“When daffodils begin to peer,
With heigh! the doxy, over the dale,
Why, then comes in the sweet o’ the year.” — Shakespeare, The Winter’s Tale
The spring equinox is near. Late winter gives up its chilly grip. A reddish tint etches the skyline of maples along the roadways. Yellow jessamine blooms up high in the sunlit bare limbs of oak trees. My redbud tree is turning pink. Daffodils and hyacinths are blooming. Winter daphne sweetens a warmer evening breeze and late camellias continue to grace the garden with pink and red blooms, but spring is on the wind. The vegetable garden is being tilled, onions and potatoes have been planted, and tomato seedlings are soaking up sunlight. Spring is on the way.
I love all seasonal changes. Even the annual shifts from summer to fall to winter are anticipated transitions. But nothing compares with the grand and glorious entry of spring. I give thanks for the many beautiful hues of green that replace the browns and grays of late winter. I love new growth. This week, I have seen peonies and clematis reappear and set buds.
Peonies are often seen as hard to grow in South Carolina, limited by our warm climate. However, I’ve had success with peonies by planting these beautiful flowers in pots that — over the winter — receive enough chill hours for blooming. Admittedly, early blooming cultivars are best. The single bloom types also perform better in the South than double forms do. Afternoon shade helps protect the large, showy blooms. My potted peonies get cut back in the fall, and over the winter, the pots acquire a layer of dead leaves which I brush off when I see the first hint of growth. The tender emerging shoots appear as dark red shoots.
Depending on the cultivar and weather, peonies will flower as early as March or as late as May. When cutting peonies for the house, pick the flowers at the soft-bud stage. They should feel like soft marshmallows. Leave at least three leaves per stem on the plant. Recut the stems under warm water and strip off any leaves that would come into contact with water in the vase. The flowers should open within a day of being placed in a vase.
This spring, I am replacing a clematis. As I poke around in the pine straw, I see several small leaves reappearing on the vine, but last year’s plant succumbed to something fungal. The most devastating problem of clematis is fungal stem rot and leaf spot called clematis wilt. The two fungi credited with causing clematis wilt are Phoma clematidina and Ascochyta clematidina. The plant or part of the vine suddenly collapses. Therefore, I have planted a new clematis into a pot of clean soil and placed it away from the site of last year’s vine, which may fail to thrive.
Clematis can be container-grown, as they do not withstand much root disturbance. Whether in a pot or in the ground, clematis like to be grown with “their heads in the sun and their feet in the shade.” They need at least six hours of sun to flower best, but in South Carolina they also benefit from shade during the hot afternoon. Most clematis can be grown in South Carolina as long as the plant base and roots are protected from the afternoon summer sun.
Whenever selecting a site for any new plant, check cultural recommendations such as those at Clemson’s Home and Garden Information Center. Clematis needs a site where the roots can be given a cool, moist (but not wet) environment. Some additional considerations: As I selected a container and a site for my clematis, I planted the new clematis with its crown 1 to 2 inches below the soil surface. And I provided future support for the twining vine. Clematis vines climb by twining the bases of the leaves around a support. Fortunately, I have a trellis ready-made for the container near my kitchen steps.
“The living world sustains us in ways we hardly recognize until we have been deprived of it for too long. The feel of turned soil in our hands, the scent of flowers on a breeze, the sound of birdsong pouring down from the trees — this is the world we were born for” (Renkl). Spring is a time to greet established plant friends and start new ones! As the day lengthens and temperatures warm, we can anticipate wonderful adventures in spring gardening.
Comments are closed.