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Dec 7, 2008 | 1:03 PM PST
Tags: grapevine , clematis , mint , christmas , fall , clean up , Christmas Decorations
We have been busy over the past month with all sorts of things! I have managed to carve out some time here and there to do the usual garden clean up that needs to be done this time of year. Our final moments of fall have passed:
And we are well into winter. We saw a couple of dear the other morning out by the creek which was so magical and my little girl was so excited to get to meet Rudolph :)
See them back there?
Most of the garden clean up is done now except for a few odds and ends and we have moved on to decorating for Christmas:
I always do a bit of a garden theme with my christmas decorating: using a lot of greens from the garden along with fresh herbs and grapevine. Here is a nice closeup of an area of the tree with a small grape vine wreath. I have these spaced all over the tree this year:
I love the look of the rustic grapevine against the shimmer of the lights and the ornaments :)
I did a bit more clean out in the garden this afternoon. Shook some dead leaves off the hardy clematis, cut back some mint blooms, and cut down some spent cannas. Once the holidays are over, I will set out to get pinestraw over all the beds and start all my spring planning. Unfortunatley I didn't get the compost in the veggie beds soon enough to get out a fall crop :( so, I will have to enjoy planning for the spring.
Time for some holiday baking...
Dec 4, 2008 | 12:34 PM PST
Tag: clematis
I am surprised that my clematis multi-blue showed 2 blooms yesterday despite the cold weather. It's bloom time should have been through October only. Too bad I can get a clear picture because it has been foggy all day. No sun appearing in the last 2 days and driving anywhere is a hassle and dangerous but hopefully, forcast in the next few days would be clear.
Oct 14, 2008 | 12:39 PM PST
Tag: clematis
It's been a while since I posted a blog because I had been too busy trying to clean up all the falling leaves and my yard as a whole and weeding those pesty weeds that never go away . But unlike last year, I am still seeing blooms on some of my clematis particularly Serenata, Rhapsody, Niobe, Lincoln Star, Josephine and Empress and this morning while exercising, there was The President in full bloom with 3 or 4 more buds coming. Could be the weather difference this year than last year.
Aug 17, 2008 | 12:16 PM PST
Tag: clematis
I thought this clemais will never survive when the blooms wilted in May due to the intense heat we were having that month. There was no remaining green wood on this plant cutting the stems inch by inch until I got down to the soil. That really panicked me and I got distressed. But sometime in July, I saw a small green sprout and I was estatic that maybe there is still life in there so I babied this plant almost everyday watching it grow like a baby. Lo and behold, the flowers are now blooming, still not as big as I would have wanted and as they should be but hey, I am not complaining. Maybe next year they will really blossom to their fullest grandeur. These pictures were taken today, one in the early morning with not much light and one this noon.
May 23, 2008 | 10:31 AM PST
Tag: clematis
I forgot to take pictures of these when they first started blooming. Both have now faded somewhat from the heat of the sun but this is the first year Star of India (puple) had these many blooms while this is only the second year for Ville de Lyon (pink) planted near f. Sieboldii so not much blooms yet.
May 16, 2008 | 10:32 AM PST
Tag: clematis
We had verry strong howling winds the last two days here which wreck havoc on my container planters. Worst damage was on my clematis Rhapsody which dried up and wilted most of the blooms. The wind survivors are those in-ground planted against the back wall fence. Before I lose all the blooms with another strong winds predicted in the next few days, I took their pictures.
Victoria
Minuet planted with Victoria
The one surviving Rhapsody bloom.
May 11, 2008 | 8:36 PM PST
Tags: white , galanthus , tulips , phlox , columbine , clematis
My garden is sporting the most innocent color it will have all season. White is definitely stunning when it's on the bride, but more so when it's in the flowers. Here is a photo essay of the beauty happening this week. To start out the show we have a dwarf white columbine that is only about 12 inches tall, it is the first of the columbines to bloom. It is a soft silky white with blue green leaves.
Next we have the dainty galanthus showing it's downward facing bright white blooms with green tips.
True to form are the swaying, creamy off-white tulips standing out among the brights of red and yellow.
Drifts of white phlox are coming down from the terraced planting in the front.
And soon to show the most stunning of blossoms will be the double white clematis. Here are the unique buds.
And what the double white clematis will look like in a couple of weeks.
Well until the next show of color, I hope this tides you over.
May 6, 2008 | 4:27 PM PST
Tag: clematis
My only joy when I am blue is my garden and taking photos of my clematis. Today, I took pictures of Blue Light and Cassis although some Cassis blooms are fading now from too much sun. The colors are somewhat altered because I took them in intense sunlight. At least the blooms are still there. The first picture is Cassis. Can anyone recommend a good digital mini-camera for outdoor pictures?
