Clematis in flower now.

Lovely, can you believe it's mid Oct and clematis flowers to enjoy like yours!

Not now it's such a warm weekend, but one of my Pear trees has shed most of its leaves.

Beatiful varieties there Siris one of mine has just flowrred very late to normal.

How lovely! I don't have any now. My Polish Spirit is the last one to flower, and it went out with the Apple Tree. I didn't have anywhere to plant it with the lack of fences and horizontal spaces here. I am pretty much restricted to the short-growing vars. now.

Karen, my garden is only small, and Polish Spirit is still flowering, but somehow I've overlooked it. I hope it won't take offence.
Perhaps a few rustic obelisks for Clematis?

I was struggling for upright space too until we cleared the dreaded conifer bed, I've gone crazy with trellis on the new fence. Karen, I remember your last garden and being in envy of your climbers. Is the hawthorn hedge a bit restrictive? Every garden is different but like Siris says, obelisks work a great, as you well know.

Yes Dawn, the hedge is very restrictive, and very hard work for Scott. And its thorns are treacherous! But I prefer it to fencing! I do have taller clems growing up my apples and crabapples. I tried them in the raised beds on obelisks, but only three have grown fairly well. Still, thats good. The others had to be moved to damper ground. I think its a bit too dry for them in my garden, and they do prefer an alkaline soil of course. But they do fairly well once they get established. I had some real crackers in my last garden. I miss them a bit.

I didn't realise they liked alkaline soil Karen, interesting. I need more to climb trees, do you choose viticella varieties for this job?

Yes! The best ones I've grown for that are Blue Angel, Polish Spirit, Mme. Julia Correvon and Abundance. There are tons to choose from, but those four are super floriferous and reliable.

Missed off C. viticella ' Étoile Violette' Karen, thats so floriferous.

It is, and many others too. The Viticellas are great! I love them.

Thanks Karen, Siris - so you cut them down low in February? Just wondering if they look messy through winter tangled in the tree, thank you

Yes they can look messy, I cut bits off now and again, when their intidyness get on my nerves.

Thank you