Trellis

I’ve tried growing clematis 3 times… 3 failures.
congrats on your success! The trellis lovely. It must be fun to watch the creatures visiting their own little spa area :)

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

Your trellis is REALLY NICE … I like the white.

-- "A perfect garden is just a garden to be in-perfection. Mornings to work on it and evenings to pause and look at it." Southeast Michigan, Zone 5a/5b

Looks great! Clematis can be a real bear to get started, but then is practially bulletproof.

I’d like to see some pics of the fountains…don’t make me invoke the LJ rule that if we don’t see pics, whatever it is doesn’t exist! LOL…

-- Living on the square...Metro Detroit

Nice trellis. I love how trellis can make a garden look so quaint. The Autumn clematis you have will devour the trellis and it is so beautiful in fall. I trim mine some in the spring so it won’t get too huge.

Anyone who has failed with clematis before will not fail with this one. What a great plant.

wl

-- wjl - 5a Indiana

okay … why is it such a “bear” to get started?

-- "A perfect garden is just a garden to be in-perfection. Mornings to work on it and evenings to pause and look at it." Southeast Michigan, Zone 5a/5b

yah.. and how do wet get over that barrier??

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

Actually, I’m not sure why…they just seem really persnickety. How to get over the hump is to simply be more stubborn than the plant!

-- Living on the square...Metro Detroit

Do they grow in full sun? Like water??? I thought I read somewhere that the (I am having a “brain fart”at the moment LOL), the root … lower stem of the plant … arg!!! (what is the term!!!) ... needs to be shaded? Am I making sense here? I also read that different varieties of Clematis bloom at different times of the summer (early, mid, late). Could you put these “different bloomers” all together so that there was blooming all summer long? A Clematis would look nice on the driveway side of the house. Maybe I can talk LJ hubby into making me a trelis.

So Damocles (and anyone else) ... tell us your secrets on growing Clematis … what works, what hasn’t for you. Please … :-)

-- "A perfect garden is just a garden to be in-perfection. Mornings to work on it and evenings to pause and look at it." Southeast Michigan, Zone 5a/5b

OK, the one that I tended seemed to thrive when it wasn’t micromanaged or overtended. Thinking about it, we did seem to grow things (other plants) around the base of the vines, keeping it from getting “hot feet”.

It did grow in full sun, and was definitely not over-watered.

-- Living on the square...Metro Detroit

that’s what we did with ours—-put something in front of it… didn’t help.
still died.

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

Did you sing to it?

-- Living on the square...Metro Detroit

LOL!!!!!

-- "A perfect garden is just a garden to be in-perfection. Mornings to work on it and evenings to pause and look at it." Southeast Michigan, Zone 5a/5b

Nice work Greg
I like creating things like this , they don,t take very long to build but the results last a long time.

-- John in Cranbrook , http://www.extremebirdhouse.com http://community.webshots.com/user/cranbrook2

I didn’t sing….... doh.. no wonder!!!!
do you think they like country and western?

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

Deb … I say go for it!!!! What could it hurt??!! LOL … man this “thread” is HILARIOUS!!!!! I’ve been in “tears” just reading this.

-- "A perfect garden is just a garden to be in-perfection. Mornings to work on it and evenings to pause and look at it." Southeast Michigan, Zone 5a/5b

yah? just wait til I report that I tried singing Shania’s “You don’t impress me much”... and see if I can use a little reverse psychology on the stubborn plant.

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

Reverse psychology? Just how smart do you think these plants are, anyway? They’re plants, for Pete’s sake! LOL!!

-- Living on the square...Metro Detroit

lol
well, I did have an indoor plant, once, that was a stem and a leaf I think.. and I told it “hey.. you either start growing leaves or I am throwing you out. You have one week.” Each day I checked on it and repeated my threat. One week later I had a healthier looking plant and before long it was lookin’ good.

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

LOL … threats; they work with our kids (okay, sometimes), so why shouldn’t they work on our stubborn plants??!!

-- "A perfect garden is just a garden to be in-perfection. Mornings to work on it and evenings to pause and look at it." Southeast Michigan, Zone 5a/5b