The Splendid Clematis

I planted my clematis in 2010 and from the start it delivered a flower or two, usually in late Spring.  I trained it to grow on the trellis and it did so, a garden success.  It was pretty but never splendid.  This year, it’s been splendid.  There's been an explosion of blowsy purple flowers blooming for more than a month now.

From the looks of the blooms, there are a few more purple flowers to still come our way.  The plant is certainly sturdier than it was in its first few years but I think this year’s thriving abundance of flowers is the result of all the rain we enjoyed in May and June.  I’ve taken note and will be sure to water it next Spring so that we can enjoy another season of prodigious, happy blooms.

The Happy Clematis

Though my sister is convinced that bragging about the condition of my clematis vine sounds like I'm admitting to unclean personal habits, I can't resist writing about the clematis.  The climbing vine had a rough spring last year as early heat really hurt its growth.  I feared that the vine was dead forever.  But it's not!

And that's a most happy thing.

August 1st: Clematis

There comes a point in every summer when the combination of hot temperatures and dry weather begins to take its toll on the garden.  I'm enough of a Californian to be careful about the use of water to keep things lush.  I water my vegetable patch regularly, but try not to water the grass or established flowers. 

And that's what going on with my clematis vine: things got too dry.  I know this from some research I did on just this subject.  It's too late in the season to begin watering it, but I'll know for next spring and summer, when I hope that it will return and I will have the sort of lush vine I'm looking for.

In the meantime, my garden is about to start producing in abundance, I still have a month of vacation to enjoy, and the chirping morning birds make me smile.  I've had a great summer so far and I'm heading into the final month with a sense that the month ahead will bring more happiness, plenty of flowers and plants to enjoy.  And that's worth celebrating.

July 1: Clematis report

It's the first of the month and so it's time for my monthly clematis report.  The vine started off the spring like gangbusters but sometime in the past month the prolific growth ground to a halt and the vine began to fade.

Bummer, huh?  I consulted my favorite gardening guides and learned that the clematis doesn't get going with abundant growth until the third or fourth year that the plant is in the ground.  In the meantime, I should fertilize and water the vine.  I've done both and will continue to do so but it may be next spring before I really see some impressive growth and new blooms.

It seems the garden believes a few more lessons in patience are in order for me. Duly noted.

June 1st: Clematis Vine

It's hard for me to believe that the summer has already arrived (though the constant hum of the air conditioner certainly confirms it).  I did a lot of planting over the weekend, and the clematis vine blooms helped to keep me company.

In the next few weeks, my school obligations will wind down.  I'm looking forward to leisurely days and more time in the garden.  The clematis blooms are a lovely reminder of the beauty of a good book and a lazy summer day.

May 1: Clematis Vine

I awakened this morning to a glorious spring day, the third in a row.   I fired up my mower yesterday (that alone was something of a minor miracle as the mower is quite elderly) and I cut the grass.  I always enjoy mowing because I get the chance to see nooks and crannies of my the yard and things looks so fresh at this time of year.  The dwarf fruit trees are coming along nicely; there's a happy row of volunteer carrots to go with the onions in the garden.  The lilac is in it's full glory and my iris blooms are looking lovely.

But it's May 1st and we're here for the clematis vine, which has enjoyed a fine month of April and is alive and hard at work.

The clematis has grown more in this past month than all of last summer (a result of last year's drought, I believe), so I'm pretty excited about the summer to come.

April 1st: Clematis Vine

We had some warmish weather in mid-March but as soon as the calendar proclaimed Spring, Winter turned vengeful and refused to give up the ship.  This morning, we've got cold rain and a forecast high of 45 degrees.  Not exactly hanging-out-in-the-backyard weather.   While I wish it was an April Fool's joke, it's not.  So the clematis vine, like the rest of Spring's finery, is in a bit of a holding pattern.  I suspect that the clematis is a tad more patient than me.  I've always said that the value of a garden is in the teaching of patience, a skill that I've yet to master. 

 This spring I'm getting another chance to contemplate the art of being patient.

March 1st: Clematis Vine

As the snows have melted, JT has continued to enjoy his backyard games.  No matter the season, he plays outside almost every day.  In the cold, he sometimes skips the outdoors but the arrival of slightly warmer weather and sunny skies is an even greater lure for him to get outdoors.  The grass is wet with slushy snow, the yard is stark and doesn't look particularly promising, but he's been so eager to play outside that I've put up with the mud.

He's out there keeping the clematis company as it girds up for the growing season that lies just ahead.  There are very slight signs of spring in the air and I'll be keeping my eye on spring's progress in the month ahead.  For now, the clematis is quiet.  But I expect that the next month will be very promising.

February 1: Clematis Vine

It's no secret that it's been a cold, snowy winter.  Certainly the coldest and snowiest I've experienced since I moved to New Jersey.  The clematis vine has been hidden under a blanket of snow since just after Christmas.  This morning's photo is blurred by the sleet falling as I was outside making the picture.  And if today's weather forecast is any indication, it will be wearing snow and ice for some time to come.

Even so, there are some hopeful signs that winter can't last forever.  The days are getting longer and the garden catalogs make a nice solid pile by the side of my bed.  I've placed my spring seed order.  I've a feeling that this is going to be the sort of winter where the snow fades to reveal bright green grass.

I'm looking forward to that.

January 1, 2011

For the last few years, I have marked the first of each month with a photo and posting about something that grows in my garden.  I wrote about my big tree in 2008, in 2009 it was the hosta patch by the garage, and last year, I wrote about my apple and pear trees.  This year, I will write about the clematis vine that I am training to grow on a trellis in my backyard.

What these trees and plants have in common is that they are all things I've always wanted to plant or be responsible for.  My backyard is one of the most enjoyable parts of my home.  Each month of the year, it brings me pleasure.  Often, it also brings a very welcome surprise.  The garden is a comfort and a joy when life sometimes seems difficult.  It is one of the greatest blessings in my life.

I've written before that gardening is pleasing to me because it reminds me of the virtue of patience and the healing that time can bring.  A day in the garden is always a good day.  And on the first of the month for 2011 I will invite you to join me in the garden, where we can watch the clematis vine as it grows and climbs up the trellis.

Winter is a time of rest for most plants and the clematis, which was planted last spring as part of my life list projects, is clearly at rest.  But things will change as the year unfolds.  I'm looking forward to that.