I didn’t kill the clematis?
Posted on July 8th, 2008 – 9:33 AMBy Jaime Chismar
In our front yard, a former homeowner had planted a purple clematis behind an ever-expanding evergreen shrub. Every spring, it struggled to produce a bud or two. By summer, it could no longer compete with the thirsty shrub and died back before the buds could bloom.
Last year, I took pity on the poor vine and replanted it along our chainlink fence. The sod was it’s only competition.
To be honest, my rescue effort was ill-planned and half-hearted. I forgot to water. I forgot to mulch. The clematis sprouted a few new leaves, but grew only grew six inches tall. It was pooped and I didn’t expect it to survive the winter.
My clematis, however, had other plans.
Now this hardy vine is all leaves and blooms. When I wash dishes, I admire it from my kitchen window — amazed that I didn’t kill it. Heck, I like it so much, I might buy more.
Have any of your plants made a miraculous recovery? What plants have survived in spite of your bumbling?
12 Responses to "I didn’t kill the clematis?"
Hostas are notorious for being super hardy, but even a certified hosta nut like me was surprised when I left about two dozen small hosta divisions outside over the winter in 4 inch pots. Several of them had even fallen on their sides and hence collected no water (snow melt, whatever) for 5 months. But, put upright and watered in April when I found them, every one put up new shoots and several are still growing in my garden 15 years later.
I am speechless, bigkahunaiii, but super impressed by your hostas’ hardiness!
I did or the bunnies did. I have a little fence around the base now with chicks and hens planted around the clematis…but i’ve killed two out of four. The bunnies like the young tender leaves in the spring.
About ten years ago, I planted a spiderwort under a huge lilac and forgot about it. I swear I hadn’t seen it in years. Two years ago, when the lilac died and was removed, the spiderwort turned up. I put it in a better spot where it’s thriving! It sorta makes up for the new, $10 Echinacea ‘Double Pink Delight’ I think I’ve killed this year by insufficient watering.
I bet your echinacea will come back. The first year, they are kinda fussy for prairie plants.
Oh, Jaime, that’s really kind. But it’s _brown_, with a tiny green leaf. Also, it’s an over-bred hybrid I had to have!
I’m afraid some of those hybridized echinaceas have been a disappointment, Judybusy. I was all crazy about an orange one called Sunset or Sunrise or some cutesy name like that. All the garden mags were raving about it. And I simply had to have it. And have it I did — for one season. Next year, the garden mags had cooled significantly on said coneflower. . . And I’m trying to cure myself of the common gardener’s illness of having to have the newest plant on the block . . .
I have killed a few various plants overtime, mostly from lack of water. I am thinking there should be a rule that when you have small children all you can grow is extremely hardy plants. But one day I will have trained them to water the whole gardens and not just one spot.
Clematis are amazing! I have a purple (jackmanii?) that came with the house when I moved in 10+ years ago. It goes unwatered and unfertilized on a hot south side of the house, and in the early spring, if I think of it, I go at it randomly with the pruners, and crunch out some of the dead stuff with my hands. And it’s happy as can be. I have two others that are prolific as well. I just go by the “head in the sun, feet in the shade” edict. Maybe time to hit the half-price sales and pick up a white one? Any recommendations?
Apparently I am putting my hosta and bleeding heart bush to the test this year. Last month, my deck caught on fire because of hot charcoal ash. To get to it, the firemen trampled those two plants. I had no fear that the hosta would bounce right back, and thought that the bleeding heart would make a comeback next year. Well I’ll be watered….there is already new growth and new blooms on the half remaining bleeding heart bush. I am thrilled. I just hope I don’t have to remove a third of my garden this weekened when I have gobs of young men at my house for rebuilding (and in a fantastic irony, I’ll be grilling for them).
Weird Aunt Martha,
Sorry about the deck fire. Must have pretty frightening. I’m not surprised your hosta came back, but I am kind of surprised to hear your bleeding heart did. They’re a cool-season plant and sometimes don’t do so well in the heat. In fact, I’ve seen plenty of gardens where they die out in mid-summer but come back fine in the spring. Good for you. You must be taking good care of them.
Good luck with the deck rebuilding — and the grilling!
Hey Anneesha,
There are a couple of cool white-flowered clematis. You might wanna check out Clematis terniflora. It’s got lots of small white flowers and it blooms in late summer. Another good white is Ice Blue. It’s got bigger flowers with a blue tinge to them. Clematis recta ‘Purpurea’ also has white flowers and cool purple foliage. Let me know if you find any of them on sale. . .
Greengirls Jaime Chismar, Connie Nelson, and Robyn Dochterman are dishin' the dirt from the backyard garden and beyond. Whether you're a greenthumb or greenhorn, they're eager to learn from your misshaps, mistakes -- and most importantly, your sweet successes -- all growing season long.
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