What can I say about a time-honoured lady such as
Clematis Montana? The trellis-work comes
alive in early spring with elaborate displays of this climber.
A blanket of starry blooms hugs the length of growing
vine and blankets the hefty canopy on top. With very little care, it chases
itself up supports each year to provide shade, scent and colour. At its zenith of growth during summer, I can
be found up a ladder almost weekly tucking the straining ends into the trellis
atop the arbor, and hacking at its out-of-control growth. Today as you may have guessed, is one of those ladder days.
I’d rather be under the tangle of clematis than in the scorching heat.
As I reach for a spot to make my cut, the growing
tendrils appear to strain skyward wrapping around each other in pyramids,
trying to escape. I trim this healthy
plant a third of the way down the trellis each spring. It’s a compromise I’ve come to with the
complicated diversity of instructions usually found for each and every species.
However it seems that all summer I’m
trying to tame my clematis. I almost
need a whip and a chair! Oh Clematis,
your enthusiasm knows no bounds.
Covered in bits and pieces after my battle, I will
carefully remove the trimmings below.
After all I must also look after the colourful annuals there, carefully
positioned like handmaidens to cool My Lady’s feet.
No picture of my
present clematis in spring, but here is a Nellie Moser from long ago. Not so uncontrollable, and quite a show-off!
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