Northern Gardening; Kathy Donahue

Northern gardening is a call in gardening so if you've got a question about gardening in particular we're talking about Clement clematis or Clematis as it's actually properly called today call 3 8 7 10 70 or 800 4 7 3 9 8 4 7. Org with your gardening question support of Northern gardening comes from Evergreen originals greenhouse located at 16 Skye port lane in grammar a now open for the gardening season evergreen originals green house specializes in perennials for our northern climate also offering shrubs veggies herbs and a wide selection of hanging baskets. Information available in person or at 3 8 7 2 8 6 2. In support of Northern gardening also comes from Edwin E. Thorson incorporated contractors working to fill landscaping needs in the northland 3 8 7 1 6 4 4 in support also comes from superior lumber and sports a full sized lumber and hardware store located one mile east of Grand superior lumber and sports is

locally owned and offers a wide range of garden supplies patio furniture and outdoor cooking grills. More information available at 3 7 1 7 7 1. Well northern gardening is a live broadcast on Friday its rebroadcast on Wednesday so again if you've got a gardening question you can call us at 3 8 7 10 70 or 800 4 7 3 9 8 4 7 or you can e-mail. Org. And joining us on the phone is Cathy Donahue from Donahue's clematis and Cathy am I pronouncing that right now. Well Clematis is proper people will be thankful that I'm even around here that's what we say. It's a midwest thing. Well Cathy Donahue from Donahue's Clematis is actually a nationally recognized wholesale retail supplier of quality grown Clematis vines in fair ball Minnesota a family run business Kathy maybe you could talk just a little bit about your business. Well our business was started by my parents and in the mid to late 80s we really began to specialize think about it and now involved in our

business. I work with seven. Seven of us siblings and my mom is still involved in the business. They also have a brother in law so it's pretty interesting to have the whole family here and our kids are involved because coming and working after school so it's really a family owned and run business. So why come out of this. There really wasn't anybody doing clematis and there was a definite need but we are a huge wholesaler of it and it was just a lot of people were finding they were shipping a dormant plant and not being successful with that. So we don't ship anything dormant it's already live and growing. When people get our plant closed the big difference. And are you doing any breeding or propagating of the plants. Maybe you have but we have done a little bit of breeding. Not a huge amount but mainly we just are a propagator. And so we have our own stock and we propagate that throughout the year. Well overall maybe for folks who aren't very familiar with the vine maybe you could talk

about what it what it is and maybe just in general kind of culture things was kind of funny because whenever I talk to people and I say you know we specialize a lot of them they'll look at me and I know they don't know what that is you know and I'll say well do you remember your grandma having a purple vine on her house and fell open and the light comes on I think that's the magnet and it's kind of funny because then they know what we're talking about. Though it's a vine a lot different colors but most people recognize the purple variety that is the real old fashioned jackknife. And but you go way more than just that. Yes we do. We propagate over 130 varieties. Wow. And so there are lots of different kinds. There's you know the big large following Friday but there's also ballpark writing Bush type container bright. So there's lots more than just the purple right now one of the things that's always confused me about Clematis is that you'll look at up in various different

catalogs and on your website too and it talks about the various different pruning types 1 2 or 3 right. Paul was there and I can simplify that because first of all especially for your viewers. There is no printing type one because all the varieties that are in that printer I want are not going to be hard to get in your area so we can cut out the ones you know but the prototype to build their varieties that bloom on old growth. So you would leave that pine on the trellis over the winter and the life actually that comes through the plant in the spring and it bloom again and the pretty type 3. The plant would die back completely once it is frozen. Very hard to cut that off and the new growth will come from underneath the ground in the spring it will bloom on that growth the pretty types to it both on the old girls and then the new growth. But if you cut it off kind of the one one blooming. So for distinctions of

that old fashioned purple one that people are familiar with is that it too that one is actually a three. Really. Yeah so it's a very very hardy variety and grows so quickly. That's kind of what is amazing is that you could have a clematis that goes on a ten speed and then you cap it off in the winter and you can grow that eight to ten feet by you know the middle of June when it starts to bloom again. But anybody who has money knows if you want to start coming in the spring and all the sudden you think oh I need to try all of that up in a week goes by and you don't get it done. Oh now you've got a mouth so quickly. So just again another little detail then about the three dies back completely but if you don't trim it back then the new growth it's going to continue to get taller. Then if you don't cut that back well the three what is going to happen is no matter what that that old growth it's never going to get any