May 6, 2008 | 2:29 PM PST
Tags: Green peppers , Jalapenos , verbena , clematis , vinca
I bought some new plants while at Wal-Mart today. I know, I know, Wally World plants are so unhappy and mistreated. BUT my timing was great, they had JUST recieved a plant shipment so all were happy healthy little guys.
I bought 9 Green Bell Peppers for $2.97, and 9 Mild Jalapenos for $2.97. A really pretty clematis for $4.88, 2 6-packs of vinca for $1 each, and a Sweet Basil.
Since I don't need all those different peppers, and I don't have the room for them, I'm going to give some to my neighbors.
The clematis was actually the only one of a whole bunch that wasn't brown, so I just had to save it. I'm going to plant it on the trellis on the shed.
The vincas I plan on putting in a hanging basket with pieces of the verbena that's growing in the garden. That plant is starting to get WAY too big and needs to be brought back into control. I plan on using a bird feeder cage for the "basket". It has lots of squares to stick the plants into, and I don't use it on the feeder anymore so I figured it might be fun to try as a planter..
May 4, 2008 | 6:53 PM PST
Tags: juncus , fatsia , clematis
To celebrate our wedding anniversary (and to keep our minds off of the fact that I am overdue to have our 2nd child), My wonderful hubby took me plant shopping and said that when we got home, he would plant what we bought :) So sweet!
The first thing we got was a Clematis "Liberation" Evifive. "A free- flowering variety with 9" deep - pink flowers, blooming in Spring and again in late summer." We planted a Clematis Jackmani when we had our first daughter...in her honor. So, we wanted to do the same for this daughter. It will grow up the new sculpture:
Ter
rible pict, I know...hard to get a good shot in all those shadows...but, you get the idea.
Then, we got a fatsia japonica. I just love these plants. I want to put them under the crepe myrtles to add more evergreen screen against the chain link fence. They tend to be a bit pricey for some reason, so we got one and hubby said "just get one each time you go to the nursery, that way it won't seem to cost so much" Ahhh...he is getting the idea now! :)
And, finally...we got a Juncus effusus Spiralis or "Corkscrew Rush". Fun, hardy water plant that we put in the creek. Said to take full sun and get to 2 feet tall. Plus, its very fun to say that for my wedding anniversary, my husband got me "Juncus" HAH!
Apr 3, 2008 | 12:31 PM PST
Tag: clematis
I had been moping, grieving, and sulking for a few days now but today, I ventured out because the weather is nicer and lo and behold, my clematis Grandiflora decided to put on a show. This is its first year of blooming although it is already 3 years old. Ville de Lyon and Serenata are so dependable, they keep coming trying to outdo each other. The corn I planted two weeks ago seems to be going nowhere so I will try again on 4/5 which according to the Farmers Almanac should be a good day for planting above ground crops and corn in particular. I will try the 3 sisters planting guide which will include corn, then beans two weeks later then squash. I just bought the seeds from Parkseeds and this is a try-out so I will see if it works. Here are some pictures of Grandiflora (white), Ville de Lyon (pink) and Serenata (purple).
Mar 24, 2008 | 10:59 AM PST
Tags: clematis , clematis Guernsey Cream
I was planning to prune the Apple Blossom clematis today as it has finished its flowering. But then, I noticed that there were two blooming clematis on AB's arbor. I thought that I trailed a Jackmanii to that arbor. As it turned out, it was not Jack, a purple clematis, but Guernsey Cream. Whew! was I glad that it was GC. GC is a type 2 and Jack is a type 3. I would have such a headache come pruning time for Jack. When I first started planting clematis 4 years ago, I did not know hoot about them. It was a learning process but of course, as I was so eager to start my garden, I combined a purple clematis, Jackmanii, and a white clematis, GC. I thought it would look marvelous to see the two colors blooming in one trellis but they are of different pruning type. Well, lessons learned by mistakes. I just have to be overly careful come pruning time. This year, I just pruned them both the same to a height of 1 ft except for the long long stem of GC trailing on the arbor.
Mar 22, 2008 | 2:50 PM PST
Tags: Clematis , clematis Ruby Glow
First one ahead of them all except Apple Blossom is clematis Ruby Glow to open up today. One taken in the shade is sharper than the one taken in full sun. Clematis on the Web says that its color can range from ruby red to purple pink. I don't know what color to call this, lavender? lilac? light purple? It shows no pink at all. First one was taken in full sun, kind of fuzzy but second was taken in the shade.
