I used a 50 ft. nylon trellis for the first time to augment my pole bean trellises and had phenomenal bean, squash, cucumber and tomato crops this year.:-)

I also killed more grass and have a new area to landscape, I'll have to see next year how it turns out. I just planted some daffodils, species tulips, and muscari there which will be cheery next spring.

I've been planting climbing roses and companion clematis so I'm looking forward to seeing how they look blooming together. The Clematis venosa violacea bloomed very well, but I also heard about cutting it back hard and fertilizing to get rebloom, too late, unfortunately, but hope to try it next year.

I appreciate the tip about Nelly. I have two and they get ovegrown and ugly looking after they bloom. What a great way to keep them tidy! Thanks.

I, too, am slowly replacing grass with other groundcovers.

I have propagated large quantities of wooly, elfin, and creeping thymes. A couple weeks ago, I planted the second section where I've killed off the grass with about 100 WT plants. I now have an area about 20x40 of WT going. Unfortunately, it's right under a birch tree and I need to clear the leaves off of them.

I think I've successfully started some rosemary cuttings that I snitched from the plants along the sidewalk in Kingston on the approach to the ferry tollbooths. They were a more pale green and had a much spicier scent than the other rosemary I have.

I'm also starting some Pacific Yew that I hope to plant along my side yard in a couple of years.

I had a good crop of Bison potatoes with plenty to overwinter for next year's seed. I love Bison, but Irish Eyes has stopped carrying it.

Clematis pruning tips are just that - tips. Shouldn't be taken as the gospel, as pruning them is never a requirement, just general guidelines that are intended for a very wide readership. In our climate with its long growing season, the cautions regarding old and new wood with clematis seldom apply. What is more relevent is flowering time, as pruning early blooming clematis (those that routinely bloom before May) late in the season can affect their blooms the following spring. OTOH, I've hard pruned a C. armandii in October by necessity and still had it bloom profusely the following March.

Lovely, delicious, big, heirloom tomatoes in the 1-2 pound range. It can be done, even here in the PNW. I've been growing heirloom tomatoes for 11 years now, and I learn something new every year.

Good point, gardengal, about pruning tips. Looking at pruning on the Clematis forum can be helpful, but C. jackmanii is supposedly in group 3 pruning, and I had one I was growing up on a deck, and hadn't pruned it for several years, then took advice there to prune it in March and cut off all the top growth, the problem being that the woody base actually lacked any growth points so it had to regrow from the ground. It took it until late June to come up, but at least it wasn't dead, and then bloomed in late fall up until and maybe after frost. But since I am growing it on the deck, I actually want the woody base so in future I am only cutting it back some to above a strong bud like the instructions for group 2. The clematis grower recommending cutting C. venosa violacea back was an expert and I believe only cut it back about 1/2. I will certainly never prune group 2/3 back below viable growth buds again. I think integrifolia might be one that could be cut back some for rebloom, I might try that some on mine. The biggest problem I had with Nelly Moser last spring was not paying attention when she started growing to train up the new vines so they flopped and made a tangled mess, then I had to unwind the twining leaves and try to pull up the vines without breaking them.

Yes, large-flowered hybrid clematis rapidly become unsightly if not kept pruned. All climbing plants need to be trained from the start of their growth to assume the desired shape when used on architecture. Planting them and letting them go only works when they are used to festoon trees. Many will run to the top of a fence or pillar and make a blob at the top if not fanned out early in the game.

Fun thread! Thanks for starting it, and contributing to it. Hearing you talk of 'Nelly Moser' reminds me of being a kid as that was my favorite flowering vine which I trained on some old farm equipment. I should get one just for old times' sake. Thanks for your secret pruning tip.

I'm really pleased that my efforts at building a garden on this small but totally-neglected-for-decades property are paying off. I've put in a nice border all the way around the front "lawn" and have tamed the mess along the north side of the house too (I'm glad to hear your positive report on your Brunnera as I just bought four variegated ones last weekend, oink oink).

Plant-wise, I'm just thrilled with the variegated form of cigar-flower that I'm growing. It's been blooming non stop in my favorite color (orange...I know, I know...) and has been immune to the heat and to the recent frosts and rain (cuttings are inside as insurance). I'm also really happy with the orange blooms of my Chilean glory flower (Eccremocarpus scaber) which is scampering through a red-leaf Japanese maple and another one is getting frisky with a dark purple-flowering clematis.