green through it it's just going to die back and you almost have to pull that off in order to have a nice looking trauma brain so all the growth actually comes from underneath the ground and it just grows really quickly when it comes to very well. OK. So in a lot of the varieties that are hardy especially for your viewers that are Zone 3 A lot of varieties are the pretty type 3. So when we talk about that Will we can kind of talk both. The Prodi when we talk about Brighton that are hard. OK and what about the trellis because you're saying if you don't get up then they're going to be sprawling all over the place what kind of suggestions you have because it I think a lot of people don't necessarily have something that they can climb on and that becomes a little daunting project right there right. You know any type of a troublous whether it be either plastic or you know I have been I grow Clematis up a tree. So there's nothing really to grab onto a trunk but I'll just use this mind of around it and they will grab that and

then just grow right up into the branches of my tree that once they get it up to a certain height. What kind of tree and how far away from the trunk do you put you know I just planted just a little ways away from it you know wherever you can dig into it and then you kind of just train it to go to the tree and then put your fish line around and it's kind of neat. We plant the fall blooming variety within a crab tree all the sudden you know crab kind of lose foliage and during the summer months the plant then comes alive at the end of August and blooming and it's beautiful and people say what kind of tree is that. Well it's the crap. Three with Michael Madison it and I also think people just grow them within an arborvitae and they're beautiful you know to have that and have the tree as a support base. And now one of the things I've understood too is that they like or at least most of the right is like some sunshine but they don't like their roots to get hot. Is that true.

That's right. They have like the cool and they like to be somewhat more. But mainly cool. So you can change your vote by putting down the ball each or you can plant perennials there and you'll break one of them to save the baby to come out of the top part like that but the bottom like that. Yeah interesting. Well let's talk about some of those varieties that that you recommend or maybe kind of walk through the care of each of those. OK I have kind of put together a list of them three from anybody. Contact us if they want to live to beacon to mail it out to the world. But don't three is you know it's a little bit cooler I think everybody zone third changing a little bit in this day in the varieties that I have listed. One of them is be the fittest Allah and there's many varieties within that. And one of my favorite is the developmental violate you know around here we just call the BBB. OK but this variety is purple and white kind of a

straight A kind of unique because like I had the command of like the sun this this one that does the sun and the shade. So it's a great variety. It is known through its own three. It also is the prototype three go here and get this beautiful clematis within the season. And then in the late fall almost winter here and cut it off and then the all new growth is going to come again and bring in you're going to get another full trial and this one is also very disease resistant. So if anybody's ever had a problem with it or just not being able to get one started does the good writing to try and maybe you could say whatever ideas in general maybe even spell it out. OK. OK so it's a bit of Stella but no with us filed a you know a bit of style is b i t i b l l e. That helps.

OK. I know it's some of the names by me these and does it have a common name to know that is the name that it would go by you know and really if you look within our website or any Web site you're going to find many if you put in that bit of belly you can find many to write another variety. Betty already a bit of Bell about ACORN and that Friday is blue bell shaped by our bell will break bread and there are not very many clematis that are fragrant but baby corn again. And while the writing isn't really show we from a distance it's gorgeous. If you have a plant to close to a patio where you would walk by salad and it's pretty it's a pretty pricey. And so why do you say it's not a pretty from a distance. The flower just doesn't have that punch. Maybe it's the color but you know if it's going to be a long ways away in your yard. I would never suggest that Friday I would then plant that bit as well but don't buy a wing or just another variety this variety is one you put where you're going to put

down by it or you're going to walk by it regularly. Yeah it is a pretty one. And how does that one get that one is a 10 to 12 foot pretty tall. Another variety that don't breed as the old fashioned Jack but I bet the purple that everybody has been and it's funny because there are so many varieties. But Jack and I still remain are very popular right. More than any other variety and then we do have a variety that we hybridised that we're very proud of called Kilian Donahue and the purple and lavender and red by color. Oh and a very hearty or don't agree and it's probably about all the US that with height and which is kind of nice if you have a smaller trial live or don't want to you know to take over an area that's been a variety. Sometimes if you want to put them on a lamppost or you haven't.

