My favorite clems are ALL of them. ;-) I love clems!

HF Young is definitely near the top of my list -- I LOVE that color. Also Asao, which is always about the first of the large-flowered clems to bloom. Also C. montana, which is the very first to bloom. Also Polish Spirit, which is pretty unkillable and has a Looooong bloom period. Also Etoile Violette, which is a gorgeous dark red. Also Gillian Blades, which is the most delicate porcelain white with scalloped edges. Also about a billion others.... :-)

I put my clems everywhere. In Knoxville I had a few scramblers amongst the perennials, some in the roses, some on the bamboo arches that formed the backdrop of the front bed, some on the fence line close to the house. I had em just about everywhere.

The ones that have made the move to Lebanon so far are all still in pots!

OMG April, your garden is AMAZING!! Holy cow. Someone call BH&G for a photo shoot!

Since we're on the subject of clematis and planting them in combinations, let me run something by you more experienced clematisers :)

I have a white crape myrtle (inherited with house) that isn't blooming very well. Or, it didn't last year. Disappointing. I trimmed it back a lot in very early spring this year, so maybe that will help. But I was reading about clematis combos and liked the idea of that, so I got a Huldine this year (white long-blooming) and planted it under the crape myrtle, with the hope that it would twine up it and pick up the slack.

Good idea? Bad idea? I haven't read about them in combo with crapes. I hope that will work OK.

I also have a Jackmanii Superba that I picked up last fall on clearance. It is blooming very well (just started), in spite of the fact that the house painter painted it. I am going to try to train it up one of our columns. I am NOT posting pictures after those above though! LOL!

Hmmm....hadn't even thought of clematis with crape myrtle, but it sounds like it would work. The crape myrtle will bloom in July or August - I've heard of Huldine, but I'm not sure when it blooms. If it's a rebloomer, you could even have some blooms in conjunction with the crape myrtle's blooms; otherwise, you will have the clematis blooming in late Spring/early summer and then the crape myrtle itself in mid to late summer.

amazindirt, I used to have Etoile Violette interplanted with my New Dawn climber and that was a nice combination, but I think it's been getting too much competition from the horrible Boston ivy that some idiot planted near there years ago. The clematis seems to have just about died out on me. :-( I'm thinking I might put a Niobe or Jackmanii there now. If you have some other suggestions for me, let me know.

I also have a Jackmanii planted beside a Madame Alfred Carriere climber, but that combination hasn't worked out very well for me. The Madame Alfred blooms pretty early, one of the earliest roses to bloom in fact, and it's usually about done by the time Jackmanii gets going. So I'm thinking I need to put a Nelly Moser or one of the others that blooms a bit earlier there.

For a while now I've had my eye on Fair Rosamond. Have any of you grown that one? And one of these days, I want to try Edomurasaki again - my first one was completely wiped out by Clematis wilt in its first year. H.F. Young has turned out to be much hardier, although not quite as dark a blue.

I hope it does work :) I have no idea when Huldine will bloom either, but it is reportedly (according to the clematis forum, I think) the longest-blooming white. So, hopefully they will at least bloom some of the time together!

And also...Catmint sure does smell good! :D

Have been also thinking about our Clematis talk. One of the many Humming Bird Vines would be also beautiful, as in the Cardinal Climber with a white Clematis, Red/White Clematis/even the Purple Clematis (Red Hats)! Even using Ivy's with the Clematis. Thanks 'connietn' the idea of using the crape mytle. I have three rose climbers already with the Clematis. Great information! Let's keep thinking!

April, You got a good eye girl and a green thumb to boot! Columbiastock, the red white combo sounds real pretty too. Hmmm, I might just plant that President with Blaze.

Great ideas guys! I was so excited to get a clematis at the swap yesterday. It's pretty tiny right now, but I can't wait to see what color is will be one day! And I may plant it with my hummingbird vine. That sounds like a great combination.

April, your garden is absolutely gorgeous!

I'm just wondering how to post pics. I have a new bed I'm getting ready to plant and would like to post pics and get some ideas from all of you. Can anyone give me instructions or tell me where to find them? Thanks!

A few clems from previous years in my yard --

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All the pictures are "Breath-Taking"! We do need more of these at the swaps. Using them with the Dwarf Dogwoods might be great. I need lessons on posting pictures also.

OH, I FINALLY HAVE SUN ! ! ! !

Columbiastock and dlhl - there is a thread here in the FAQs on how to post photos - this should help.

amazindirt- those are breathtaking clematisess (clematii? :-)
I do love the blues - do you recall which ones they were?

Also, is that pretty pink one Asao?

Lovely, lovely, lovelies....!

Ach! I meant to be a bit more definite, amazindirt - I was asking if the FIRST pink one might be Asao. :-) But I'd like to know what all of them are, of course!

And also, thanks so much for the kind words - but you'll notice I very carefully don't post a lot of photos from the rose garden this year. :-) I got behind early this spring and right about now it looks like a train wreck! Hoping I can get out there and do a proper weeding and spray for black spot sometime in the next two days!

Thanks, April, for the link to the picture posting info. I had searched for it but for some reason didn't find it.

