All the Dirt on Gardening

We have two Clematis vines in our garden that bloom reliably in May. A third one blooms every few years when it feels up to the task.  Clematis Silver Moon in May The 3,000 Clematis cultivars have varying flowering times, shapes, sizes, colors and growing habits. Colors range from white to red and purple. Vine lengths vary from 3 to 15 feet. Most of us are familiar with spring blooming Clematis and look forward to hundreds of buds forming on our long-lived vines every year.  Most varieties need 6-hours of sun but want shaded roots in our area. Regular, deep, watering in soil that drains well will keep the roots healthy. Single, double, bell, saucer, tulip and star shaped flowers are available. The vines needs support from a fence, trellis or nearby shrubs. Look for fungus and disease resistant varieties.  Group 1, spring-blooming Clematis grow on last year‘s shoots in sheltered sun. Examples: Rebecca (large red), Josephine (mauve pink with  plum...

Starfish Clematis On Saturday, Feb 20th, the Flower Garden Nature Society is hosting Dan Long of Brushwood Nursery . His vine nursery in Athens Georgia features native vines but Clematis, too. The nursery's website has two sections: 1) for growers and 2) finished retail products. It looks like the grower side is just for a few of their hybrids. The Gardenvines website for gardeners still says Brushwood. At any rate, there are links to their various collection of Clematis, Passionflower vines, Climbing Roses, Honeysuckle and Jasmine, Dan Long Long's talks on the 20th will focus on Clematis and native vines for our gardens. The 10 am talk is titled "Clematis You Need/You Need Clematis" His 2 pm talk is titled "Social Climbers: Native Vines that Won't Kill Your Garden Party" $15 for both talks. For more information contact Gail Pianalto 479.361.2198 or Joyce Mendenhall 479.7265