Gardening, Clematis, Vines, Arbors, Vines over Arched Trellis, Spring Flowers, Garden in Bloom, Beautiful Blooms, Lots of Flowers

Last summer brought me a bargain. While shopping at Home Depot I cruised through the garden center, my usual bit of pleasure in a HD visit. On the outskirts of the garden center I found cart filled with some sad, dry clematis plants...with the outrageously bargain price of $3 a plant!!!! A dog could not have been offered a more tantalizing bone! If I bought 6 and one survived I would still be ahead of the game. So what did I do? I bought five. All five have survived. In fact they have thrived....ALL of them! I am totally guilty of neglect in that I did not get them into the ground last summer. Only one was planted in a permanent location and that one is spectacular to say the least. I mean stunning! That Clematis is the one shown here on this page.

Clematis variety H. F. Young

There were ten flowers on the inital bloom and they were soon followed by another six flowers to fill in the vine. I love it! I really did nurse this plant and care for this plant over the summer but I thought I had lost the battle. It looked dull, dry, brown and sad, no matter what I did. Faith did make me continue to "do the right thing" for this vine.  I did feed it and water it. I was determined to get this clematis to grow up my nude and ugly trellis that encircles the garden walkway. This spring, upon returning from a trip, there was my clematis with fifteen buds hugging the arched trellis....hooray! In a day or two it blew me away with these gorgeous blue purple blooms. A winner for sure...thank you Home Depot!

I must add that this is planted in a very unlikely place. I am shocked it succeeded as well as it has. It is planted under a Crape Myrtle tree. It does get morning sun for a couple of hours, but there are so many other issues with the site that it is a surprise that the plant loves the site. The soil is dry and sandy, the wind is unrelenting and there is no organic matter naturally in the soil...all had to be done in preparation to planting.

After inspecting this plant closely yesterday I discovered the reason it is so short on the trellis. The end of
the vine knarled around itself, causing it to stay low instead of climbing up the trellis.  I unraveled some it and will
watch to see if it manages to attach itself to the arch.  I sure hope it climbs!