Comtesse de Bouchard: More Pink For The Garden

Problem solving is an exciting aspect of perennial gardening. When my neighbor installed a swimming pool last season, municipal by-laws compelled him to secure his back yard. He chose to surround his property with a beige-colored vinyl mesh fence. My challenge was to camouflage that portion of the fence that divided our two properties.

The  plan was to cover the fence with flowering vines. I began the project by planting bluish-purple Clematis Durandii, purple-blue Clematis Jackmanii and vivid mauve-blue Clematis Elsa Spath.

This selection established a richly colored background to showcase perennials that would ultimately grow in front of the vines. Once the blue-purple theme was in place, I found an on-line supplier from whom I was able to purchase 2 unusual flowering vines: Schizophragma hydrangeoides Moonlight, with white flowers and Schizophragma hydrangeoides Rosea, blooming in pink. These arrived by mail, rather small in size, grew very little and did not bloom this first season. However the Clematis vines were mature when I bought them and they bloomed impressively.

The Clematis are happy in their location because the upper portions get sun and the roots are shaded by the perennials. Now that I see how well they have grown here, I am ready to kick it up a notch, so to speak. Next spring I plan to insert cyclamen-pink Clematis Comtesse de Bouchard between the purple-blue Clematis to create additional color drama. I understand that the pink petals might fade in the afternoon sun. I’ll take that chance. I have 40 feet of fence to cover and experimenting will be fun.

Comtesse de Bouchard belongs to that class of vines that needs trimming in the spring because it blooms on new growth. The truth is that I have never trimmed Clematis in the past. I want the vines of the previous season to act as supports for the following year’s growth; in winter, these now-brown bushy vines offer textural interest to the garden as well. Some gardeners report that Comtesse needs hard pruning. I wonder if it’s because the dense and heavy vines threaten the integrity of their support structures.

This pink Clematis was chosen because it is one of the most popular vines of its species. It produces flowers 5 inch wide. The petals, the texture of crêpe paper, appear to smother the vine in pink. It blooms from midsummer until early fall, in sun to part shade; it is hardy in zones 4 to 9 and can reach a height of anywhere from 6 to 12 feet. Some growers even report success growing this cultivar in full shade.

Because it is dense and heavy, it needs a strong structure for climbing. Trellises made of light-weight wood are too weak. A sturdy fence, an arbor or a pergola are all ideal supports. Like most Clematis, it will require help to establish itself upright for the first few years. Then, the previous season’s vines will trap some of the upward reaching new growth. The gardener will only have to assist part of the vine to climb. I am fortunate that my neighbor sunk his fence posts into reinforced concrete for strength and chose vinyl wire mesh fencing. The wires eliminate the need for cord or stakes to support my vines. All I need to do is to insert a petiole into the mesh. By naturaly twining itself around the wire, the petiole will keep the vine growing in an upright direction.

Duct Tape in the Garden

Image courtersy of freeshipping.comOne of the most versatile products in one's tool box is a roll of duct tape. Although many do-it-your-selfers have used it cleverly to solve numerous maintenance problems around the home, it never occurred to me to use duct tape to mend a leak in a garden hose. That’s the advice I gathered from the December 2009 edition of Garden Gate Magazine. In addition, there is a suggestion in this publication to use duct tape to facilitate the harvesting of ornamental grasses without creating a mess.

Bundle the grasses using tightly wrapping tape. Secure the tape by ensuring that one end of the duct tape overlaps the other. Duct tape will not stick to grass but it will stick to itself. Then, shear down the grass below the duct tape at about six inches from the ground. This step, which may be arduous for some, will require gaz operated shears, a chain saw or a hand saw. Don’t even consider using pruning shears or a manual hedge clipper because a bundle of ornamental grass has the density of wood. Carry the neatly wrapped bundle to a compost or garbage heap. Now cut the overlapped duct tape to release the grass.

