I think it looks like a coat rack upside down...but it's cool enough. I think Polish Spirit will devour it.

Robert

I love it! Very cool. Sorry, I don't have any specific advice, I don't even know what it is. I am guessing a floor lamp or some sort of coat rack.

Hoping for success for Graham and companion.

Thank you, robert and maureen. That would be good if the clem takes off. If not, I'll find another one. That is encouraging.

Yes, it is a coat rack upside down, the folks on the garden junk forum suggested that; I wouldn't have thought of it. $2 at a yard sale. At least it's out of the living room lol.

So what do I do? Probably spent too much on that gazing ball. And I said more than once I didn't care for them until I needed something for that. It's really not heavy enough for a weight but oh well.

I like it. It's kind of uptown to be called garden junk, tho. :-) Not rusty enough.

Did you repaint the house? It looks different than I remember from last year's photos.

I will be suprised if Graham makes a climber in your zone. It dies to the ground over winter in mine, and is never more than a large shrub. Is that spot near your entry a warmer microclimate, perhaps?

I am trying to figure out how to turn an old DirecTv dish into a bird bath. :-)

Cheers,
Michelle

Yes, my son had the house & garage painted for me last year. Do you like the color? I would never have chosen that but his gf (they broke up) picked it, he goes to town with a sample can of paint, so I decide, yeah maybe I can live with it. His gf was devastated and moved back to CO, I felt bad for her, but he did what he felt he had to do. I really like it now. But I have beaucoup problems, mostly gutters, weed control and drainage. I am making some progress in spite of it all.

Yeah, I wish that THING was rusty, but it is what it is. If that C does well, it's just the right shape to make a nice display. It may not last long but the finish might wear off, don't know what the metal is.

I didn't WP Graham, wanted to see what would do what without it. Well I found out. Actually some of my Austin roses it was better that way because they get too large for where I have them, and they're bouncing back well. Graham died way back but not to the ground. But it might shoot up some long canes fast here shortly, like that one huge one last year, so I'll have to wing it. I will WP it some or SP it if I find something I like better for there, it looks healthy so would be a shame, almost did earlier but gave it a reprieve.

My one Rooguchi clematis has gone mad, 8' at least and it's only late May. My arbor fell over last year, won't go there now, but I need it back badly but need the cement footings out first and will have to hire someone, a mess. If I chop off the top, that's where all the buds are. I didn't know it was a grabber, but it does. Those die back to the ground when it freezes and you start over.

It's a problem up by the house. There is a front bed you can't see I've got going, but I was hoping Harison would come across it in time. I got a new shoot! It's just an inch or two away from the mother plant, so I wouldn't exactly call it a sucker but it is from down in the ground, that is a good sign. It's not growing very fast but last year it was crowded by these horrid daisies, dug them all out so now it has a lot more room. I will feed it some stuff, not overdo it, those don't really need anything, but I doubt it will grow faster. Maybe it will reach a point where it will really take off. That was the only one, told you before of 6 or 7 that made it, then you generously offered me some, and the top was chopped off so it can only grow laterally.

There is a recess where that one square window is, and I had the gutters fixed last year there, but there is a water problem for most plants from dripping anyway. There is a square hole but nothing does much there, stuck an icky juniper I dug out from the back in there after my azalea died from winter kill. The problem is I need that space as a holding area for various things because it's paved all around, plus I need room to work that hose, pots, new seedlings that need misting, perfect work area for that and for hardening things off.

On the other side of the porch, your left, I've let sunflower hulls accumulate there for years, cut way back on that, but don't know if it's leached out yet. It faces west and gets enough sun for morning glories, but much shade until afternoon when it is hotter than blazes off those bricks, so I might put my two new RdV's there, they don't look too hot anyway and if I gamble and lose at this point, so what? But the neighbor's house is so close, and he sprays and has already damaged some stuff on that side.

I wish you could see my 2 Nova Zembla rhodies new this year on the east side. They are gorgeous, don't feel like going out and taking another photo. It's cold, icky and rainy here today, never had a May like this, supposed to warm up. At least I can do the heaviest work while it's still cool.

Sorry I yakked so much, but you've helped me with so many things, especially rooting cuttings, that I consider you an old friend and wanted to bring you up to date.

Are you still into cuttings as much as you were? Most of what I root from here on out I will have to give away. It's a challenge and a good learning experience. I love experimenting with it. I want to get some Harison cuttings from my friend and see if I can coax them into rooting, I think they are tricky.

Those orange flowers (Siberian wallflower) I sowed the seeds way too thick and now they have flopped over from the rain today were top heavy already anyway. I would like a few here and there for color, but not that many.