But that great a mailbox of the great great this the Great Plains. Maybe a couple other varieties from another variety that it's one of my favorite if you want to wait for writing this is my absolute favorite white writing because of bloom. SO LONG AND IT'S CALLED whole beans and that build age ULS the end and this Friday isn't a really huge powers of medium size but it's a little. Almost all summer and I've got to plant several plates in my yard just because I like it so much and it blooms in bloom by the big one at about 8 to 10 and it is very disease resistant which people always love and just a white is always good and you know when I talk about plant Clematis I always say you know you want to plant two or three of the trellis because this is going to give you a long time so you're going to have something that blooms in June and then have one that bloom a little later so that your trellis is always moving.

So that's always my recommendation is to do different. Plan a mob think. So there are some varieties that say Bloom really early in the year and then don't bloom again. Great grades there especially like the old Peanuts which are very there another stone three though in April I mean and then they don't bloom again. So they're beautiful then you want to add something else to that trail and that's going to bloom in June and July and get to the fall though and a bit of a bill to live through the camper so planting the two together is fun. So the ones that are blooming really really early in the year are they blooming on old girl send for them to get such a jump. They are yet to be turning to that's right you got it. Yeah. I actually clipped that little piece out of a catalog somewhere and stuck it in my garden notebook and it still wasn't sinking in there is just as baffled by it. So this is helping.

Yes it is a bike lane that all year long when our retail store is open and trying to get people to understand that all that work. Then once they get it they think OK well I want want you want want to buy as a prototype 2 with well even a 2 would be OK with a 3 because if you cut them they'd be OK but I usually try to plant the same varieties together at the same printing technique together because otherwise you're trying to find a pole in the park and I usually just chop right. Yeah I'm a cutter back there are some other varieties that are really good. If you want to read earnest Marko That's an old really old fashioned variety and you'll find with all Clematis there isn't a red like a petunia red. Really everything has a little bit of a magenta color so don't be disappointed if you're buying a red and you think it's going to match your red geranium to going to be more magenta and that no one can

come up with a good red one because there really isn't actually an orange. No there isn't an orange no which would be fun and you would sell a bunch of it. There's the yellow yellow yellow and yellow would be hearty until three and four. Can't you take that bell shaped. That one is. Such a fast grower It is such a big plant. Make sure if you plant that variety that you give it enough. What kind of height. About 12 to 15 feet. Oh yeah wide spread too. Oh well with the bell shaped it sounds like it would be another nice one for a tree. Break it would be great for a tree and it is covered completely with bloom then blooms that's a long time but there again it might bring a tree. Well as we're talking about. Well actually that's gone to more varieties but you know to talk about what kind of soil they need to we'll get to that. OK.

The mother varieties I blister petty and pitiful kind of different because of the nine. I like that variety because it's kind of an indigo blue and it's also a little bit more bell shape or tulip shape and that one it isn't a real tall one it's only about 3 0 0 0 this Friday and my followers I just let it Ramble on the ground. I don't try to hold it for anything I just let it go on the ground. Yeah it's so pretty. It has a bloom that's long time. But there's a different use for it. You could have it in a flower bed or you could have it trailing over a wall or you can you know put it in like a rose tower and have it coming out of that. So it's a lot of use for a different variety there. But you could even put it in say the vegetable garden to make sure you don't disturb it each year but you can picture trailing amongst the zucchini or something. Better they would work great there. But now it's also one that would work fine in a container.

So many of us are changing where we're living and we're using containers and this works great container you know. Yeah you know and there's other classes that would work too. Back killing done. That would work great in a container because it be so large and blooms so heavy that you'll have to throw it. Now if you've got something in a container like that what kind of winter protection what would it need. Well what we tell people they can either drop it right into the ground that hot or bring it into your garage. And I recommend if they bring it into the garage that they maybe put some Thera foam around the pot and you just let it go dry and dormant. They don't water it during the winter months and it just you know in April when they start to warm up pull it out and start watering it and it will come to life. Yeah because sometimes the garage feels just about as cold as outside. That's right.