All in all this was a pretty good summer, garden-wise. There's plenty of activity out there now, and plenty for winter interest too, so I guess I'm proud of having a somewhat balanced display. I just feel good giving some attention to a lot that was left to its own devices for a long time.

Keep the reports coming.
Grant

Here is a link that might be useful:

I'm getting rid of some lawn too - slowly. :) I have had several small successes rather than any large single one. I moved 2 rose bushes, but have 4 more to move. Replaced a patch of grass with 2 rhodos and 2 rose bushes in it by giving away the rhodos (they weren't happy here, are happy tho in their new homes) and smothering the grass. Now have a bunch of things planted and can't wait for spring. :)

I'm thinking of starting some dahlias, grasses, and 4 o'clocks next spring to fill in my new area. It will have 2 Japanese maples, Purple Ghost and Amber Ghost?, which will have purple Heucheras around them and daffodils. The Muscari, T. wilsoniana, and N. obdam will edge the middle path, and along the front edge will be a bed of bluegreen foliage plants- Festuca, Dianthus allwoodii, Antennaria, T. vvedenskyi "Tangerine Beauty", and N. Kedron and Martinette. I will post some photos in spring when things bloom.

My problem with the dahlias is that I'm tempted by too many kinds of seeds available, and want to try them all. I at least want some with burgundy foliage to go with the Japanese maples. I don't know how to compare Bishop's Children, Diablo, and the other dark one I'm too lazy to look up. I'm also wondering if the species one coccinea, offered by T & M would be more likely to overwinter as a tuber than the others. I'm not much a fan of single flowers but it may be tough and has lots of interesting bicolor forms. Anyone tried growing dahlias from seed?

Hi Nancy and all,

I really like dahlias too, especially the ones with dark foliage (by the way, is anyone else almost-offended by the strain name 'Bishop's Children', lol? ). I've grown dahlias from commercially prepared seeds (never from my own plants) many times. They're as easy as marigolds and grow quite quickly. I just make sure to start them indoors in March or so and give them good potting soil and sunshine and average-to-warm temperatures. I don't know if seed companies stratify or otherwise treat seeds to make them easier to sprout than seed collected from our home plants, but the commercial ones I've tried have been easy and fun.

Great, now you're giving me a craving! :)
Let us know if you order some and how they work out. It's just about time for me to place my T&M order too.

This year, I was really pleased with two things. First, I read that I should apply alfalfa meal to my roses a couple of times during the flowering season, so I did and my climbing Westerland rose bloomed as never before!! It had lots of flowers all summer, and several neighbours mentioned it and even asked for cuttings of the plant!

The other success was a Fuschia magelanica that I had thought didn't like hot sunshine, but I moved it into my sunniest place anyway as an experiment, and it, too, responded very well and was covered with flowers until last month. It also grew twice as much as it had ever done in its former, shady spot!

-Gord

It is my understanding that hardy fuchsias like magelanica prefer much more sun than the basket types. :) I have found it to be true in my garden.

Not sure what my biggest successes are other than getting DH to build me some trellises for my Clematis obsession, I planted about 30. I also got him to almost complete a gravel patio on the side of the house, a dry rooty area that just never worked well for plants and a lattice extension to the back fence.

I am happy with a 'Jack Frost' Brunnera that I planted, the leaves are not only gorgeous but they have held up much better than the plain green ones ever did.

I am also very happy with a heather that is a "bud bloomer" they never open but they hang on forever. It has had color for months. Long after the others. It is a Calluna but I can't remember the cultivar.

Thanks for all your wonderful replies. I'm so happy to hear of all the good things happening out there - large and small.

Yes, my Burnnera are also 'Jack Frost'.
And I still can see two large blooms on my Nelly Moser, even after our record winds. What a tough old gal for the fall!
I have a large stand of asters near Nelly, now if full bloom, and the flowers are the same pale lavendar, so the combination is lovely. These asters are similar to Michaelmas daisy, but they grow between 5'-6' tall. I tried pinching them back in June one year (shearing, actually) and it didn't make one inch of difference! They get bent over with lots of rain and wind, but usually straighten up when they dry out. However, our record November rain has really done a job on them this year. But bent over or not, they are lovely to see out my kitchen window this time of year.
Daphne in Tacoma

Twas a fine year!

