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Suzymac
My Favorite Photo
My Weather
My Garden
| | Posted on Saturday, November 27, 2004 - 08:11 pm EST : |   
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Very pretty, whatever it turns out to be. I agree, next year will be the 'true flowers'. I have several young Sieboldii planted here for insurance. The first was eaten to the ground by chipmunks this year, so I recently planted a second F. Sieboldii far away from the chipmunk's usual 'dinner spot' and I am hoping for flowers in the spring. Here is my Florida Sieboldii's first flower 2 years ago. I haven't had a flower since:
Suzy
Suzymac Massachusetts zone 6-A |
Finnoslo
My Garden
| | Posted on Sunday, November 28, 2004 - 08:47 am EST : |
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I can only confirm what some of you tell - this plant have a lot of differences - but it is very nice and interesting. The following pictures are all from the same plant (in my green house) but partly at different times and lighting conditions.
Finn Norway Zone 6 |
Psilo
My Garden Journal
My Garden
| | Posted on Sunday, November 28, 2004 - 09:40 am EST : |
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That is very interesting Finn. Such an amazing plant and so intriguing. Thankyou for sharing these photos.
Psilo
- United Kingdom,
Zone "8"
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Susanq
My Favorite Photo
My Garden Journal
My Weather
My Garden
My Time
| | Posted on Sunday, November 28, 2004 - 01:58 pm EST : |
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What a beautiful flower, Annette, and not a dull one,
for sure. I wish they were a little more hardy.
SusanQ - Zone 4b-5b Wisconsin |
Suzymac
My Favorite Photo
My Weather
My Garden
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 30, 2004 - 01:18 am EST : |
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I don't know why my picture didn't post the first time. Here it is again (I hope) Florida Sieboldii:
Suzy
Suzymac Massachusetts zone 6-A |
Valia
My Favorite Photo
My Garden Journal
My Weather
My Garden
My Time
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 30, 2004 - 02:04 am EST : |
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I thought it did post, Suzy, and then disappeared.
Anne, Washington State, Zone 5 |
Johninoz
My Time
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 30, 2004 - 08:17 am EST : |
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Yes it did show here to begin with but then disappeared.
Johninoz Victoria, Australia Zone 4 |
Suzymac
My Favorite Photo
My Weather
My Garden
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 30, 2004 - 02:39 pm EST : |
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I just found the reason for the missing photo- I received an e-mail from Picture Trail...The site went down for a day and the link was useless. It's back up now.I just want to point out that it wasn't due to any glitches on Gardenbuddies.
I also want to say that these pictures are all so very interesting ! We can see that F. Sieboldii has some distinct variation in it's flowers ! I just love each and every one of these. Of all the clematis I have, I find F. Sieboldii to be the most unusual and striking to look at. There is something about the brilliant purple against the soft white that simply captures me. I hope my plants flower next year ! Those Chipmunks better behave !
Suzy
Suzymac Massachusetts zone 6-A |
Johninoz
My Time
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 30, 2004 - 06:25 pm EST : |
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Suzy I think it's pretty special too. It's not easy to get here which is partly why I decided to wait until I had the perfect spot for it before getting one. Since my friend nearby has one I get to enjoy seeing it anyway!
Johninoz Victoria, Australia Zone 4 |
David_b
My Weather
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 30, 2004 - 06:38 pm EST : |
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I have bought 2 florida sieboldiis and been given one more. I have kept them in containers, given my cold climate. All three plants succumbed to wilt -- I don't intend to make this an argument about whether wilt exists or not, but the plants just crumped when approaching blooming, covered with buds, then croaked within a couple of days. VERY frustrating. One did regrow, modestly, but never attained vigor again. I know, it must be me. This plant is SO enticing, but I am not sure I want to try again. Maybe in the new place I can find a very sheltered S facing wall and I will be foolish enough to try again.
David Michigan zone 5b-6a |
Suzymac
My Favorite Photo
My Weather
My Garden
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 30, 2004 - 08:26 pm EST : |
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Were your plants young, David ? I find that many of my young clematis wilt their first or second year, before the roots get big and established. Also, I would try planting yours in the ground in your zone. And, for added insurance, try a systemic fungicide. I am going to try this next summer to see if it helps with wilt, as I have heard it does.