So the main part about being in the garage is that it is protected from the wind. You know with that little bit of insulation around it we have people that even here where the home for and there's some variety of the people always want to grow that are hardy here. Well they do work by bringing them into their growth which is kind of strange like a brush you know just the cold but maybe it actually is. Yeah. Maybe that's fine but the heat loss. Yeah maybe so. Well and we have some zone for here right along the edge of Lake Superior. But sometimes it is a better idea. Kind of consider for that winter protections on three. It's some of each depends on our winter cover. Right and there's so many varieties for his own or we I would say probably have a bra on there right. That would work for four and really the one for my even winter over pretty well in Zone 3 if you give it the winter cover the mulch. Yeah you don't want to mulch for winter covered till it's frozen really are OK and then getting that protection. I don't we haven't had to

know the last few years so that I that made a little bit different not things that would trickle down definitely help. Are you really. We've just suffered from that we had quite a few people that lost a lot of plants that they never lost before because of the lack of snow cover last year so that old plant you know that's what I've heard was you know this plant I've had for 10 12 years and all of it gone. Yeah yeah that's always tough. Yeah it is. And especially Clematis because really they take two to three years to get full. What we ship to our customers is a two year plant and I would always recommend that when people are in a garden center look for an older plant. The older the quicker it's going to fill all your colors and even though there might not be a lot of top growth on it what you want to look for is a real bushy baby and then really what you're buying is the rut you know and so you know definitely look for something that got several Should that be the plant and then I don't recommend bare roads because they are so tricky to get started.

Look for a you know a good quality plant of growing. We're speaking with Kathy Donahue from Donahue's clematis in fair ball Minnesota. It's a family run business their wholesale and retail supplier. Kathy when you're talking about looking for kind of a bushy plant to you know not just like it's first year girls then if you're talking I compare them with cutting back I mean you cut back to the ground or you cut back to that kind of bushiness again you know I always recommend leaving about three that will be when you cut back. And from there then you'll get shoes and that way you always have a bushy a plant. Sometimes I hear people say you know I'm at the plant and I've got two or three down going up and then I got this big bushy girls aren't. And I hate the way I look and with those people just meant to cut it back. Go back to about eight to 10 inches and then start out with the good bushy baby. And they're amazed by what a difference it makes And then also the whole bill. Yeah.

So if you have an old plant that you left on a trauma or couple years and you don't. Or maybe it's brown at the base of it. Next late fall. Give it a good chopping and start fresh. You'll be really happy with it make right. So a fall is the time to be doing that pruning it is after it's been hard you know. Well is the fall especially when you're talking about the man I you know mine is still blooming all the way up until it starts to freeze and so I'm certainly reluctant to cut it back while I'm still gaining some appreciation for what he's doing. So usually I'm out fine with Kroning my thing and it's really cold I always think why do I wait so long. But really I don't want them to be green at all I want them to be completely brown when I do that. Proving somebody just called with a question saying Could you please spell the name of the yellow one that grows 10 to 15 feet. OK. And Utica and it's a an

g u t i b a great to do because that's the one the bell shaped flowers that praise. That sounds really lovely. And that one very hearty big plant but that's the only yellow that we carry there are a few other yellow or ID that's going yellow that we carry. Okay. Maybe we could go back to some more varieties if you still have her in your list Sure there might be Henry II is another old fashioned variety and a kind of strange because I think some of the old fashioned ones are you know some of the old Hardy hardy plants that every I is a really huge white collar. It's going to be about seven inches. It has dark am Third Kind of. Brownish purple and just beautiful. And that one is going to bloom in mid June and then bloom again in late July August but that first bloom is what you really that's the main group and the plant will just get covered. I love that variety. This bath

is a deep lavender blue medium by far this one plant. Henry II An els of bass. Together it's a great combo. So if somebody is looking for what I plan together I recommend that combination of Rod it have real deep lavender blue and have dark cancer is the beauty. Another one of my favorites. Another variety that will differ is the variety called Brescia and this one is another voice type of growth above four to six feet. It's non-clinging again like the Petit Foca and it's a small white flower. Absolutely. Google one of bloom that won the beauty. My mom actually has that one on her mailbox and every year I just think it is the prettiest mailbox in the booming voice and then. He plant that one with a fella and then it blew into the into the late summer so it's gloomy right now but you don't need to be any of the erected