I really like that shade of blue with the white - and I never would have picked it either! But it is really pretty, and a great background color for all sorts of flowers. I can just picture soft pink or yellow roses against that shade of blue. And you know - you really need to try some blue delphinium next to that house. :-)

The coatrack is probably going to work out great. I think it's a good idea. One might pop up in my yard, if I can find one at the thrift shop!

I made an arbor/gate for the old veggie garden out of an old pair of old iron T posts that used to be the ends of a laundry line. I need to put lattice over the top and plant clematis to climb the garden fence and arbor. Someday when it's finished and planted, I'll post photos. Like the coatrack, there's a lot of potential there. :-) And it's just made of something that was not really wanted as it was. There are some clematis potted up in the coldframe that should go on that arbor (I think Fall is the proper time to plant them out?).

I wondered how your plantings along the arbor are going... It fell over? Man... It looked like it was just perfect where it was. Is the structure going to be OK? Did you get the drainage issue worked out in that spot?

I am still rooting my favorite roses, especially Mordens because they grow soooo easily here. Not sure where to put another Morden Blush, but darn if I don't have one ready to plant! The garden is almost full, and I am tired of new beds and pulling bindweed. I have a new bed tilled and mulched with straw, but am procrastinating about planting it. I finally made a small new bed for moss roses and got those planted out. Need to get their companions planted - probably big sunflowers with flowering beans climbing up them and some sorghum. Those should steal the show this year until the mosses get a leg up.

You really are welcome to the two extra Harison's Yellow if you have a spot for them. :-) I have no idea where to plant them, still need to get Father Hugo planted (probably next to my big Harison's Yellow).

- Michelle

The following book will be quite helpful: "The Rose and the Clematis, as good companions", by John Howells. Amazon.com has it and can fast-track it to you.

If you are planning to grow a clematis on the small gold metal structure, I think that a clematis from the Integrifolia group would be better suited in terms of scale. (Some of them get to be 6 ft long.) There are blues and purples within this group that would look stunning with the gold gazing ball.

'Polish Spirit',a member of the Viticella group,is a rampant growers to at least 12 ft. and produces quite a bit of biomass. You may want to place it with a large-flowered climber or a rambler.

Ann

Thanks for the recommendation re the book. I got a hummingbird book on somebody's recommendation and too tired to read it. I thought the colors (purple and yellow) would be nice. Well, let's see what it does this season. I am trying to layer my out-of-control Rooguchi which shouldn't be quite as rampant as this one might get, and it is a beautiful blue with just a hint of purple. If the layering works, I could put the Polish Spirit where? I'm out of room! I'll figure out something, just don't want to lose it even if it was only $10. I'd better get that book and at least skim through it.

Michelle, been thinking about your post all day, have been pooped the last couple of days, been pushing pretty hard for me.

Delphinium - I ordered some seeds, been hanging out on the winter sowing forum and am going to try those next winter. In the meantime, I've got some blue larkspur in the fridge soaking in peat but don't want to bother with it now. I winter sowed some huge white foxglove, and I guess that handles part shade. Well the front bed is adequately sunny, but here's the problem with that. Roof overhang. The roof is angled the other way so there's just a faint drip line, not like on the sides and garage, so I really don't think that will be a problem. But when it rains, the back part gets no water unless it's windy. Once foxgloves get established, I think they can tolerate dryness, so can Harison, don't know about delphs, but I thought about that, too. I was so hung up on pink, I'm branching out into blues, whites, purples, etc., and always yellows, my favorite color.

Coatrack - I saw a pretty wooden one at Restore Habitat but didn't let myself get it, I think they wanted $25 for it which was a little pricey but prob an antique. That would have been nice, but I already had this thing. People have been walking by and looking at it lol. Like what is she doing now?

I'd love to see the photos of your arbor/gate. If I stumbled across something like that, I'd grab it, but I'm noted for planning projects and not finishing them, so it's a wonder I made myself get that thing finally set up. I forced myself because I had that clem that was going to grab something if I didn't get it set in the ground lol. Ann may be right that it may be too big. Why can't I prune the thing if it gets unwieldy? I'm going to have to whack the top off the Roos or rig up some rebar teepees (which I'm not looking forward dragging out to get more stuff).

The arbor, I was sick about it. That was my dream ever since I've lived here and to find that particular one that I saw a pic on a calendar 3 years B4, thought I could have something really nice at last. There is slight damage, could probably patch it up myself, can't remember what. It's those darn concrete footings. It has to be done all over and staked on rebar or something stronger. I will have to hire it done and hope to get somebody better this time. But now I'm wondering if the lattice will support both a rose and that Roo, that thing puts up some strong, heavy stems. The drain, glad that is over with, thought I only partially succeeded but reasoned thusly. Now that I've got the water chanelled pretty deep underground, it is going to have to go somewhere, so it might carve out a channel then my front yard will collapse lol. Anyway, nothing wants to grow there, read that monarda likes damp, so planted two white ones. If it's really heavy rain, it still pools a little, but nothing like what I had before. I need to do something similar here in the back, but that will be a lot more digging. It's bugging me because I don't remember ever having this problem there before in all the years I've lived here, overflow from the gutter, even when it had fallen off and didn't have one for years, don't know. Had somebody climb up there and check, no leaves accumulated. It's driving me nuts as I have to set buckets out to catch it when it rains or it makes a pond but does soak in after not too long after it stops, but I don't want that soppy mess there.

