Plant of the Week: Still Waters Clematis

Given the tumultuous waters of recent weather reports, a calming thought or two seems in order.

Still Waters™ clematis is a cool, relaxing plant that's perfect for adding some serenity to gardens. The large violet-blue flowers are a delightful contrast with dark-leafed plants like Black Lace® elderberry.

Unlike other clematis varieties you may have grown, it blooms on both old and new wood so you don't need to consult a chart before pruning it. Actually, you can get away without pruning it at all (or just cut it back to about 2.5' in spring.) Either way, it will flower from late spring to late summer.

Hardy to USDA Zone 5, it will grow in full sun or partial shade. You can expect it to get 4-7' tall on a fence or trellis.

We could use some still waters right now.

First Harvey, then Irma - it's been a rough hurricane season. We certainly hope our friends who have been in the paths of these storms are safe and the damage to your homes and businesses is minimal.

When Mother Nature throws hurricanes, wildfires, and other extreme weather at us, we gain even more of an appreciation of plants that don't need special treatment. Really, even if we aren't dealing with crazy rain and wind most of us don't have time to coddle our plants.

For a long time clematis were in the high-maintenance plant category for many people. To be sure, if clematis are happy they're pretty easy going, but figuring out if you've got the right conditions for the plant and then identifying the correct pruning technique for it may be intimidating. Not oh-I-decided-to-die-today-for-no-reason frustrating like a Daphne, but still a little more demanding than a Spiraea.

That's why we're happy to have several easy-to-grow varieties like Still Waters™ available.

If you're in need of some clematis advice for older varieties, here's a bulletin from Oregon State University Extension.

And if you're staring down a cultivar with some cryptic warning about pruning groups, here's an explanation of them from the Royal Horticultural Society.

Plant of the Week is written by Jane Beggs-Joles

Plant of the Week: Oso Easy Lemon Zest rose

Who doesn't like a yellow rose? The only acceptable answer is people who haven't grown a good one yet. Those people need to try Oso Easy® Lemon Zest rose. 

Like the other Oso Easy® roses, it's a disease-resistant selection with a tidy habit and copious blooms. Unlike other yellow roses, this variety's blooms stay yellow throughout the life cycle of the flower. Even when the petals shatter, they're yellow, not the color of sour milk.

Oso Easy® Lemon Zest is hardy to USDA Zone 4 and grows 2-3' tall and wide. It earned an ARS Award of Excellence in the No Spray category in 2016. A yellow rose that you don't need to spray - hooray!

Plant of the Week is written by Jane Beggs-Joles