just Bush there at the other plant. Take no woman you know. Again the cliff I love it when you talk about a non-clinging for ideas that mean it's not actually going to go up. A cellist per se are right it's not going to grab on by it's self. All the rest of the other man right there leaves to wrap around him they grab and they grow and this right he doesn't have that it will just be you can make it a port with some string or something like that but otherwise it's not going to naturally to grab on to trial and so you'll have to give it a port either by tying it to the trellis or planted other Clematis. Sometimes that plant will pull it in rolls around so that will work to hold it up. But if you're planting it say it you know your mailbox or whatever then you need to have some kind of support to keep it there. Great in there I always did use history because you can't see it and it does

the trick. Joan you must have history there. You know I know there's fishermen out there. Everybody has a couple reels of old fishing line that that's probably shouldn't even be used for fishing because it could pretty well you've got another reason to use that. There we go. That's just one of the main things too I always talk to people and some have tried year after year to get a plant started and they just aren't they all. And I I always tell people if we're going to do one thing do this when the main thing is when you go to plant your battle plan to keep you there's not many plants that you say that but this plant you want to cover up one or two that's really going to put that right into the ground and the reason I say this because first of all you will get a bushier plant because each know that the underground is going to shoot up and you're going to get more shoots from the base of the plant. So and it's also propagating it right and then

also leaves. Do you ever have an animal or a rabbit or chew it off the ground. It won't be lost because it will still come from underneath the ground. But that is really huge in getting the plant there to have people in our store that come in and they have you know they tried and tried to get it one started and tell them that then the next year they come back they coming back it's beautiful. I need another one. Why do you have a couple of your discipline. You OK what else what other solar. Where can I put it. Trading started to come up with ways to plant them. So talk a little bit about the soil needs since we're talking about planting. OK they like well very oil so when you and they have a really deep throat. So when you dig the hole for the plant it's good to dig down deep you know 20 inches down and then backfill that with the good doctor. Piedmont are banned so that it's really well-trained

and then plant your plant and then keeping it watered after just one plant if you want to water it probably twice a week until the stablish which will take four to six week and then really just soak it once a week during warm weather or dry weather at some time. Mother Nature takes care of the water but it is dry even if you have an old tablets and your drive will get really well you know good some of that going to put on a little bit of music. 7 4 7 3 4 7. Or speaking with Kathy. Question are broadcasting to be rebroadcast on Wednesday and we look forward to your call.

You're listening to Northern gardening here on this Friday morning and be rebroadcast

on Wednesday evening. Again you can give us a ring at 3:08 710 70 or 800 4 7 3 9 8 4 7 or you can e-mail. Dot o r g We're speaking with Kathy Donahue Donahue's chromos a family run business in fair ball Minnesota and talked a lot about some various different varieties and I think we maybe touch on a few other varieties. Let's let's go into more detail about the planting process because that sounds like it's rather critical. It really is and I think that all of us have in our mind when we're planting science and you buy something that planted at the level that it is in the pot. We don't want to plant it to be than fill it. So this is the one plant that is really important that you plant. We want to cover up wander to that of leaves. I thought they wanted to if it's a short plant you sometimes can't. But you would have much taking out after you plant it. But you for sure want to get one set of leaves onto the

ground you don't need to take the foliage off if you put that right in there. And then cover it up and. It's really critical to to the plan. START is going to give it a Bush Air Base and then it's also going to protect it for years to come to do you have an animal to it on the ground. It's not to be lost it's going to come from under the ground and or if it just gets broken off in the wind which can happen. So when you plant that plant put it down deep fill it in and then put your balls your plants your perennial around you in front of it or for the shade on the on the brush there any particular kind of soil needs. Well the soil needs to be really well drained while they like to be cool and boy they do not want to be and so just watch that you you worked in to keep mom or something for some training. But you want to have a good black turtle going and

they do have a real deep throat. They have to dig down and you have to put that supplement in the into the hole. But that's something people want. It also kind of as we're on that subject because they do have a deep throat if you are thinking of moving a plant. Maybe you know you're changing your landscape and you want to dig one up and move it you gotta dig down deep though go down as low as you can and and dig it out and then when you move it there again you want to cover up. You want to plant it deeper you're going to cover up one or two that the leaves of that old plant. So going to do the same thing always covering up leads. And when is a good time is you mentioning moving. What's a good time of year to do that. Probably best to do it in the fall after it's frozen they are not the ground not frozen but actually which is a lot earlier there than here probably but you know after you know in September you can cut it back you can move it

