Now that May has arrived and the soil is (hopefully) dry enough to work, you may be considering what plants to add (or remove!) from your garden this year.
Many of us go off to the garden center and fill our carts without enough consideration for where the plant will go into the ground.
I love visiting garden centers, and it is important to support our local vendors whenever possible. But I do find that I make better plant purchases if I research what I need before buying.
My current project is right in front of my house, by my front door. It receives morning shade and afternoon sun. No pressure (haha!) right where the world can see my mistakes.
I currently have the 4-foot-tall stump from the shrub I removed, which I considered using as a trellis for a clematis vine. The problem is, it takes a few years for this plant to reach a significant size, so the stump is being removed, and I will purchase an attractive pillar trellis for this prominent location.
What kind of clematis would be best?
I’m thinking the one with the longest bloom time. I have a Clematis Tangutica growing beside my garage. It is quite long-blooming, with a small yellow blossom that looks like upside-down tulips and silvery seed heads.
But I want a different variety, one that isn’t quite…
