Today is a gray day. Sullen clouds drift across the sky, occasionally spitting rain out as they pass. It's not the kind of day for working outdoors, even though I have a boatload of weeding to do. Of immediate concern is weeding underneath the pergola. I want to get this done before the sweet autumn clematis draping it bursts into bloom. It's safer that way - it attracts so many bees that being around it is like sitting in front of a stereo with the bass cranked up. The clematis is a stunning sight in bloom, if I do say so myself. All those masses of starlike white flowers give the vine that blow-your-eyeballs-out quality of June bloomers. It's been there for 6 years, and it now covers nearly the entire length of the pergola.
I still have my doubts as to whether it actually is Clematis terniflora/paniculata. All the reference books say that sweet autumn clematis has a delicious fragrance, and mine has none whatsoever. I'm inclined to think that it was mislabeled, and in reality is Clematis fargesioides ('Paul Farges'), also sometimes referred to as 'Summer Snow'. That variety isn't listed as being fragrant, but the two look nearly identical and bloom around the same time. Still, fragrant or not, it's a sight to see in the fall when everything else is dead, dying or gone. And goodness knows, here in the Northeast, those days are fast approaching. Uncomfortably fast......
Maybe working in the conservatory would be more productive today. I think I'll haul out the BotaniWipes and clean up the Christmas cacti (a constant battle with the mealy bugs), then clear off the counter and put them there, out of the light, so that they can begin setting buds for the late-fall display. As my late mother was fond of saying, "It'll do you some good besides helping you!".
No comments:
Post a Comment