Pruning and/or fertilizing have no impact on clematis flower color - it is what it is, although sun can sometimes fade out the blossoms. Since the vast majority of clematis tend to be hybrids of some sort, it is possible that color will not be stable, however named cultivars should maintain color regardless. For most hybrid clematis the recommended pruning time is late winter/early spring......about March or when roses normally get pruned in your area. And they should be fertilized after pruning as well, just like roses :-) In fact, a rose fertilizer is often recommended but an all purpose or tomato/vegetable formulation will work as well. And many folks just fertilize with a good compost mulch each season. Skip the Miracle Gro - it's mostly hype and not worth the expense. A granular organic will generate much better results.

I thought it would be enough - but it's not as much as they got before. On the longest days of summer, they now get sun until around 3 pm. Come to think of it... the ones I didn't move now have new, taller "neighbors" that reduce the amount of sun they get too.

I have an 'Annabelle' that flowers very well for me. Care instructions for this plant tells me to prune hard in winter, which I usually do in Feb when I can see a tiny bit of which buds look good. I prune to about a foot off the ground simply because I end up with the size of plant I want for the bed (about 4'). I give it water during dry hot periods but it puts up with a fair bit of neglect. It is on the north side of my garage and gets a bit of protection under the eaves, so this helps with the blooms flopping over after the rain. Sometimes after watering, I give them a shake and they bounce back up. I really love this plant because the flowers last so long and keep a nice white colour fairly late into the year. It's very easy & low maintenance. The pale green foliage & delicate blooms also brighten up the border. One thing I've learned over the years is that plants sometimes need a period to get happy in their new home. My personal experience is that in about the 3rd year, plants really start to take off. Patience, patience :) http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/Plant.asp?code=S940

My shasta daisies, columbine, daylilies, iris, lilies, sedums, mock orange, forsythia, crepe myrtles, beauty bush and sunflowers bloomed nicely. Out of about 10 cannas I only had 3 to bloom and two of them only put on one bloom session. I was really hoping to get a good showing from them this year. Speaking of deer, they eat the tops off my lilies, every cone flower I have ever planted and my salvias. The rabbits eat all the leaves off the daylilies for awhile but when the grass grows better they stop so the d/l still bloom. I do think it slows down their multiplying though. Ya'll's pics are lovely! I grow dianthus firewitch, siberian blues and several others without names. They've come back for about 5 years now and I don't think the unknowns are supposed to be perennials. ;-) Nancy