and that's a good time to do that. You could also do it in the early spring if you all the sudden decide you want to build one. That's a fine time to move it to to try to get it done early. You don't. You know that first for me. Yeah. Well might make a difference with some of you wouldn't want to do that for one of the April May. Oh you want to know that when you're going to have to move right after a blow. Otherwise you won't have any old growth. So in April and May bloom or Bloom you cut it move it and then you'll get new growth and that'll be what it is next year. And are there specific pests I guess I can't you know I've never had any problem with it although I've only got one. Well two varieties in at the moment so yeah probably about the only pests that might come to be a problem would be lighter and that would just naturally happen if you were in an area that didn't get a breeze. So maybe if it was planted in a corner by your front or something like that and not getting a breeze there you could have a

problem with that and that you just I just recommend using it with Demick and it's just something like what you've done your role in that and that would take care of that. So tough aren't usually a problem with a man if they don't seem to attract much which is good. Sometimes to the ears that indicate anything you know I hear that a lot is specially in the brain in the early spring. I think if we get too much noise here and the plans of working on it but the people you know while here. Oh my man that was perfectly green in that album though it chartreuse color and that's easily resolved with applying a mere acid but just a mass of fertilizer and if you have a plant that does that everything goes near I would say start with the acid fertilizer right away in April and don't wait for it to start to happen. Try to stop it or it starts to be a problem. So it sounds like that might be more prone to happen in an alkali situation which is

not something we usually have a problem with here in the northeast. OK yes and that that could be you know maybe just certain areas or where somebody might have a plan to if you have a waterfall that drain the oil something in an area like that. Yeah if you do use limestone for a rock wall or something that might be changing the pH of the soil a little bit right. How about a few more varieties. Well I've always have people I kind of I know from our own retail store that I get the same question every single week and a lot of people ask about shade varieties. You know because Clematis are known to be a funny plant but people want to plant in the shade and while there are a huge amount of varieties that will work there are varieties. We talked about the bit of bells that don't violate being both us on an interstate variety another variety that I like is silver moon and silver moon is the name. Pretty much will

describe that it's just a lavender white is it really pretty kind of iridescent and that Friday is one of the best writing for St.. The large flower and you know in the shade. Generally a dark color is mentioned only as a like color and I think that's going to build a good share so another variety is alabaster which is the white kind of a cretin creamy yellow white. That one also has a large bar that one is known for. So 4 years old 3 blisters that one's not going to be a real hearty Lemon chiffon which is pretty yellow and then also has a pink center to each petal. So there's kind of a drape in it and yelling Mosher which is an old fashioned variety that was kind of a lavender pink grape that one is a real. It's the beauty of bloom the early just gets covered and people probably are a little bit familiar with that variety because that is that

you know all of those are kind of you know the best shape varieties you like. That the list isn't huge but if you do of achieving any of those that were agree there's also some varieties that are more filtered sun so they you have just a couple hours of filters. Some might take offense a touch of Albany would be a great one. It's tulip shape is pink. I love the variety it bloom and bloom it's just a fantastic variety. Could you spell that one for us. OK if TX sent this and that. X E N S I M and Duchess of Albany and Albany is a L P A N Y that one my mom has found for several years and it is just always covered in blue all summer long another variety that would be good for Zone 3 or more. If you're looking for a pink for ID Hagley hybrid I love the variety that was going to be

billed for but it's a real pretty pink baby pink and medium sized flowers. It's the beauty in the air. Both her filtered sun and Clair de Lune is another one that is filtered on a light blue and a little bit of white ended kind of roughly. That one is pretty pretty in the shade again. You know the lighter colors are going to show up and that one would be filtered. Yeah and any any other specific. Well you know and then you know just going into other varieties that I really like because like they always have to plant more and more and more. You know when you have so many good business and but so some of my favorite Prince Charles which is the medium blue and. It is so pretty and that's a long time. I guess I'm one of those people that

when you plant it you just wanted to bloom and bloom I don't like it just to want to be done but you know those are the bread that we pick village daily on that that one is in our red category but I always think it's just it's almost like a fluorescent so bright and showy formative and another one that unique thing and it just made has a real Pomponne look at both double and it's just a big flower and it just petal after petal in the center of it. Some might think of a dahlia or something like that. So double. Well there's several new or new varieties that seem to have a lot of that kind of look in the center which is pretty boring. Yeah and they're you know they're constantly coming up with new writing and some of the best part about the new writing is that they they are the people over there