Mar 8, 2008 | 12:23 PM PST
Tag: Clematis
This was taken today. This Clematis is already 3 years old. This is the first time it blooms like this. In previous years, I get at the most a dozen blooms. Happy gardening to all.
Mar 4, 2008 | 12:14 PM PST
Tag: clematis
These clematis (some bloomed before and others just completely disappeared) are still not showing anything as of today: Group B - Franziska Marie, The President, Kiri Te Kanawa,Natascha, Minuet, Edith, Lord Nevill, Piilu and Edomuraski; Group A - montana Peveril, Pink Flamingo, Markham's Pink and Snowdrift; Group C - Alba Luxurians, Hagley Hybrid, & Minuet. What did I do wrong???. I know I planted some tulips on Pink Flamingo and Markham's Pink space. This is agonizing to say the least, not knowing if they are still alive.
Mar 4, 2008 | 11:52 AM PST
Tag: clematis
Clematis Apple Blossom beats them all. It has hundreds of buds yesterday but today It was the first clematis to bloom this season. This day is special too for me as my sister Anna is now in and out of her comma. Maybe the flowers bloom just for her.
Feb 27, 2008 | 1:00 AM PST
Tag: clematis
Wow, my account is finally working after so many days of login in again and again. Thanks Rachel at customer service for fixing it. Now I can add to my blog.
Started on 2/21 pruning my clematis and just finished all 72 of them today 2/26. I was late on some varieties as they had grown tall already but I was heartless on some as they needed hard pruning. Also pruned the grapes and hibiscus and finished weeding as well. Planted also an aloe vera pup in one small terra cotta pot. I hope the lemon grass survived the winter and not die. I love trimming the leaves which I use for hot tea; the lemon grass really help me sleep good.
Feb 21, 2008 | 11:40 AM PST
Tag: Clematis
I was overseas for 5 weeks so I missed my pruning time for some of my clematis. Darn it, today, I was hoping to prune all clematis in containers. Just finished Lincoln Star and Serenata when it started to rain. Hope tomorrow will be sunny.
Feb 14, 2008 | 4:31 PM PST
Tags: compost , tea , pruning , pole pruner , blueberry , daffodil , crocus , clematis
I am very excited that our little cold front was a small one and we were back into the 60's today. Yay! When the little one went down for her nap, I began work on my to-do list. It actually didn't take me much time at all :) I did some various small pruning tasks and then set out to try my new pole pruner. It was a bit tricky...but after a good lesson from my hubby, it seemed to do the trick. We just took off some lower branches from a large tree in the backyard...to keep things opened up. My husband was kind enough to pick up a load of compost on his way home from work, so I also got that spread. I spread it around the back porch where I plan grow a flower garden from seed this spring. It looks great and the small bit of leftover compost is sitting in water tonight for a good batch of compost tea that I will use to water the azaleas with. Tomorrow is my hubby's day off, so we will hopefully get the veggie beds finished up :)
Here are some fun shots I took around my front yard today in between chores:
The daffodils are emerging under the redbud tree:
p> Double Knockout Rose Bushes are forming their new leaves:
>
Crocus bulbs emerging: ( I always forget that their foliage has that great variagation on it until I see it each spring)
>
Clematis Armandi forming its buds:
p>And finally, the blueberry bush that I transplanted in the fall seems to be happy...its forming its new buds :)
I am just loving the anticipation of spring!
Jan 10, 2008 | 3:43 PM PST
Tags: sculpture , garden art , gazing ball , christmas , clematis , sweet pea
Thank you for the advice and ideas on what to do in the blank spot by my window seat. I decided to do a sculpture (the final product came from chatting about it with my Mother In Law). I didn't want to do another vine on a trellis because I thought that would be too symmetrical and matchy matchy. I love the idea of doing something fragrant...but the window on the window seat doesn't open...so it wouldn't get appreciated. The other thing I was really leaning towards was a nice evergreen, but I was worried how well it would do right up against the house. And, to get the instant gratification that I wanted, I would have to spend a small fortune to get a good size plant. So, a sculpture it is!
I took advantage of the after Christmas sales. The tall pole has a large Christmas ornament on top and all 3 have little christmas balls wired around them. The other 2 balls are "gazing" balls that I got at Old TIme Pottery for super cheap. The pipes are from the plumbing section at Home Depot. I think they pull in the iron on our shutter hardware in nicely.
I really am very happy with how they turned out! It will be fun to see how they weather. I also think I will get a clematis to grow up them. Or, I may do an annual sweet pea vine. And, the best part about going with a sculpture....no pruning or weeding. And, its drought tolerant! LOL!
