You know you’re in trouble with a plant right off the bat when you don’t know what to call it! Do you pronounce it Clem-a-tis or Clem-a-tis? Whatever…we all know which plant we’re talking about. Here’s one time tested piece of advice: Keep their heads in the sun and their feet in the shade.

The truth is that clematis like their roots cool and moist, but they grow best in a sunny location. You can accomplish that a number of ways. Place mulch at the base of the plant or plant other perennials that don’t compete (ex. iris aren’t deep rooted). Decorative rocks also help shade the soil.

There are lots of cool varieties in many different colors these days. Heck ,they are even bush cultivars now! No old-fashioned garden is complete without them.

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(Pyrus calleryana) Varieties like Bradford and Chanticleer have been promoted for years as fast-growing spring blooming trees. The one in our front yard here at Back Home had to be one of the biggest in the state of Virginia before we finally took it down. It had a circumference of 6 ft. or more at its base. So what’s all the uproar about these trees now? 

First, they are brittle and famous for splitting (and they’re ugly after that). Second, genetic testing has revealed that when a Bradford hybridizes with other cultivars, an invasive wild hybrid with beautiful blooms results. This hybrid has been taking over the countryside. It sets fruit and it has thorns. Once they become established, they’re almost impossible to remove.

Our advice? Find a reputable nursery to recommend to you some spring blooming specimens. I’m partial to redbuds, but there are many more.

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Want more Country Tea choices?
Go back to the Tea Calendar to be tempted!