Some nice clematii you folks have. I'm finding this combination to be working well. And once the brugmansia starts to bloom in a week or so it will be really nice.

tngreenthumb---Alot of us may have green thumbs, but you must have 2 on each hand. Awesome picture, only wish mine will get that large, just beautiful already without the blooms!

I love making combos of purple clems with pink or apricot blooms. I bet that brug will look wonderful with that clem once it gets started!

My photos, in order:

Daniel Deronda -- it and HF Young are my favorite blues

Duckling -- small blue, scrambles nicely through perennials

Asao -- pink, usually the first large-flowered clem to bloom

Daniel Deronda again

Elsa Spath -- I don't remember it being this blue in real life, but remember that clem colors are awfully hard to catch in photos

Gillian Blades -- gorgeous delicate white with very faint lavender shading at the scalloped edges

Rouge Cardinale -- velvety burgundy

C. montana 'Mayleen'-- a pretty delicate pink, the very first clem to bloom, makes masses of blooms with a great vanilla scent

Awesome, amazindirt - thanks so much!

tngreenthumb - that is a great combo - you HAVE to post some photos after those brugs start popping! Missed you at the swap.

Holy moly, tngreenthumb!!

That's it. I'm never posting a picture of my garden here, ever. :)

LOL! Now, connie, that's just NOT allowed! :-) Remember, on most cameras you can zoom in to crop out the ugly bits. :-) That's what I do, hehe. Whenever you see a closeup, that's a sure sign that there was something less attractive right behind it! And there's nothing wrong with that. :-)

Amazindirt - I'm thinking that I must have one of the Daniel Deronda, and also one of the Gillian Blades! Brushwood is all sold out of Daniel (curses!), but I'm definitely adding those two to the list, probably Asao, too!

I guess I could dart over to the Clematis forum to find the answer, but hopefully someone here will know - how do you propagate clematis? Do you peg branches down or do you just take cuttings? I've never tried, but I'd love to see more of us sharing the various ones we have. They aren't cheap!

You can propagate from cuttings, but I think it's supposed to be difficult. That's probably one reason why they are expensive!

I think Sis does them in the florist's foam. And I bet one of those misting rooter things would do it. But I think you have to do them at a certain time of the year AND it varies from cultivar to cultivar.

Connie: I must confess a primary passion/hobby/budding career for photography. That helps. The fact that the wife and I both like to garden doesn't hurt either. A very mild and wet spring is the kicker.

For your enjoyment/inspiration (If you have the connection speed for it, hit the ALL link to get a big index.)

WOW! Just wow. Those are some amazing shots! I would love to tour your garden. :)

So, tngreenthumb, what you are saying is, you're going to bring me poppy seeds/starts this fall, eh? :-)

Loved the Georgia O'Keefe tribute - well done. And Bachelor's Buttons - think I'll need some of them too. :-)

By the way, that was one of the Milk & wine Criniums, wasn't it? I have a new one myself, but I'm not sure what it is yet - if it's something new I'll bring some to share to the Fall swap.

april: I've had poppy seeds the last few swaps. No excuses girl. You know I bring stuff to get rid of it. I even had a few starts last spring. But I think it is best to sow them in late summer/early fall. Shoot me an email if you want to get some before the Fall swap.

The Georgia O'Keefe tribute was my wife's idea. I just went looking for the right bloom. You might appreciate this one as well. Georgia O'Keefe meets Andy Warhol. We have a canvas print of this hanging on one of our walls.

The amarcrinum (amaryllis/crinum cross) came from Jeff, I think. I got it at one of the swaps anyway. It was a bulb about the size of a bowling ball. I have already started several others from it's pups.

Waaaaaaa, I put a post in Exchanges looking for starts. Noone has answered me. I want to play too!

Joe: What is that mushroom looking thing,my mulched walkway has had tons.Pueeeeeeeeee what a smell they have.

Pat L.

Ohh I would love an amarcrinum!! Surly someone wants to part with one. Actually, I just read an article about crinum's and would love one as I have never had any of those.

Blessings,
Jennifer

I've been reading a little about layering, and "they" say you can do this with clematis. ?? I might try it with mine. If I get something I'll bring it to the fall swap. :)

Cool - I was wondering if layering would work with them. I may try it too, Connie!

Pat: Not sure what that particular one is called, but we get a lot of them in the mulch too. All part of the decomposition process, I know...but I don't like these.

Here's a pic of my spring phlox and clematis combo which was nice for someone craving blooms early!
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I love carpet phlox. I just wish it would stay like that.

As promised, here is the Clematis & Brug Concerto in Peach Minor*.

*The blooms will darken to a slightly darker peach color in a day or so. Not bad for June 3rd though, huh?

That was just lovely!!!!!! Thanks so much for posting the follow-up picture.

Is that persian shield in the pot back there? that certainly brings in another lovely color echo.

Brushwood Nursery just sent me a notice saying Daniel Deronda is back in stock - hopefully I can snag one before they are gone. :-)

Yep. And thanks for asking since I was racking my brain the other day trying to remember what "shield" it was called. I knew it was Something Shield, just couldn't pull Persian out the fog.

Very beautiful pictures - all of 'em!