I guess I don't need a Morden, but if you have a photo, would love to see it. You've got acres if I remember correctly, but that doesn't necessarily mean you can manage it all as garden space, your state has so many different kinds of terrain and elevations. I know near Ft. Collins, I think, there is farming or ranching. Can't do a whole lot in those mountains though, haven't been out that way since I was young. Oh and the cold frame. I read your post about when you built yours. I was a little envious! If I really put my mind to it, I could do it, but more digging and dirt to get rid of, nowhere to dump it, low on my priorities right now.

Father Hugo is what got me started on this yellow China rose kick as a kid, lady across the street had one on an arbor. Then I collected some seeds where the people said I could but didn't know what to do with them. Then I saw Helen's Harison and that did it.

At first I thought I've nowhere to put two, then thought either the bed in the front or on my cat's grave. The latter gets sun part of the day but is dappled shade mostly, at the end of the long strip I started this year. So it would be stupid to turn down such a generous offer. How much trouble would it be to ship; of course, I'll pay shipping and then some, don't know what I might have you'd want?

So if you could email me after the holiday weekend, aglessREMOVETHIS@earthlink.net, maybe we can work something out.

I called Helen a little bit ago, she's 80 now, and I don't want to bug her for more stuff right now because she had a bladder infection that got so bad she had to have dialysis. She sounded good, but needs more help now, and I can't even get my own stuff done. She has kids to help, luckily. I'm just going over in a couple days for a short visit and to see Harison blooming. Mine has buds but not blooming yet. Hers is in total full sun, and mine is about 6 hours, maybe that is why, plus mine's still a baby. Hers are huge, several separate ones, been there for years and years since she bought that place.

Taking you up on your offer would give me a jump start on getting more going, and I don't really care, but it might not look exactly the same as the one I have; roses do vary. For all I know, maybe it will be better. When I get the energy, if necessary, I can rig up a soaker hose for in front. Now that the two strips lining the front walk are more established with planting, I don't think I'll have to water as much but will when it gets hot & no rain.

Sorry went on so long. Lots to talk about and hard to explain. I feel bogged down with all the problems but have the hardest planting done but lots of little stuff coming along to fill in here and there. I've got several kinds of salvia started, 2 jugs of rudbeckia Prairie Sun, 3 jugs of purple poppies (go in that front bed with the Becky daisies and blue alliums), set out White Wedding zinnias in six packs waiting for them to get bigger. Also planted three ? dragon lilies in the front bed on the far left away from Harison on far right, the kind that get 8' tall, hang down, burgundy or maroon w/white border. What is so discouraging is that I tilled twice, amended to expand that bed to set in a bunch of bulbs for the front of it, figuring to overplant. Well this gorgeous grass pops up anyway. I'm waiting for the tulip leaves & others to die back so I can try to smother it under something. I've tried pulling it but what a job. It's not that nasty kind of grass either.

This post is over the top. Sorry. So much to talk about once I get to talking.

I think it looks great. Your house looks great too. Don't worry about the Clemmie. Once it grows up one way it can grow back down the other way, you can loop it around, it will just be fuller and riotous with flowers. They are flexible enough, easier to work with than a rose.

You can grow a lot of things that just won't grow here at all. It will be beautiful.

Thanks, hoovb, I can't grow bougainvillea and a lot of neat things you can, but have to be content with what I can grow, there is plenty to choose from.

A neighbor remarked that it is amazing what a coat of paint will do. It's a solid house, needs improvements always and 75 years old now, but looks almost brand new from the outside at least. Everybody is fighting problems of one sort or another, you just keep chipping away at it. I'm really grateful to my son for having that done for me and being here to help and supervise. He said if one coat isn't enough, we'll have another one put on, don't want it looking like it had gotten. I always resisted siding because I love the cedar shingles. Bad as they looked, they are pretty longlasting and tough.

If it does what I hope it will do, I'll post before and after photos, probably much later. I don't care now if the rose climbs or not so may just keep it as a shrub like Michelle does and move on to something else for now. I think it will fill out from the base more in time if I care for it properly. If not, I'll deal with it.

The leaves from the tree in the second photo are my neighbor's which is overhanging my property more every year, but it is a nice tree.