you know that we're all looking for is that plant that you can plant it to look good all right. I always have. Yeah. Let's talk a little more again about the support because you know if you're talking about having you know just one you can think of oh you got the trellis next door or you've got you know by the lamppost or the mailbox. But this sounds like you know if you really start becoming addicted to this maybe you could give us some ideas on creative structures that you grow plants in. That is good you know there are so many things. Well first of all you can always plan a commando with climbing and anybody with a climbing rose knows but that finding rolled the bathroom all summer and is not going to give you a colorful trellis but you plan a clematis and combine they're going to give you a lot of color. So my only that everybody went in there he would have one if you're going to love it. There's so many other support like a Rolls tower where it's free standing right out in your yard and you know there's the

battle wrought iron ones. They're beautiful but you can also form a teepee type support that you can just traded up to and once you get to the top of that it's just going to below it you know you know could be a lot of color but it'll be free standing out in the middle of the yard. Like I had talked about trees trees are fun to plant a planet next to they just it's just a new way to change the look of your tree and to add color Oh you are all right how about an old stump that you know you cut the tree down. But I really don't want to go on. So plan to combat it and that gives you the color and the reason why you believe that that old tree you know any type of a structure or yard you can you know attach or plant that and that just traded on to it in a little bit it really doesn't take long once you've got a plant that a year or two old is going to naturally grab on to.

Well if you do I think if you're particularly looking at the type three pruning where you're going to be cutting them back you could just put a build a new structure each year if you were just using say all the branches or willow branches that would that work too right. Sure. Because especially because you're cutting it down you can you know kind of experiment with that and see what you really like and what really works is supported by the people where they'll have an old wicker kind of chair or and just put that out in the yard and then have the clematis growing up in that and however grow it's really cute. Oh yeah. Yeah and it was you know you all have those old chairs that are you know just kind of a treasure and this makes for a nice little to play out the phone records. That sounds excellent. What a some other questions that folks come in to ask that maybe we could talk about. I'm you know trying to think of the biggest question always is what am I doing wrong. Because my my plants have been throwing noise so I'll talk to

them. I've also got a lot of questions of you know I have this plant and it hasn't blown. I haven't got to the bed there it looks green it looks healthy and for those people I always say well you know go home and you know put some bone meal at the base of the plant. We're just adding further to the plant and it's amazing. Within you know three four weeks they're coming back. They're think I have buds finally. There's just something lacking in the soil and by adding that full meal that encourages the buds so they have a real healthy looking plant that you don't think you're getting the bloom that you should be and have the full meal. Just scratch it into the base of the plant the water again and see what happens. So really when you do your fall or spring soil amendments they should also be included for your perennials and certainly for your Clematis as well right. You bet. Other questions I guess. You know it just I have have had a plan to it's looking beautiful. Usually it's just about

blooming or is almost done to me and then a dam will die back and it will turn black. So what I recommend to those people is just cut that growth off. If you planted your plant it's going to shoot from the base and you might find that you need to just apply a fungicide at certain times of the year or 30 to bring you know you have a quality great spring you might have more problems with that. And if once the plant has had a problem you're better off to just use the budget side as a preventative rather than waiting to see if it's going to do it again though. You know just an all purpose fungicides applied on the foliage watered in at the base of the plant and that should solve your problem. Is there a way to you know divide a platter to propagate like if there's one that you like what you'd like to spread it out a little bit more. Is there a way to do that. Well you can to the vision. There is no way to propagate by laying down a

branch of the one thing with a lattice is that they are very slow to run. Take Many week then we have different techniques we use within the Green Belt but outside you're going to be kind of bad. Mother Nature Nurture through mercy because it's going to be you know are you going to have the right pole temperatures to try to get a run. But surely if you have an old established clump you can just cut that in half like you do of all your other perennials and and but but there again when you take that chunk be sure you plant. I don't think I can say that now but plastic or man is pointy. And are they producing. Could you save or try growing from seed. You can try you you probably won't get what you have you know if you're trying to get the exact same plant what you have to beat is generally not going to give you the name. Right. You're better off with a cutting. Yeah.

