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As it is raining again today, I have had the pleasure of reviewing many of your photos again and it is really hard to pick just one out of the many impressing ones. A sea of clematises and roses in all colours. I wish mine could be half the size of these ones. But then again there is this grass on the other side. Keep up the good work. I will do my best at this end.
Arvid
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#1 of 4 posted
7 AUG 09 by
digger
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Thank you Arvid! This part of Montana is the perfect place for many Group II clematis. I really don't do much to care for them other than water and feed. Roses are my passion. Deb wanted a few clematis and I finally gave in. (like there was a chance of stopping her from getting them) People at some forums have gotten angry because I wouldn't reveal our secret for growing Group IIs so successfully. They don't want to believe the 'secret' is location. Truth be known, I don't know much about clematis.
I couldn't pick a favorite photo myself. You are doing a good job yourself and I continue to enjoy your pics and comments.
Dave
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You say you don`t know much about clematis; at least you have photos to prove different. Well there is a saying here that the dumbest farmers grow the biggest potatoes. Then again you have Deb who I can see is doing an excellent job. Like I mentioned I discovered clematises as good company plants for roses. For the biggest ramblers only the viticellas will do. I thought I couldn`t grow clematis as the first one died on me. But that is a long time ago. The crucial thing is like you say watering and also fertilizing and of course the right spot. And may be your winter climate isn`t all that harsh like I had imagined. Well Dave and Deb I will continue admiring yours hoping mine will be something like them eventually.
Arvid
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#3 of 4 posted
8 AUG 09 by
digger
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LOL, it may help the clematis that I don't know enough to try and micro manage them. A dozen+ years growing them and I have learned a little about them. The more I learn, the more I realize how little I know. I joke about Deb being a powerful garden sorceress casting spells on our flowers. You know those kind of people, the ones that can shove 5 popsicle sticks in the ground and 4 will take root. Deb is one of those people to the Nth degree. She is scary sometimes.
We are zone 4/5. There is a small sliver of zone 5 in a sea of zone 4 in south central Montana. We live on the edge of it. Normal winter low temperature is -20°F/-28°C. Every 10 years or so it will get to -30°F (1997/1998) and one winter it only got down to 0°F. We are in the Yellowstone River valley at 3500 feet elevation. There are mountains to the south, west and north. Our clematis don't seem to mind the cold. We don't do anything to protect them in winter. We do mound the more tender roses.
Dave
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Yes these women are sorceresses in many ways, I quite understand. It`s amazing what they can do when they wield their wands. Well I had thought your winter temperatures would drop even lower as I have heard that in the Mid West and Canada they may drop lower than -40c. -30F should be around -35C I think. Anyway you probably have a steady snow cover which helps a lot. Like I said the climate and conditions here are quite the oppsite. Winters are mild here. We occasionally have a snow fall or two but the snow usually disappears after a few days. Bare frost may be a problem. I am not sure about the zones in the USA. I am in zone 1 here which is the best in Norway. Zone 2 for Scandinavia as a whole. This is of course all thanks to your incredible generosity sending the Gulf Stream right past our door steps so to speak. We think it is cold here when temperatures drop to around -6 to -7C. The trouble is the strong salty winds from the sea. Luckily I have a good shelter now. I never cover my plants during winters. I have an Indian rose which has survived two otdoor winters here and is doing fine. I planted the delicate "Mermaid" this spring and I consider covering that up for the winter coming. Well good luck with your lush and beautiful garden -and your sorcery Deb, which is working wonders. I love to see more of it. Your roses are very interesing by the way as there are so many names I hadn`t even heard about.
Arvid.
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