Clemmies!

No, not the cute, yummy miniature naval variety, but the more beautiful, showy vining perennials of the garden. Of the more than 250 cultivars available, I grow less than a dozen. Growing them is easy! The tricky part is the pruning!

So the three rules of pruning are: Spring bloomers grow on last year's growth, a hard prune after bloom time is key to set next year's buds. Summer and fall bloomers flower on current year's growth so not much pruning is needed...just to shape and clean up the vine as you wish. And lastly, some Clemmies are considered repeat bloomers. A heavy first flush early in the season then sporadically again in the year. Don't prune after first flush, otherwise you'll sacrifice the second set of blooms. Just watch your plants and know which pruning techniques apply.

Now, having said all this, I hardly ever prune my vines! I only clean up dead wood and wilt (disease) as needed! If you are a Clemmie lover, you know that these vines love their feet in the shade and faces in the sun! Heavy mulching is key as well as a good sturdy support. Anything will work~an obelisk, a trellis, an arch, even a tree trunk...with a little chicken wire and coaxing. I even add them in large containers~three stakes added to the center, teepee style and, VOILA! I have many vertical structures throughout the garden for Clemmies, and I laugh to think, just maybe, I'm making up for my lack of stature...lol!

Nelly Moser is one of the most popular varieties of Clemmies. Known for her beautiful shades of pink with a deep mauve center ribbing. What's interesting is the two or so blooms I'm noticing in purple...I don't remember planting two varieties at this trellis. Do Clemmies change color based on PH balance...anyone?

With my hand flat, fingers splayed out, these blooms are even larger!

No wonder she's a favorite!

Going on her 12th year, this pinky/purple is the oldest planted Clemmie in my garden...and the name is right on the tip of my tongue...darn! The white double bloom is Duchess of Edinburgh...added a few years later.

Looks more like a dahlia though, doesn't it?


Having planted Niobe on another trellis, the blooms did not resemble the color description so I planted this second one last fall...still not convinced it was labeled correctly as Niobe is supposed to be a deeper red and bloom later...

Barely a foot tall, she's keeping company with the Forget-Me-Nots..which worked out pretty well I think.



A pretty-in-white that grows against the north wall of the house. I'm not sure of the name~any guesses? Possibly Henryi...?


One of my new favorites is Josephine. Planted just last summer, I'm thrilled with how well she's doing and I love the gigantic pom-pom like center! The seedhead will be quite interesting...


I will have to replace this little trellis with something sturdier. Oh, and that arbor in the background...

You've seen this Clematis Montana Rubens from previous posts but she gets more spectacular every year. Since this is a spring blooming variety, the rule of thumb would be to prune it back hard after bloom time for optimum results, right?

Well, as you can see, I cannot reach the top(!) so she is left to fend for herself. Shhh~don't tell her!

Not a bad view from Emma's bedroom window...

For such a small bloom, the details are quite beautiful.

And for an idea of scale, here I am...

So go ahead, plant your first Clemmie this season, or add more to your collection...you can't go wrong! Best of all, they will reward you with beauty and enjoyment for years to come!

Fertilizer Friday

It's official! I'm joining in the fun at Tootsie's and making this my first Fertilizer Friday post! Head on over and visit other gardeners flaunting their flowers!




Every two weeks or so, my entire garden gets a thorough feeding from Miracle-Gro. You know the plastic canister of blue crystals that attaches to your hose? That's my secret! I water every plant by hand so it's a 3+ hrs. chore! One of these days, our well will probably run dry!! So that's it....no manure, no fish tea, no mushroom compost...just those magical blue crystals! I do concentrate on my daylilies...so they'll grow big, strong, and beautiful!


'Wineberry Candy'...first bloom on a favorite daylily! Almost 5" across and she's fragrant, too!

Primroses/sun drops are out of control!

I needed a low maintenance perennial to go around one of the maple trees so in went 18 'Munstead' lavenders. An early spring trim to the base and they bloom beautifully 'til mid July then I clip them back again to keep neat. This planter is too far away for my hose so they're on their own...I wasn't kidding about low maintenance. Add blossoms to your bath for a relaxing soak and you'll smell nice, too ;)

A second flush of blooms on 'Ebb Tide'. The flowers are smaller but, ooohhh, the fragrance...hypnotic!

I don't remember planting these pinky/white Rose Campions. Do they change colors like that?

The first three blooms opened this morning on one of my favorite (broken record...I know!) daylilies...'Scarlet Orbit'. There are 17 scapes (yep, I counted!) on this clump with an average of 9 buds per scape! That's over 150 flowers!! Can you tell I'm a just a tad excited...

Wild daisies growing around the a/c unit. These don't get watered or fertilized.

This 'Niobe' clematis was planted last fall. The late blooms in Oct. were a very different shade of lavender so I thought it was mislabeled. However, the blooms this season is much more true to the cultivar...

Here's a few of the large pots filling in nicely. Due to all the rain, I've not had to water them for almost 2 weeks! And I try to follow the 3 'ER' rules for planters. I'm sure you all know what I'm talking about...? You need a ThrillER plant...something tall and unusual. In this case it's the trellis with the morning glory. You need FillERs and, of course, the SpillERs...to cascade. It's that simple.But when it comes to color, I don't follow any rules...just whatever looks healthy and catches my eye. Somehow, they just all 'go together' in the end. Well, maybe this 'Bonfire' begonia clashes a little...

Almost three ft. tall, this astilbe is putting on a great show.

And a pretty mini one loaded with plumes.

Asiatic Lilies were planted a few years ago from a 'mixed collection' but they've ended up being mostly this deep orangey-red color..which I do really love.

Tootsie, I did it! My first Fertilizer Friday post! Thanks for letting me flaunt my stuff!

Have a wonderful weekend friends!

Happy Mothers Day!

Enjoying my coffee right now while kids and hubby are "slaving" away in the kitchen...and not so quietly, haha...preparing my Mother's Day breakfast...a tradition I really LOVE!!!

A parade of pink dedicated to all you wonderful moms...enjoy!

Dogwoods are still looking great.

These tulips are still blooming well as they are in the north-facing garden. I love those peachy-pink ones.

And the big.....TA DA! The clematis montana vine in full bloom...yikes, she's taking over the star magnolia!

And last, but never least, lil' Bandit sends his love!

The weather is just about perfect today...sunny, but cool...so you know where I'll be..burning off the breakfast calories! Have a great one!

Anticipation....

As I look out my back deck today, it is very hard to imagine that all the brown, woody, tangled mess atop the arbor, will eventually green up, produce buds...and bloom the prettiest pink clematis you ever did see. This montana variety blooms for a good solid month and then sporadically throughout the summer. I don't prune it much as it's labeled under Group 1, but also because I can longer reach it! So for now, I wait patiently...and when the time is right, she'll come alive and be drop dead gorgeous. This is a view worth waiting for...

Another flower I'm anxiously awaiting is Dame's Rocket. I know...a weedy wildflower?! Two seasons ago, a corner of my garden was mysteriously filled with these phlox like purple blooms. It's from the mustard family and is considered invasive! I know you've seen it along highways. However, not knowing what it truly was until it bloomed, I LOVED the lavender shades (and white), and the added bonus was it's sweet fragrance! It blended so nicely with the peonies. But last spring, very few plants returned. What happened to those seeds I did not deadhead? Is it a biennial? I'm hoping new seedlings will return this year to grace my garden...it's a weed I won't mind keeping.

So Spring, come soon...I am SO ready!

Even my girls are anxious for hammock weather...