gardengal148 thank you, that makes a lot of sense, we're just beginning the last month of winter here, so I'll go and prune the last Venosa Violacea back to just 2 sets (4) buds above ground. I'm also trying to get hold a tough white, I had C.Spoonerii - a Montanna, I think - when I lived down south in Sydney but I can't find one for love-nor-money up here. It grew well in Sydney, which has cooler winters than here, but I'd like to try it again. Thanks again and all the best to you.

DtD, Such pretty combinations! The first one is probably one of the dark-leafed forms of C. recta, such as 'Serious Black' AKA 'Lime Close' or purpurea. I planted 'Serious Black' last summer and have high hopes for it. I really like the combination of the deep pink clematis with the dark-leafed smokebush. I will have to tuck that in the back of my mind for when I have a spot for a smokebush. The purple ones sometimes have severe die-back here, so it needs to be in a spot that it can be late emerging and planted with one of the smaller clematis, perhaps Piilu to match the 5 or 6 foot height they usually reach as a maximum after die-back. Jane, yes that is the top of one of my baskets. It's a bit homely, but since the voles tend to winter tunnel at the ground-snow interface and summer tunnel just below ground level, I wanted them to be both above and below ground. Usually my gardens are dense enough so they don't show much, but this is in a new bed that I started in 2013. I have seen evidence of vole tunnels turning aside summer and winter, so I know the baskets work. I only started using them extensively fall of '13, so I don't have long term experience. I figure that the roots will grow through the basket and so there may be some root pruning by the voles outside the baskets, but there will always be some roots and the central growing part of the plant remaining rather than total loss. I do go around in the spring to pack down soil around the baskets so they aren't surrounded by air-filled tunnels which the plants don't like. I use them also for some other plants that the voles particularly like such as Dianthus, though usually smaller baskets (from 24" wide rolls, so a bit over 7 1/2" diameter) sunk closer to the soil rather than 2" proud of ground level as for the Clematis. I also looked for something commercial I could use, but didn't find anything, so I make my own. I get 3' wide rolls of 1/4" hardware cloth at the big box store. I use tin snips (not wire cutters - too slow) to cut across the roll to make a strip that is 6"-8" wide x 36" and roll it to overlap about 1". The roll comes wrapped with wire, and I use a piece of that with a pair of small pliers to "sew" the ends together with 3/4" stiches to make a tube that is 6"-8" high and about 11" diameter. Wearing leather gloves helps prevent the sharp wires from chewing up my hands as I make them. If you have a storage spot, making them is a good garden chore for winter evenings.

The best thing to use is actual soap (castile or other), which is distinct from detergent (ie: dawn and friends - if you look carefully you'll see they never use the word soap on their labels). Often you can find peppermint castile at many places, but there are other kinds of real soap as well. Detergent has been shown to have some effectiveness, and is often recommended, but it's not soap, and is more likely to contain chemicals you might not want on your leafs, and is likely less effective than actual soap at deterring/killing your pests. any kind of "insecticidal soap", like that sold by safer and others, is made of real soap and not detergent. I think it's likely the curling/misformed young leafs in your photos are caused by whatever is there, and if you don't address it will get worse. Leafs like that are usually caused either by pests or some kind of nutrient uptake issue caused by salt buildup in the mix [too much fert, not enough flushing], overly alkaline irrigation water, or other reasons. Daniel

That color looks great with your forest grass, killlean! I didn't want to order online, so I looked up everything this nursery carries. I googled ahead of time and made a short list. I had looked up everything they listed as being under 6 feet and pink or wine red. They do have an entire row of clematis. Though by early June, I found, many are sold out. I am over 100 miles away, though, so I can only go when I am passing nearby. I was torn about Empress. I actually had both on my cart, then had to decide. I had not written down which pruning type each is. That would have helped me decide. There is something about being in a massive nursery, having a big wish list, and having only 3 hours before they close. It's hard to think straight. I think I remember someone saying that Piilu blooms first on old wood. I am hoping it won't look scruffy over winter on my gate.