While this maintenance chore may be done in the fall, most gardeners wait until the end of winter. Dried ornamental grasses, with their magnificent plumes, add dramatic visual interest to the garden from fall until spring.

Joy Stick Red

In June I reported that I had found an unusually tall Armeria at a big box store. Unlike other cultivars of Armeria that grow 6 or 10 inches in height, the variety, Armeria pseudarmeria Joy Stick Red, grows 16 inches tall. That’s impressive. Its spikes are crowned with large red balls that make it eye catching.

The plant tag promised that this perennial would bloom from May until September. Not only was it true to its promise but it also punctuated the color stories in my gardens with a splash of red all season long. I was particularly impressed how well it worked in flower beds located close to the edges of in-ground swimming pools. The play of the plant's verticality with the horizontal lines of the water created interesting drama. The contrast of the red flower balls against the surrounding neutral patio stones was equally impressive.

I am slowly coming to the realization that red-blooming plants can add visual appeal to gardens that are otherwise colored in the English style of pink, blue and yellow. It’s all about selecting a plant in a shade of red that is not too vibrant and combining it with versatile colors that integrate easily, such as yellow, white and deep pink.  Sometimes, a red perennial will bloom when nearby plants are still dormant or past their prime. At these moments, it has the stage to itself and contrasting with the surrounding green foliage of other plants, it can put on quite a show.

Like all other Armeria, this cultivar works best at the front of a flower border in full sun. It is heat, drought and salt tolerant and, when not in bloom, should not be confused with a clump of grass.

 

Weed the Garden in Autumn

image courtesy of ehow.comEvery spring, I am surprised by the number of weeds in my flower beds that arrive there before I do. I clean out the beds several times during the summer. My expectation is that they will be reasonably weed-free the following spring. That has turned out to be an unrealistic expectation.

Weed seeds that embedded themselves into the earth during the summer will germinate during cool and rainy weather in the fall. This is an ideal time for them to grow and resow yet again. The result is a healthy weed crop the following spring. Also, any perennial weed not removed before the frost will reappear next year the same way that perennial plants do.

I never paid attention to the presence of weeds in the autumn garden until I began planting bulbs in October. Many of the invasive plants had regerminated since the last weeding in August. What an unpleasant surprise!

It is clear that the chore of keeping the garden weed-free should be extended into autumn for as long as weather permits. Hopefully, this will result in a reduction in the size of the weed crop the following spring. There are other benefits that accompany such a preventive measure: In mild fall weather, working in the garden can be an enjoyable experience because the autumn air is so refreshing. At the same time, we prolong our exposure to the vitamin D supplied by the sun.

Hosta and History

Hosta RevolutionSo many new varieties of perennials found their way into my gardens this season that my brain is on "information overload". Fortunately, I saved all of their picture tags for review during the winter. Among this great number of plants are 20 different Hosta that have all blended into a blur in my mind. What I can remember are the color groups of foliage: green, blue, white and yellow and the kinds of variegation: cream/green, yellow/green, green/white and yellow/blue.

Hosta Patriot Without the help of the picture tags, I am unable to differentiate between the various cultivar. That's a pity because all of the Hosta were carefully selected for particular combinations of color and variegation. It was important to control the interaction of each one’s foliage with perennials planted nearby. Particularly troublesome are 5 Hosta with similar coloration. They are confusing for history buffs who garden because the names of these Hosta are linked to the narrative of the American War of Independence of 1776.

Hosta Liberty The difficulty emerged when I tried to keep track of the 5 Hosta because they appeared more elegant than others. Normally, Hosta cultivar have clear and distinct names so that recalling the appearance of any one is easy. Not this group!.  Revolution, Loyalist, Minuteman, Patriot, and Liberty are concepts associated with the story of the American Revolution. Here is perfect proof for the old adage that ignorance is bliss: had I not studied American history, identifying these Hosta would not be confusing at all.

Hosta LoyalistHosta Minuteman