When we moved into The Modern House, I discovered a clematis buried under an overgrown honeysuckle. It was a tiny thing, with stems that broke with every windstorm. That first year, it gave a couple flowers which enchanted me. I tried to make a point of giving it a little TLC, although it still struggled under the honeysuckle. I pruned back the honeysuckle and it did a bit better, and when the honeysuckle was removed for re-stuccoing, I realized that I didn't really want it back even though I loved the fragrance. I wanted more clematis. So I planted 'Betty Corning' next to the existing tiny vine of what I assumed was 'Jackmanii'. Out from under the honeysuckle, the 'Jackmanii has grown quite a bit, although nowhere near what I see in some photos from people in milder climates.
Some photos of plants with the honeysuckle.
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| The honeysuckle was so scraggly, it had to be removed! |
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| 'Betty Corning' in her first year. |
And some more recent:
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| 'Betty Corning' |
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| 'Betty Corning' |
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| The younger flowers are more red. |
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| I think they make a nice pair. |
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| Some wind damage from the wind storm yesterday, but still okay. |
The blues are really good after my mountain bike ride through the desert this afternoon...just olive greens, blue skies, and only a few flowers on some weedy composites down in the arroyos and a few on Apache Plume. I'd say those clematis are looking good.
ReplyDeleteTried any of the Chihuahuan Desert native Clematis...or can they even be bought? They have pink flowers that are bell-shaped.
I'd try Clematis pitcheri in the blue/purple form. But then again, I don't have a space for it! I did see a native clematis at UTEP, when it was just starting to bloom and it looked good. I'm not sure the color would work in my garden though.
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