Well if you're saying it's going to take several years before you get blossoms Anyway it it would be quite a commitment. It would be yeah yeah yeah. And that even that the journalists face and then so it is kind of a tough one. We don't do anything to eat all of our are done through cutting. Yeah interesting. Well again for folks who just tuned in we're speaking with Kathy Donahue from Donahue's clematis in maybe Minnesota Can you describe a bit more people questions and they want to contact you. How would they get ahold of you right. Well they could surely contact her and maybe but he did answer the phone is very very knowledgeable. Can't get information. We do do retail mail order. We can send you one of our color catalog. We have growing information in there and all of our plans to help will come with the printing sheet. So every variety is listed with what type of protein that category for that plant. You know we answer questions we get to lift the stone three three varieties. If you miss some of the

varieties I talked to or can figure out the spelling which is always interesting. Yeah and you know just contact our office our number is 5 0 3 3 4 8 4 0 4 4 located in parable Minnesota. So do you actually have a retail front. Gessen Yeah. Do we have a seasonal retail store we have a very large retail store we have about 25000 square feet under glass and we're opening seasonally we opened mid April and we usually close at the end of June and then we reopened again. They don't hamper we do point that of about 20 points. Oh my goodness. So we have beautiful display a point that is that we're growing right now. Yeah yeah so your store front is open pretty short amount of time that if you know somebody gets a catalog then are they expecting. When do you ship the plants we ship. January through October so any of those months we ship and a great

time to plant matter is you know after the heat of the summer. So right now as it's starting to cool down with a great time to plant to plant so it's plenty of time to get a sandwich before winter and that you'll have a day I plant next year. And can you request a catalog on your webpages you've got yes if you go to our Web page there's an inquiry but you can just put in all your information and we will send you out a catalog the next day. In the web address is Donahue's Clematis it's a h u s and then c l a t s dot com. And I've been looking at a little bit here you've got some nice varieties some of them are like this is this is kind of the way I like to do things either the pink varieties or the blue over. But but if you're looking for a specific variety is there a way you can search on the web page to night we have a list of state varieties.

There we don't have a search on it. So a lot of the varieties that I talked about head to the small flower you're going to find all the biggest sellers. But really you know columns we can direct you rate the rate but you know what you're looking for in your garden you're going to know. And again that phone number is maybe you could give it out 5 0 7 3 3 4 8 4 0 4. And one of the things also good to know the question here regarding that is this height of varieties too as far as the kind of support that they need for that because there's you know those are ranging from the shortest you said was three feet and then what they get up to. Yeah they can get up to even 20 feet. You know really if you're looking for a variety they want a bigger trellis goal. You know maybe you have a template trauma or you're going over an arbor you know choose a variety of that 10 to 12 feet. If you have an eight foot trellis and you

plant a variety that 10 to 12 feet. It's really not going to be a problem at plants just going to get a bit of that kind of get kind of going to go across. It's going to find something else or it's just going to trail down. So by the main part is supported. So can I have a really nice looking plant. Yeah. Excellent. Well I think that that kind of covers the clematis. Or at least a good little attempt for folks. Again that number if you're interested in the catalog would like more information is 5 0 7 3 3 4 8 4 0 4. Donnie is call Madison fair ball Minnesota. And we've been speaking with Kathy Donahue one of the family members for the family run business. Donna has come at us and thinks. Thank you Kathy so much for joining us I appreciate that. Glad to have had you on Northern gardening here. And next next week we will be talking with raising a native lady slippers That's from Bill Steele from spangle Creek labs will be joining us he wants to make

sure that these native plants are available for future generations so that will be a rather fascinating discussion. You're listening to Northern gardening here on WTOP we broadcast on live on Fridays and rebroadcast on the following Wednesday. And again you're invited to call with your questions even on Wednesday we'll just take your call and address that particular topic question on the following Friday. Our numbers are 3 8 7 10 70 or 800 4 7 3 9 8 4 7. Or you can e-mail us WTI. Or is she so bored and are then gardening comes from Evergreen original's greenhouse located at 16 Skye port lane in Graham right now open for the gardening season evergreen originals Green-Ellis specializes in annuals and perennials for our northern climate also offering shrubs vegies herbs and a wide selection of hanging baskets. Information available in person or at 3 8 7 2 8 6 2 in support of Northern gardening also comes from Edwin E. Thorson incorporated contractors working to fill landscape needs in the north plant 3 8

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gardening and we'll see you again next week get the gloves on and get out there now. Got a little ring that has helped. Thanks so much.