Help choosing a groundcover near my roses
thahalibut
12 years ago
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roseseek
12 years agoRelated Discussions
the sign on the nursery near my office says: ++We Have Roses!++
Comments (33)I hear all of you, but I live literally 2 minutes from Roses Unlimited. (heavy sigh) So there is no hope for me. My hubby told me I needed a hobby, so I chose roses. He was thinking more on the lines of model cars or puzzles....so it's his fault. He has given up on saying anything to me, since our kids are grown and I'm home all day by myself, I need to amuse myself....muuuuuahhhh! I told him yesterday that I needed him to fire up the roto-tiller for my new flower bed. He rolled his eyes and then promptly went out and fired that baby up. One pass through and now the rain comes, so maybe by monday I'll try again. I have to be ready you know.....for the new arrivals in april....See MoreHelp me choose my Ashdown rose!
Comments (3)I've seen Himmelsauge on a pillar at Anne Belovich's garden and it's stunning. She wrote an article for the American Rose Society's OGR & Shrub Journal last year talking about differentiating between Himmelsauge and Russelliana. Did you know it means "Eye of Heaven?" American Pillar is also a beauty and I just gave a stunner of a 5-gallon Albertine from Rogue Valley Roses to a dear clematis friend. I'm not really familiar with Juranville, but I don't think you can go wrong with your choices. Sue...See MoreNeed help choosing a vine and a groundcover
Comments (3)I didnt know Sweet Autumn was invasive, David, so I went looking to see what I could see, and Im wondering if maybe your "continuing problem" with the thug might be from seedlings that are continuing to come up! This Florida Site even lists it on their "Category II invasive list!" Theres more information and pictures here about Sweet Autumn which is Clematis terniflora, also known as C. maximonowicziana, ALSO known as C. paniculata! There are literally hundreds of other Clematis that wont "gobble you up," Dove! Jackmanii, as mentioned, is a very popular variety, well known for it very impressive show of purple flowers. Depending on where theyre planted, when theyre blooming they can look like a "post" or a "wall" of purple! Two of my favoritesI love BIG flowersare Candida, a/k/a lanuginosa Candida, a pure white flower thats easily 8-10" across, and Henryi, a equally large one, white with dark anthers that gives it an interesting contrast, especially when theyre grown side by side. But if you want something thats gonna "get big and cover well in a couple years," Im not sure Clematis is what youre looking for! They often take a few years to get big enough and THICK enough to cover well or put on much of a show! ANDif you want to wind up with something that doesnt look top-heavy, your best bet would be to repeatedly pinch the vines while theyre still small for the first year or two. That would make them produce a LOT of vines at the BOTTOM which you could spread out evenly over whatever youre trying to cover to make them thick all over, rather than just let the few original vines grow straight up, like most people do, and then have them sort of flop over when they "get to the top!" So, if you did it that way, theyd take even longer to fully develop, but when they did youd have an even, thick covering for your wall/fence. Once you leave the vines grow UP without pinching them, its almost impossible to get them to grow "back down" to cover the bottom since plants naturally grow "up!" If youre interested in information on other Clematis, the Clematis on the Web site is a wonderful reference! If you just want something thats gonna be "green" to cover quickly and thickly, you want Virginia Creeperbut youd be doing whoever lives there next a real "evil deed" by planting that! Its TOTALLY invasive, and once its been in for more than a few months, it well be there FOREVER! I researched vines pretty well a couple years ago when I was looking for something to plant on the lattice on my back fence to provide me with privacy, and, besides Clematis, the only thing I found that wouldnt eventually be INVASIVE was grape vines! Grapes, while they may never produce fruit if they dont have enough sun, would also cover your structures fairly quickly with "green" and wouldnt wind up taking over the whole yard. Whichever vine you finally decide upon, if you want the BOTTOM of the structure covered, be sure you spread the original vines out laterally, near the bottom, and then pinch them, and as new vines develop, gradually spread them out to fill in all the lower areas. Then "weave" them back and forth as they continue to grow up! And to keep them from getting "top heavy," when they get as high as you want them, just keep pruning them back heavilynot just all the way across the top, but cut out some of the individual vines lower down to keep them from getting "weird looking" on top. Once theyve filled in, cutting out up to even half of the vines, at varying heights, isnt going to do any damageas a matter of fact, it will continue to make them fill in more thickly where theyve been cut back! Iand others Im surecan recommend more of the invasive-type vines if youre interested in that, but you would truly be doing a disservice to both the future residents of the house AND the neighbors, and, should you for some reason wind up staying there, youd wind up hating yourself when you were spending your summers in a constant battle to contain whichever you picked! Let us know what you decide to go with on the vines, and I/we can also make recommendations for something to plant at the base! Skybird...See MoreHelp me choose a clematis to go between my roses
Comments (39)That must be it, Lisa. MIne is in total sun. Now, I need another one to plant in a shaded area. Love the coloring of yours. Lilyfinch, my rhapsody is just setting buds and I can't wait to see if it has fragrance. That would be nice to make up for Bajazzo. All this lively color is on the arbor to the chicken coop area where color runs wild. I just realized that Vasue has already mentioned that Blue Angel is a favorite of hers. Sorry, Vasue. I'm glad I re-read some of the posts. I was happy to see your glowing report on it. That must be where the name got stuck in my mind. I agree it would fill Constant Gardener's requirements very well without overpowering the roses....See Morethahalibut
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