Tale of Seven Trellises

 A couple of years ago I ordered two clematis vines...One was called Princess Dianna and the other is called Pagoda. They have smaller blooms that are bell shaped. I thought that the two would look nice together, so I planned to put them in the garden by the front porch. I needed a trellis...a smaller..shorter one since the vines could grow on the porch railing, when they got more established. I sat myself down in the driveway and made one with two tomato cages. You can see how I put one inside of the other and fastened them with wire twistys.

Here's what the vines looked like this year in the picture below . The trellis is somewhere under all that mass of leaves and flowers. Every once in a while...I give this trellis a jiggle and it still feels pretty sturdy. You can't see the trellis at all. Who would know that tomato cages are underneath?

Joe put up a standard wooden trellis in the back against the post that used to hold clothesline. We planted his favorite Jackmanii clematis and in full sun....it has flourished.Purple coneflowers are planted at the base and on the backside I planted two climbing roses. They will come up behind the trellis and probably over the top.I think they are New Dawn. Until the roses take off...I have a lettuce patch for the bunnies there.

On the west side of the house is a trellis that hides the electrical box and other household stuff. There are four Clematises planted here.All different colors... all blooming at different times.

Here is a corner of that trellis showing my Easter lilies in bud.

I had a trellis for a container...dark green metal. It was in the garage and when my volunteer Clematis in Mary's Garden...started growing, I put it there for this plant to climb. You can see it in the picture below...It's the tallest "plant" way over on the right. Not in bloom for this picture, but big pale lavender blooms early in spring.It bloomed the first year. I have no idea where it came from, but I love it.

We have a section of chain link fencing left from our doggie run. Joe left it there at the bottom of the steps as sort of a back drop for this little garden. Little did he know that Balisha would plant the "most prolific" of all clematises. Sweet Autumn Clematis. In the first year it covered the fence. I keep it in bounds by trimming it back at the end of the growing season. This year it is going up the deck railing and into the Lilac next to it. I haven't done a good job trimming...but I rather like it this way. It smells like Heaven and it is right where I sit and hide to spy on the little creatures that visit our yard.The picture shows a two year old Clematis

I asked Joe to build some bluebird houses for the back yard. This is what he came up with. We first put them along the fence line, but they looked so bare there and they were in the way for lawn mowing. Now the trees along the fence have grown so big...they would be hidden. So, he put them along the front of the woods. They looked so bare and I was looking at the Garden Supply website and saw some metal support, trellis like things that you put around trees etc. They came in two pieces. I ordered these and put them around the base of the poles supporting the bird houses. I looked at this for a few weeks and it still didn't look the way I wanted. I envisioned vines growing up around the over the top of the houses with just the opening for the birds to go in.An end of the season plant sale at our little nursery in town solved the problem. There were three honeysuckles just sitting, there waiting for me, it seemed. Marked down to $5 each and they were in big pots. I hurried them into my car trunk and home we came and before you knew it...they were planted. They grow so well and each year I trim them a little to keep them in bounds. No bluebirds have made them their home, although they have looked them over. The wrens love them...I'm thinking that maybe the wrens have something to do with our not being able to attract bluebirds. Those pesky little things just won't leave them alone...but I love them.

Here is an obelisk that I bought for the woods nine years ago. It stands tall and bare. I haven't had success with any vine there. I've tried honeysuckle, clematis, trumpet vine, hops, and a couple of others .I think it looks good just standing there. I just planted a dwarf pink Lilac right next to it...so there will be some color. 

I love vines and love how very independent they are. Have you ever tried to make a vine go the opposite way that they are going? They just won't behave unless they are tied.....and then when you release them, sometimes they pop back the way they were. I have a vine almost next to me as I type...it wants to go to the venetian blinds...because of the light. I keep twisting it and twisting it. Right now it looks like it's going to come over here and strangle me. It's name is Greta...Greta Garbo...".I Vant to Be Left Alone!"..
Balisha