Clematis that Bloomed in April and May of 2018

With the exception of two recent additions, I have unfortunately been delinquent in posting about clematis for several months–blooming months at that!  My camera, however, was still clicking away.  Below are a few of the beautiful clematis I came upon, in my own garden as well as others, during April and May of last year.

4-17JoeZary

C. ‘Joe Zary’ blooming in full sun in April. If it were in more shade, the color would be stronger.

5-15Asao2

The delightful and delectable C. ‘Asao’.  Such lovely shades of pink and sometimes semi-double.  This one is always one of the first three large-flowered clematis to bloom in my garden.

5-15Josephin2

Early blossoms of C. Josephine ‘Evijohill’.  Always a heart stopper!

5-15SugarSweetBlue

Clematis ‘Sugar Sweet Blue’ wafting its fragrance on my deck, backed by a stunning Chilean Fire Tree (Embothrium).

5-20FirstLady

C. ‘The First Lady’, one of only a few clematis actually hybridized in the US.  I don’t know which First Lady was meant to be honored with the name, but I think of my personal favorite First Lady whenever I look at it.

5-20SilverMoon2

C. ‘Silver Moon’ looking ethereal in the shade.

5-23KenDonson2

C. ‘Ken Donson’ strutting his stuff.

5-23Rebecca

The redder than red C. ‘Rebecca’!

5-26DuchessOfAlbany

A visit to C. ‘Duchess of Edinburgh’ on a garden tour.

5-26FondMemorie5-26s

Oh, be still, my heart!  C. ‘Fond Memories’ while on a garden tour, gloriously blooming before my own even started.  Definitely one of my favorites!

5-26LincolnStar

Still touring gardens–C. ‘Nelly Moser’ or one of her imitators.

5-26NellyMoser

Another C. ‘Nelly Moser’ look alike spotted while garden touring.  Could be C. ‘Bees Jubilee’.

5-28Tartu

Back home to find C. ‘Tartu’ blooming away.  Love the two-tone ruffly look.

5-29MrsChumley2

Last, but definitely not least, the time-honored classic, C. ‘Mrs. Cholmondeley’ (pronounced Chumly)

New Talk at 2019 Flower Show

WSN Display

West Seattle Nursery’s Prize-Winning Display Garden at the 2018 Flower & Garden Festival

Lucky me!  I’ll be a speaker again in 2019 at the Northwest Flower and Garden Festival in Seattle!  I will be presenting an all-new topic:  Embrace Vertical Gardening!  Embellish Your Garden with Vines.  Come and hear me describe the ins and outs of many vines (including clematis, of course)–get the basics about wisteria, passion flower, clematis, akebia, honeysuckle, climbing hydrangea, and others.  Learn to control your vines and not let them control you!

When:
Saturday, February 23, 2018, 6:45pm

Where:
The Hood Room at
The Washington State Convention Center
Downtown Seattle

 

Chocking Vine (2)

Learn to control your vines–don’t let THEM control YOU!

What a GIFT!!

Laura&Clems

 

 

Laura Mack, my wonderful long-time friend, gave me the BEST birthday present ever–an absolutely stunning painting/collage of me and my clematis!  She knows me well.  She even tucked in my husband LeRoy.  Isn’t it great!  She used some of my own clematis photos, too!

Laura and I have known each other on both coasts, having met when we worked together in Boston, Massachusetts.  In 2004, she and her husband and me and mine both left the east coast for the west:  I headed to Seattle and she went to Salem, Oregon.  Laura’s a professional artist and a college art teacher–it shows!

Click here to see her make an impassioned plea for art in public schools.