Bill Bird is in zone 5 and he has some wonderful large Florida Sieboldii's, so I would go for it and just keep trying !
Here is a picture of one of Bill Bird's gorgeous Florida Sieboldii's taken this past summer when I visited him:
Suzy
Suzymac Massachusetts zone 6-A |
Kvilledude
My Weather
My Garden
My Time
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 30, 2004 - 09:57 pm EST : |
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In the article that John originally linked, Sieboldii is listed as being a bit problematic in its early years.
From the article:
It is well to know from the start that the gardener who forms an attachment to the bicolor had better have a little sporting blood. It is a capricious plant, and may do well in one year and not another. (This is one reason why it is sometimes hard to find; garden merchants do not enjoy carrying plants that they fear customers may want to bring back for a replacement.) But the fact is while 'Sieboldiana' can be quirky, it is far more robust than it looks. Even after a year or so of quiescence it can start up unexpectedly like a phoenix from its ashes and put on a splendid bloom. So a gardener should not feel betrayed if it does little or nothing for a season. Anyone who has seen a mature plant of it climb into a tree and send down long streams of its unique paired flowers should be willing to weigh that against the possibility of an occasional lean year. With a little protection from wind and marauding puppies, there should be few lean years, or none.
Chalk Hill states that " the florida varieties can be tempermental.."
One thing that puzzles me though is that both Chalk Hill and the Toomey and Leeds Encyclopedia show this clematis to only be hardy in zones 7 to 9. It is obvious that people in lower numbered zones are growing it successfully so I wonder why the snafu as to the zone hardiness? Additionally, I have several reference books that list the floridas in general as being "tender" clematis that should not be planted in the fall due to their tenderness and that was why I was tentative in my fall planting of this clematis. The Toomey writeup says that the clematis is "best grown in a container that can be moved to a frost free site during the winter months." Anyone have any conjecture why the conflicting information out there about this clematis?
Kvilledude
- North Carolina,
Zone "7A"
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Suzymac
My Favorite Photo
My Weather
My Garden
| | Posted on Wednesday, December 01, 2004 - 02:06 am EST : |
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Miguel, the true tenderness of this clematis is really still unknown. The fact that some say it is tender may be due to the plants relative newness to untested northern zones. The fact that Bill Bird has grown this one successfully in a sheltered position in zone 5 for many years, tells me that it's much hardier than experts originally thought. I say we all test this one as far north as possible, to give the clematis authorities something concrete to go on. It appears that they have all assumed that this one was much more tender than it really is, due to a lack of reporting on it's cold tolerance. We shall see....
I have 2 plants now, in different locations. I will let you all know how they do next spring. I expect we will all be surprised at it's hardiness ! I am in a micro-zone area of zone 6 which acts closer to a zone 5 than a zone 6, even though I am in zone 6. These anomalies are frequent along the cold New England coast. If my Florida Sieboldii's live, then I will be thrilled. I am banking on their survival due to Bill's success. We shall see...
Suzy
Suzymac Massachusetts zone 6-A |
Gardenfiend
My Weather
| | Posted on Wednesday, December 01, 2004 - 08:09 am EST : |
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Here it is considered hardy with some winter protection. I have given mine a nice wooly blanket of leaves and will let you know if it shows up next spring.
Having said that... I don't know if it is even alive or not. I planted it in the spring and it did grow and even flower. Then it turned brown and disappeared. Didn't look like Clematis Wilt, though. I continued watering it throughout the summer but it didn't show up again. So who knows...
Mara Germany zone 6-7 |
Kvilledude
My Weather
My Garden
My Time
| | Posted on Wednesday, December 01, 2004 - 10:35 am EST : |
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Suzy, maybe once the COTW survey on clematis is complete and the results finalized, everyone will be able to update their databases and listing information and be on the same page. I was unaware of how long the plant had been in cultivation and that might indeed be the reason for the conflicting information. I guess you know now why I was so hesitant to initially attempt a fall planting of this clematis. Mine is still in bud outside and hasn't yet been nipped by frost. Will have to wait and see if it gets to bloom this winter before the really cold weather arrives. I am still waiting on the buds to open but at least now, after all the pictures of the variation in the flowers, I won't be disappointed if it doesn't look like a typical Sieboldii at its young immature state.
Kvilledude
- North Carolina,
Zone "7A"
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