Thursday, September 1, 2011

Sweet Autumn

Though autumn is a lovely season with its cooler temperatures, colorful foliage, orange pumpkins and a smell in the air that says it's here, it is not my not my first favorite season - it's my third favorite. Sweet Autumn is a clematis - a prolific one and smells ab-so-lute-ly out-of-this-world! It has a small, one and a half inch, four petal white flower with seed heads that are fascinating and it grows up to twenty feet tall. Bees absolutely love this - they're so busy collecting the pollen, one can walk under it without being afraid of getting stung and their 'busy buzz' can easily be heard. Cardinals love the seed in the winter and a snowfall on it makes an interesting vignette. It eventually blooms itself to death but don't worry...it reseeds in all kinds of places!

Sweet Autumn has been in my 'must have' plant list for many, many years. My first slip came from my mother who got it from a friend - I'm sad I don't remember who. Though its babies can be a tad pesky, it's still one I don't want to be without.

Just don't let it climb on a live tree - it will probably kill it. On this picture, it's climbing/hiding the dead side of an arborvitae and is a perfect climbing place.
Sweet Autumn needs to be cut back late winter/early spring twelve to eighteen inches to get rid of the old growth and to keep it under control. It's a fast growing plant! This is a good time to transplant it if it needs to be moved.

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On another matter:
I will be cutting THESE back next week and there were requests to have starts. Contact me VIA this post or face book if you'd like a start. There's plenty to go around! Locals can give me a phone call.

We came through the the hurricane without any damage and were blessed to have electricity all the time - many around us were without anywhere from several hours to several days. Approximately five inches of rain fell in ten hours.

...happy gardening!

Link party:



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9 comments:

Lona said...

Wow your Autumn clematis is just gorgeous. So big and loaded with blooms. I love it going across the fencing.Have a wonderful weekend.

Anonymous said...

enjoying my sweet autumns too! would love to have a slip or two of your hydrangeas....when is a good time? Marian

bj said...

Hi, I'm over from Tootsie's.
Your Autumn clematis is the prettiest I've ever seen.
Out here in West Texas, we have suffered the worst drought ever and such high temps..not a flower one is alive on my property.
Today, I am showing the only living things in my yard and they are in a window box. :))
xo bj

Pearl@serenitycove said...

Do you deliver to Ohio??? :)

Karen said...

I have a sweet autumn clematis planted for the second time; the first one died. I'm hoping mine will someday grow up to look like yours! I tried to train it to grow on a fence this time, but mostly it's growing on the ground. Something tells me that might be my problem? Oh, well, they still sell them, right?

Love your garden, just beautiful!

Grace said...

That is a boatload of rain! Sheesh. I'm glad you got through it without any damage. I love the Clemmy.

Tootsie said...

I thank you so much for linking in this week. It is an honor to host Friday's Flaunt and meet new friends and visit the regulars (who are like old friends) who share. I am always excited to tour each post and see the different flowers/ projects and garden art that everyone flaunts. It is a pleasure to tour and see all the gorgeous blooms...and I appreciate each and every link and comment! I hope you will link in again soon!
(¯`v´¯)
`*.¸.*´Glenda/Tootsie
¸.•´¸.•*¨) ¸.•*¨)
(¸.•´ (¸.•´ .•´ ¸¸.•¨¯`•.

Linda said...

like I said at the tea party would love to have some hydrangea that you are cutting back. I am hoping to come to PA in October sometime do you know when you are cutting them back?

ginney weaver said...

esther I would like a cutting of your hydrangea.
how late is too late to plant it?
also don't forgot about coming to the yoder gathering in oct. and my church in lititz. ginney

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