She’s been with us since we moved into our home twenty years ago.
When I realized we had a lamp post in our yard, I immediately went out and got a standard-issue clematis – the basic variety in plain purple that winds itself up and around whatever is available to climb (with some help) and comes back year after year if made decently comfortable.
Clematis follows the trajectory of many vines: the first year it sleeps, the second year it creeps, and the third year it leaps. It’s been leaping for a while now, and though there are years when I neglect it, or forget to tie it up during its main growth spurt in spring, it’s still throwing our flowers and beauty with reliable and consistent attitude.
Clem likes her arms and branches warm, high, and dry, while her roots enjoy shade and water. I’ve indulged her in that respect, planting a ground cover of sedum to keep her patch of earth shaded during the day, and I’ve been fertilizing her well to keep both sedum and her own roots happy and well-fed. Just a little effort brings forth spectacular blooms as seen here, made more remarkable for their appearance at eye-level, and welcome masking of a rather dour lamp post.