As for clematis; there are several groups and each has it's own pruning methods. I had similar luck Daphne with Comtesse du Bouchard, as it's still blooming , although smaller blooms now. The rains mess up the blooms after a few days. Grew Radar Love from seed and they bloomed; nice small flowered yellow. Kept them in hanging baskets this year; will go in the ground in spring.

Had great sucess with seed-grown double Datura, purple, white and yellow. Even managed to save some seed for next year.

Fell in love with a new type of Fuschia; the Ecliandras, which are tiny leaved and flowers but very bushy. They behave differently than standard fuschias as they don't require a dormant period, so I will be bringing them inside soon for some winter color.

Another new Fuschia is Rose Quartet, a compact upright that is also hardy. Unlike most Fuschias, it holds it's blooms upright.

The Cape Fuschias are getting huge; seems some cultivars can be fairly aggressive, but the hummingbirds love them. May spend some time this winter containing them.

rain1950- I grew one white single Datura this year and am thinking of starting some Datura and/or Brugmansia next year from seed. Are you overwintering yours? Mine is in my cooler basement. I'm wondering if they will make it in the ground outside here.

I got seeds for Clematis stans this year that has a purple flower and a bush type growth, I will have to try some winter-sowing on the seeds to see if I can get any to grow this winter.

Do you mean Phygelius by Cape Fuchsias? I had some that were getting very large and then a very bad winter or frost and most are gone.

A funny pruning clematis story: We have a Ville de Lyon clematis that had been growing rampantly for 4 years, lots of green, no flowers. In its 4th year, we had to get the deck it was growing on replaced so I pruned it at ground level quite happy that it was going to die. The workman walked over it for a month stomping each little shoot into the ground. The deck was finished by July 1st and the clematis started to grow. This was the only year that it bloomed magnificently. I've tried to replicate this pruning method ever since....

Ville de Lyon is a hard prune group Clem :) I have hard pruned no and little prune Clems with good results too.

I'm working on a Clematis gallery, I have more planted than I have photos of. Went absolutely nutz on them this year.

Here is a link that might be useful: Clematis Gallery

I, also, had great success with Brunnera 'Jack Frost' this summer. It was perfect all summer, although I worried about it at first, as the leaves seemed to take an awfully long time to grow to their full size. I worried that they might stay small!! That Brunnera was so great that I bought a different one this fall, and now I'm waiting impatiently for the spring so I can see what it'll do!

-Gord

You know, I keep reading through this thread and enjoying all the comments made by others while at the same time trying to evaluate what might have been my big success of the season. And I think my biggest success is that, as far as I can tell, everything is still alive!! LOL!

And before you think that I am a complete dunce and a black thumb gardener, I should explain that my career as a nurseryperson and garden designer tends to keep me out of my own garden for long periods of time. Therefore, it suffers from benign neglect for most of the year, only getting watering as necessary in summer and any real attention in winter, as the weather permits. So I guess any real success is measured by how well all of the dozens of new plants I've dragged home over the months but haven't yet got around to planting have survived and even thrived.

One addition that is now in its third year with me and is really starting to shine is 'Little Honey' oakleaf hydrangea. Planted in a large container in a shady nook, the golden leaf color really lights up that corner of the garden. And right now the fall color is an amazing nearly neon pink with some copper highlights and is holding up extremely well to our recent winds and rains. What a great little shrub this is turning out to be.

And Daphne, you may be pleased to know that my well-founded reputation as a daphne killer may be a thing of the past! Prior to the last couple of seasons, the only success I've had has been with 'Carol Mackie' and 'Lawrence Crocker', having murdered more Daphne odoras (and the assorted cneorum and mezereum) than I care to admit. But my latest attempt with odora seems to have taken - now entering season #3 - as well as the equally fussy purple leaved D. x houtteana. Now if I could just find room for a 'Summer Ice'.......that incredibly long bloom season is very appealing.

Wow! I just re-read all the postings here. What good stories!

I had neglected to check the 'email me the replies' box when I posted (again!), so I missed the last couple of posts.

Gardengal48, is your Daphne still alive? I certainly hope so.

