Clematiscrazy's Profile

When I first moved here a week before Christmas in 2003, my four sons and I had had a pretty rough few months. My mum, my marriage of exactly 25 years (Yes I discovered part one of his mid-life crisis on our silver wedding anniversary!) and my dad all died within 25 days in September, which affected us all profoundly.

Things took a turn for the better, albeit in a completely chaotic panic, when we were allotted a brand new, square box of a house. My back garden consists of a small patio across the width of the house, no more than about 20 feet by 12? enclosed by 3 terraces of bare gabbions. You know, the huge wire baskets containing boulders that you often see at the side of new roads. Pretty? Ah... no! And to make matters worse, its very shady until the late afternoon.

There are stairs leading to a small "L" shaped, sunnier area the same width, where the obligatory rotary line had to be plonked as it is the only place where there is room to swing the proverbial cat.... well enough for the line to do its rotarying!! I wanted to make the most of my own little space and had visions of covering the hideous stones completely with ivies and rambling clematis and honeysuckles, but everything has to be planted in large pots because there is no soil. So I set about, willy nilly, and planted with gay abandon then…I did nothing for two years, so I now want to make it beautiful!

After an enthusiatic start, I have sadly neglected it over the last couple of years, but now I find myself with the time and the oomph again... if only I had the same amount of dosh!

I think the first clematis I ever bought some years ago, before I moved here was a Montana, probably Rubens or Elizabeth and I still love them. I love how quickly they can put you on the road to making a silk purse out of a sow's ear!

I have planted loads, and I mean LOADS of very small clematis plants in springs and summers past… the type you can’t pass without putting a new one in your trolley every time you visit a well known supermarket and now I can see the new shoots poking out all over the place

Great excitement, I love this time of year!

So it is a case now of grabbing the bull by the horns and whipping it back into shape!