Garden Trends

My apologies for the delay in getting this post up but nonetheless the plant of the week (or two) is the clematis. It is a beautiful climber and quite easy to maintain. I have two varieties in one container: a dark purple/red one called Niobe (the one in the pictures) and a lighter coloured one called Fireworks. They both bloom from June to September and only require light pruning. Only the Niobe has bloomed and I am hoping the Fireworks one will as they off-set each other really nicely. I wouldn’t actually recommend planting two in one container as their roots may compete for space and you may end up losing one. I am keeping my fingers crossed that these two are compatible and have enough room. In the planters with the clematis I have planted Sweet William ‘Wee Willie Mix’ Dianthus barbatus as they have smaller root systems which can stay in the upper layer of the soil. You also need a trellis of some sort for the clematis to climb up but as such they can be a great privacy screens for a patio or backyard. In a garden they can be planted by an arbor and trained to climb up. I cut mine completely back after the summer so it can come back strong again the next year. The tags on the clematis are also very helpful for information on their needs including planting, blooming times and pruning needs. I always look forward to them blooming each year and find them to be a great addition to our patio.

I figured as I am just starting out and learning about many varieties of plants I would start a “Plant of the Week”. Please feel free to reply with any ideas, questions or comments you have regarding a plant. I would love for this to be a forum where beginner and experienced gardeners alike can share their experiences, knowledge and mistakes.

This week’s plant is the Fuchsia. I really like this plant as it does so well in the shade and it likes cooler temperatures. There are many varieties that have varying shades of pink and purple. It is great for the gardener that would like some color in a shady spot of their garden. I have this hanging basket full of two varieties of Fuchsia’s (which I will admit I did not plant up myself… at $10 it was cheaper just to buy it). I also have another hanging basket and a container that I have put a few fuchsia plants in amongst others. They trail over baskets quite nicely as well. They do need to be fertilized–approximately every two weeks should do. So if you are looking to add some color to a shady spot you might want to look at acquiring a few fuchsia plants.