I lost a tree in last winter's big windstorm. I don't care much about the tree - it was a free Bradford ornamental pear and they are notorius for being short-lived and snapping. But I did care because it was the support for my beloved potato vine that had gotten HUGE.

After much debate, I had my lawn guy remove the top of the pear down to about 7-8', and cut back the potato vine to match. Now the potato vine has put out many, MANY new shoots all along the large, old trunks, and is blooming again! YEAH! A good decision, for a change.

Here's a photo 'before the fall'. If you look carefully, you'll see blooms way up at the top of the photo.

Daphne in Tacoma

Progress report on the grass death/thyme installation. I planted these last fall. By this time next year, it should be solid green...
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Daphne, nice vine!

I'm still new at this, so everything that lives is a success. But I'm particularly pleased at how my Salvia is taking off.

My perennial bed is really coming into it's own this year. Last year I decided to lasagna over the whole thing as it was all vinca and clover. Last summer I put down about 12 inches of organics, divided up some suffering perennials, and put in probably too many new plants :)

Sage is looking good right now:
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My first rose bloom:
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And the overall back garden in late May:
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I know this thread began last year but I had to wait till this year to discover my big success. My project is such that I design and build and plant and go on to the next section doing mainly the hardscape and the bones in an effort to get the heavy stuff done before I either run out of youth or money. My pond/rock garden is the only area that is even remotely close to done after 5 years now of very heavy labor. Needless to say, my youth has now waned and I don't know how much longer my wife will humor me with liberal purse strings :-) Anyway, I planted a Lyda Rose next to the copper gate that leads into my pond area and trained it on the fence. They said it was a shrub but I just flattened it out on a 3-1/2' x 6' section and had it grow up. It's about 7' tall now and has about 400 buds on it and is just now bursting into bloom. Between the perfect foliage and the lovely flowers, it's just an inspiration to keep on doing what I'm doing :-)

Great stories everyone. Wow Daphne - that is quite a vine! Pretty! I have some clematis and one is great, the other is just like bboy says, a large blob up top. At least it does have flowers. I will eventually get the pruning down. The blob one is Carnaby, and my pretty one out back is Nike Warsaw. I'm not quite sure how to prune Carnaby.

I've started a lot of things from seeds this year that are thriving. Chianti Sunflowers, Love-Lies-Bleeding, Opium Poppies, Chocolate and Strawberry Foxglove. Lots of others. I really babied all my roses this year too, and they're just starting to bloom like mad. Cecile Brunner looks so pretty. I haven't seen her sweet blooms since I moved here because the past few Springs have been really wet and all her blooms balled. (She's a once bloomer)This year she's gorgeous.

My Iris have really put on a show this year! I have three different beds of them. One bed is just old heirloom ones that I got on a plantation in Mississippi two summers back. I planted most of them two seasons ago, and they really filled in and looked so beautiful this year! A lot bloomed for the first time. They were very small rhizomes when I planted them.

What I'm really waiting for is a bunch of Hollyhock to bloom that I planted last year. They all got one flower stalk and bloomed the first year. They have acted as perennials and didn't die back. Will they remain as perennials? They are getting really big. Can I divide them sometime? They are all around 5 feet tall (the bush part) with six or more flower stalks forming. One is black, and I'm not sure what the others are. They are supposedly seeds from Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's Estate. They are all a single heirloom variety. Can't wait for those. My tomatoes are looking good too. My husband rigged me some tunnel things and they seem to be working great. Thanks for the tunnel advice on a previous post!

Iris Hill

I'm glad you're benefiting from tunnels, Iris. I get so much benefit from them in getting early starts on my tomatoes and squash/cucumbers. My tomatoes are a little late this year but some have blooms so hopefully it won't be long.:-P

I'm also enjoying Brunnera, my plain green one reseeded and now I have more. I want to get Jack Frost as well.

Niobe finally is blooming at the same time as Sombreuil.

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And I got Candy Cane (thought it was Nelly Moser but is not) tied up this year so it is fanning out more on the deck railing-

Well, they aren't as exciting as some plants, but my epimediums just exploded this year. I keep looking at them in disbelief, they must be four times the size they were last year. I like the soft green foliage they make.

My Wilson's magnolia is blooming now for the first time, and I'm thrilled. I got it several years ago because I smelled one in bloom and fell in love. Do all magnolias smell so nice?