Rogue Valley Gardener

We have been trying for 3 years to grow Clematis as a visual screen and fence line beautifier, hoping they would climb the fence and/or adjacent trellises. Properly installed and cared for, they should make a wonderful statement year-round, with their elongated leaves and sizable white early spring blooms that last for a month or more. They are hardy enough to withstand our winter temperatures and still have the visual appeal of many southern warm-climate plants. Good choices so far, right?

However, it is with temperature sensitivity and varietal choice that I have apparently played the chump, as I tried to get my fence to morph from slightly tired property border to landscape-embracing privacy wall. Between the fence and the concrete walkway is a narrow edge of soil about 14” wide. This runs for 2/3 of the fence length along the house, then the walkway opens to the patio, which is bordered by a raised planting bed that runs perpendicular to the fence.

What I Did
I decided that, since I had only a narrow strip of lousy subsoil covered with river rock along most of the fence, I would use four planters filled with soil mix to provide a good root environment and elevate the plants’ starting point partway up the fence. Once I got to the back part of the fence with the planting bed, I planted the Clematis directly in that soil. Another great plan, huh?

What Went Wrong
I failed to check for the different varieties available before purchasing the most desirable type of Clematis for my situation.  I have a mix of dark green leafed and light-green leafed plants.  The ones with the dark green, heavier leaf are doing better.

Secondly, and I believe my biggest mistake, I should not have used the planters. Why? The roots on these plants got too cold and froze! The plants in the lawn-edge bed at the back of the yard are doing beautifully…with rich green leaves, blooms, and vigorous new growth, while the plants in the planters along the sidewalk are near death. As far as I can tell, the only difference in growing condition is the planters vs. planting bed.

For a while I wondered if Clematis was just too delicate to grow as I hoped it would. That was until I saw a huge example growing unkempt on a roadside fence, thick with leaves and blooms, smiling at me through the dust and exhaust fumes on a suburban boulevard. This plant can thrive here.

I hope I’m right in my analysis regarding root temperature. I will plant again, choosing the hardiest variety and preparing the soil at the base of the fence as well as I can.  In any case, this demonstrates to me just how important SOIL CONDITIONS are in growing plants, not only when it comes to the nature of the soil itself, but also its TEMPERATURE.

Here is a whole new area of knowledge for me to develop, and golly I should’ve known that stuff! I should’ve figured that out from the start! Well, time will tell if I am right, and whether or not I will have a Clematis-covered fence someday.

But after all, I’m just the Backyarder!  Maybe you would’ve had it right from the start.  Maybe you are a Clematis expert! You are the Rogue Valley Gardener! If you have expertise in an area, please join us and share.

See you at the back fence!