mine finally starting to bloom I have two blooms on one so pretty and the others should be alone shortly its nice to have some blooms in the garden I have waited since last fall lol the season is just to short for my liking should be living south very south so I could garden all year
Who has clematis?
Oh wow! Though I am 'south of the border', may I join the thread? I live in extreme north central Montana (near the border crossing of Coutts, AB) and have such a hard time finding gardeners in the US that have zone 3/4 weather and growing conditions.
I love clems and am adding a bunch this year. Lots of vertical space and white lattice to cover! The Calgarians are just a skip and a jump from me. Would love to know what clems thrive in your gardens, which ones struggle, and which ones you love. Can I join, can I join, can I join?? :D
Jennie
Welcome Jennie! You are certainly close enough to be a member of the "Canuck Clan". ^_^ I am sure our many Calgarians will jump in and help you out with lots of ideas.
Good Morning, All!!
I can't say what type of Clematis it is, but I'm going to help a friend with her clematis-overgrown gazebo, on Saturday, and I'd like to know what to do about it.
The clematis is about 3 ft tall (likely fell over - it wasn't trained on anything), and is about 2 ft out from the gazebo and wraps around 75% of it). It looks very healthy, and has flowered previously, but not that much (likely because it is so overgrown).
If needed, I'm a fan of cutting away the old and letting it start fresh, but don't want to kill it, of course........ I've had a lot of success with heavy pruning of other types of bushes and large plants (again, IF needed).
Would sending a pic of the leaves help?
-Susan-
Can you get a pic of the flowers?
What time of year did it flower? Spring? Summer? Both
If you really dont know I think you will have to cut it down. But not to the ground! Leave something there to grow back up!Then next year the owner needs to get a pic of the blooms. If you cut it down and it is an A group it will not flower next year - flowers on old wood. If it is a C group it should flower next year. And if it is a C it shuld be cut down every fall or spring and will regrow and flower.
I think it bloomed in the Spring, cuz they're all gone, with just the fluffy left. It doesn't look like it'll bloom again, cuz there aren't any new buds.
They look, from the spent ones, to be fairly large. I used to have them, in Winnipeg, and they were much smaller. These are approx 4" across, without the bloom!
I'll ask the owner what colour they were, and if she has any pics of them.
Thanks so much, Fancyvan.
-Susan-
Here is The President starting to wake up! Love this one...it has performed for me so well year after year.
Another shot....
Here is Nelly Moser starting to wake up too....her blooms get too much sun so she fades on me.....
I love the color of The President but I gather it is a B group and I normally do not plant them.
I did indulge in Niobe this year so I will see how that goes and then maybe....................
The new issue of Alberta Gardener magazine has an excellent article with tons of pictures on clematis
www.localgardener.net
is the magazine web site
The article will probably be available on their site next month
This message was edited Jul 3, 2009 8:40 AM
My Star of India is blooming it's pretty head off right now.
Don - I have that one too but nothing yet...not even buds....grrrr....I hope it isn't much longer. How well does your Star of India do? Do you find the vine does well in your zone compared to other clematis?
Hello all!!
I went to my friend's garden today, and got some pics of her clematis. Most of it was just finished blooming, some were long over blooming, but there were a few buds yet to bloom, so I imagine it isn't blooming much because there's so much PLANT!
I tried to span the petals on one of the spent blooms. I hope you can get a good idea of it, and can help me decide if I can cut it way back, or only the new growth, to retrain it.
-Susan-
Star of India does very well for me, Dawn. Hack it off in the fall, and then it slowly emerges in the spring, and then takes of like wildfire. This one is about 7 feet tall. The only other Clem I have is "The President", which is pretty to but not as vigorous.
Here's another shot of the same Clematis.
Anyone have an idea of which variety it may be?
Susan
That is interesting Don. I have The President too but I find The President far more vigorous than the Star of India. I planted them both at the same time about 5 years ago.
A bloom hiding.
Susan I think that is probably an A group which blooms on old wood and- because one tends not to prune it of course it does get pretty big and tangled. But it can be cut back and will send out new shoots and bloom the following year. I cut back about 4 feet on one of my A's last fall - it is growing out like crazy this spring but no blooms until next year.
Aha - thank you Fancy! Right now it is a tangled mess, but still has some flowers blooming. I went there this afternoon, and forgot my camera, so don't have pics (yet). I'm going back, after lunch, and will do some pruning later today, of the new growth cuz that's the stuff that's taking over the inside of the gazebo. My DH & I are going to try to train some of it up the back and leave 2 openings on either side of the gazebo so they can hang baskets......... it'll look pretty once it's pruned a bit.
We moved an Ice Cream set into it, and it's so sweet.
Here's a "before" pic of the inside.
And here's the side - the clematis is about 2 ft deep around 3 sides...
