Clematis triggers case of arbor envy
An arbor adorned with a canopy of vigorously growing flowers truly is something to admire. No, make that envy.
Maybe the people down the street have one in their yard. Or maybe you saw one at a recent neighborhood garden tour. You even may have memories of a beautifully planted arbor from childhood.
How do these people grow such a beautiful thing? How long does it take?
At the home of Nick Franko and Don Verity in East Amherst, the climbing clematis is in full bloom and has been since the end of June.
The retired teachers with a zest for gardening bought the arbor eight years ago. Today, it is covered with wine-red colored blooms and flanked by two perennial gardens.
Us? Jealous? Never. Still, we just had to ask: What kind of clematis is it? Clematis ‘Madame Julia Correvon.’ How long did it take to grow like that? “It takes a few years. We started with very small bushes about eight years ago; they were only a foot or foot-and-a-half high –and we put two of them on each side of the arbor,” Franko said.
“The first few years it grew up the sides. We had to tie it up and guide it because it has a little mind of its own. You have to have patience. We use those little green plastic ties you find at nurseries,” Franko said.
When it reached high enough, they guided it over the top of the arbor.
“Over the past eight years, it has grown to what it is now. It gets bigger and bushier each year,” he said.
How do you care for it?
“In the fall, we cut them right down to 2 feet and remove the dead leaves,” Franko said.
Fortunately, back when they planted the clematis, the soil in the newly created perennial beds was rich.
Franko said they periodically fertilize with Miracle-Gro throughout the summer, beginning in late spring.
Location also is key.
The northern exposure means that the clematis receives morning and late afternoon sun. This, along with the recommended shade at the roots provided by trees and the nearby perennial gardens, keeps it very happy.
Happy, too, are the golfers walking by on the adjoining course.
“They always yell out and say ‘We love it. It’s gorgeous!,’ ” Franko said.
