. Probably won't be until next year. They sell great, venetian blind-type things to go on top for shade when you want it.
Yes I have seen those too Victor....they are nice.....we are making our pergola so we do get a lot of shade....you will see....
Nane I certainly will have to give my dad big hugs for this one hehehe!!! Actually his Bday is coming up soon so I am thinking of something really nice to get him....along with a hug of course!
You betcha pirl....I will take photo's to show you guys....
Dawn, sounds great, can't wait to see it. I guess you final can see the ground. Trillium's won't be far behind.
I was talking to my mom yesterday about our trip to the cottage on Lake of Bays this summer. I think I may go in Aug this summer when my garden is starting to flag, so I don't miss too much. I hope we don't have to rebuild the dock as we did last year as the ice finally took out the old one. The original cribs survived nearly 40 years so we were lucky. I keep thinking I would love to go up in the spring to watch the ice go out of the lake, but never have. It is a special world up where you live. Patti
Here are some before pics of where my pergola is going up.....
Hopefully it will be this weekend if the weather cooperates.....
Another photo
good luck i am praying at least sat is nice so we can work on our shed too
OOOH, can't wait to see it!!!
Nice, Dawn. I will do one probably next year. First comes the patio! Next week work starts.
Lucky for us - Kim fixed up the patio stones last summer. We did have a material gazebo there for shade and a sitting area - however I hate how the tarp just kept ripping due to the weather ect....I guess that is why I wanted something permanent - It won't keep out the bugs but it should still be a nice place to sit with some shade.....
And grow clematis on??
But of course!!! Teehee!
You must be so excited! Keep the pictures coming...
How exciting, Dawn! I love pergolas, and would like to build one attached to the front of my potting shed's porch. I planted a very old wysteria (discarded by my friend who wanted to put a patio where it was growing) right next to where I'd like a pergola, so that I could eventually train it to grow over the pergola. My son almost bought a house that had a wysteria covered pergola, and I just loved it. The blooms hung down into the pergola and it was so pretty. However, the pergola has to be VERY strong to hold up the wysteria when it matures.
Ithink your clematis idea will be wonderful. Please keep posting pics of it as it develops.
Louise
Dawn, I assume you have clematis 'Dawn'!
Good one, Victor! Leave it to you......you clever guy!
Nope can't find that one around here Victor otherwise I would probably have her! Too bad....I am thinking either polish spirit or Etoile Violette.....I know they grow tall!
I have polish spirit... can't wait for them to bloom
Looking forward to pics of your progress Dawn.
I have my first clematis beginning to open this morning, might get a pic later when it opens fully if there is no rain.
Dawn this sounds like a wonderful place to sit and relax and view some lovely clems. Your brick patio is a really nice foundation, this is going to be really nice. Don't forget the pictures.
Thanks everyone.....
Well believe it or not they are calling for rain all weekend and it is currently raining right now ahhhhh!!! I know dad wants to get this thing up this weekend though so I guess we will see if there is a break in the rain! I can't believe this - it is funny in a way because everytime I have plans for something it seems like the weather never cooperates.
Dawn, congrats, I bet the wait is killing you! Have fun and relaxing summer days!
Since you guys are clematis growers, can you tell me what kind of fertilizer you use for them - and any tips you can suggest? I have them, but they never seem to do as well as my other plants. Any thoughts?
Pirl uses manure. I use, when I remember, the same stuff I use on my roses - an organic mix called Mill's Magic. I don't see much difference compared to when I don't fertilize, however.
I do use manure but if I run out they get some 5-10-5, a little lime and compost. No matter what I do they seem to give the same amount of blooms. The only one I don't ever feed is montana Grandiflora. It's too exuberant as it is.
Okay people (drum roll please LOL) My new pergola is done....here it is in the making and the end.....
The only thing left to do is add some lattice on the top to give us more shade....otherwise I think it is perfect...next I will add my hanging baskets and of course my clematis. I purchased an Etoile Violette this evening to plant along one of the posts - I am so excited and happy....I just love the finished project!!!!
You used that composite material - that's great - will last forever. You will plant the clems in containers??
Still working hard.....
And voila! Finished!!!!
Looks great! Congrats. What re the dimensions?
Another....
Just one more....sorry I can't help myself.....
Victor I am going to plant the clematis in the garden right next to the pergola - you can see it in the last 2 photo's.....and notice we used the black wrough iron corners that we had on our original gazebo - I will use those as a trellis for the clematis....we ended up moving the pergola closer to the garden after these photo's were taken.
Oh I am not sure what you mean by composite material - the pergola is made of wood.....believe it or not it is actually all used wood that my dad picked up from various job sites and he kept it for me - all of it was in pretty good condition so the materials didn't cost us a thing!!!
The pergola is 10 feet by 10 feet between the posts but with the overhang it is 12x12. It only took us 3 hours to put it up.....of course that didn't include all the cutting and staining time in the garage.
Okay, I thought it was the recycled material - it looked like it. Yes, I saw it as being too far away from the garden - that's why I thought the containers, which I could not imagine in your climate.
No unfortunately you are correct with the climate thing - however what do you think of the Etoile Violette? That should grow nice and tall and it is a pruning group 3.......
In the ground - no problem. It's rated to zone 3 or 4, depending on what you believe. Probably 3. It's a viticella, and they are very good in general. (Of course - they're Italian!)
looks great.... good job!
Lovely, Dawn. I'm sure you'll be enjoying it until the first snowflakes fall.