Sunday, July 09, 2006

Clematis

Our yard is really beautiful this year. I'd love to make you think that I am out there making it all happen, but the truth is that I barely lift a finger in the gardening arena. This is all Ray's doing. (Oh, I have been known to offer advice...)

When we redid the yard 3 years ago, Ray and I built this little arbor to go over the entry into the side yard. It was built specifically to support a clematis vine. (side note: I had always pronounced this clem-AAA-tis, but the folks in the know about such things insist it is CLEM-uh-tus. I'm retraining myself.)

We have become big, big fans of this blowsy extravagant flowering vine. We now have several growing around the yard, wherever there is something for them to climb on. They come in lots of great colors. In the photo you can actually see two clematis vines—the deep purple on the arbor and a magenta on the fence behind, and mixed into both is an ornamental grape vine.

Here's a closeup. Isn't that just a great graphic shape? I think there is a quilt design based on this percolating. Hmmmmmm....

3 comments:

  1. I love clematis. My first experience with them I decided to prune which is a huge NO. But after a couple of years the affected plant came back an even bolder purple. We had three on our back fence in Spokane. Your yard looks beautiful. I can't wait to see how it has progressed since the last time I saw it.

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  2. It is one of my favorite flowers. Yours look more squarish - definitely fodder for the quilt ideas.

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  3. You say clem i tus, I say clem ah tis, cause I loved in the south for 6 years!! I also eat key lahm pah! I am so thrilled with the gorgeous stuff that grows here - it is a wonder every month as something new shows up in the neighboring yards.

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