Dear gardening friends and readers, I got a lovely email yesterday from Edith Malek the Clematis Queen informing me that Clematis 'Asao' isn't supposed to have chartreuse foliage and that there's probably something wrong with mine. So, all that stuff I said about the color of the foliage, forget about it. However, 'Asao' is still a lovely Clematis, one definitely worth growing, especially if it is paired with another early large-flowered hybrid which blooms longer and reblooms well.
Even if my plant is defective, I'm keeping it. It clearly appears very happy, there is no wilt or other problems evident, so I'll just fertilize it and sterilize the pruners after deadheading and trimming it.
Please check out Edith Malek's site if you want to know more about Clematis. She's the former head of the American Clematis Society and has literally written the book on Clematis (or at least one of them). There's also lots of advice about growing Clematis. Now let's get out there and buy more Clematis!
4 comments:
I'm trying to nurse new ones along. I trimmed them incorrectly a few years back, and it's taking a while for the new plantings to establish in my shady garden. When we moved here they were thick and full and covered with blooms. I love Clematis, though, so I won't give up.
Not true, not true! Asao has been described as having unique, apple-green foliage (can't recall the source offhand), and this is one reason I love this clem enough to have 3 copies! It gets more compliments than any other clem in my garden, and I think that is one of the reasons. Not that that feature necessarily registers with most observers, but it does make it stand out on the early spring garden.
There is nothing wrong with your Asao! What is apple-green to some may look chartreuse to others! :)
It's ok to occasionally quibble with the experts, right? Another case like this: Clematis on the Web says Crystal Fountain has "unaccountably" been described as having light blue stamens, whereas they claim (along with beautiful photographic evidence) that the stamens are pale yellow. I wish I could show you a pic of my Crystal Fountain -darkish blue stamens! Beautiful! :)
Phlox make such good garden plants but for the issue I have with them, they nearly always end up with some form of mildew or the other.
But more to the point, you have a stunning garden.
Thank you for sharing it.
Post a Comment