IALWAYS MADE A BEELINE to see Dan Long and his Brushwood Nursery booth of climbing plants at a big annual spring sale nearby, but in the event chaos could never pester him long enough to ask all the questions I had stored up—which Clematis I was pruning wrong; what vines I could overwinter indoors; what climber would play nice with what other intertwined. Thinking (as I am) about adding more vines to the garden this year? My Q&A with Dan may help with some choices, growing tips and combination ideas—plus I am offering two $30 gift certificates to kick off A Way to Garden’s 2012 giveaway season.
Brushwood Nursery, aka gardenvines [dot] com, was founded in 1998 in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, out of a Lord and Burnham greenhouse Dan rented for $5 a year plus upkeep. (Such a deal!) Dan, a University of Delaware horticulture graduate, used to teach at nearby Longwood Gardens and worked with Conard-Pyle, where he got fluent in the propagation of Clematis, which most nurseries call “a nuisance crop,” he says, with their particular trimming schedules and rambunctious intertwining tendencies.
Enter a business opportunity: a high dollar-per-square-foot greenhouse crop, and one that not everyone is good at–enter Brushwood. He started selling vines over eBay, eventually launching his own website, and recently outgrew the climate and space in Pennsylvania and moved to Athens, Georgia.
The Brushwood collection now numbers more than 500 climbers, with Clematis as the main event—including ‘Omoshiro,’ top photo, which may be the first large-flowered one I ever buy (it’s more than 7 inches across, and fragrant). There are climbing roses, jasmines, passionflowers and more–but let Dan tell you.
The Q&A With Dan Long
Q. A guy with 500-plus climbers must have a serious collector gene. What prize have you hunted down recently, and what is the next holy grail? What’s hot?
A. I was really happy to finally get Clematis tangutica ‘Lambton Park’ [below]. It has huge flowers! We found it at a nursery in Germany and imported it back in September. For the near future, we’ll continue to work with contacts I made in Europe last summer, including licensing agreements with a couple of French rose breeders.
Small-flowered clematis and disease-resistant roses are hot these
days. People want performance in the garden without trouble or
chemicals to get there.
Q. You’ve told me that though the business is in climbers, you are crazy about lots of other plants, too. Like what in particular?
A. We’ve moved just far enough south that I can grow an amazing assortment of figs. At last count, I have 16 varieties planted. Some are technically zone 8 plants (we’re 7b here), but I’m still going to try. I’m starting a small grove of Camellia sinensis so I can make my own tea. We’re also going to establish a wildflower meadow to support my honeybees in summer. They get lots of nectar from trees in spring but will get a boost if we have lots of summer flowers.
Q. With the business move and ramp-up, you said you haven’t landscaped yet…but what does the garden of your imagination look like? Any inspirations to share? [Below, work at the new nursery location in Athens, Georgia, is under way.]
A. Naturally, we’ll feature lots of climbers. Trellises will be important, but we’ll grow through shrubs and small trees a lot, too. I like lush, overflowing informal designs the most. I was lucky to live near Chanticleer Garden and visited regularly for inspiration. Their gardeners are fantastic!
Q. One always hears the phrase “face in the sun, feet in the shade” when asking for advice about how to make clematis happy, but there must be more
to it. What pointers do you have to share?
A. The “feet in the shade” recommendation is a bit of a myth. It’s actually all about having ample moisture during the growing season. As long as you can provide that, a good mulch will do fine. Along those same lines, good fertility is important for clematis to perform their best. If your soil is weak (we are on very tired old cotton land here) amend it well with organic matter and consider some bone meal, too. Here’s a neat trick: Plant your clematis at a 45-degree angle–actually lean it over in the hole–to promote more shoots from the base sooner.
Q. I know that you practice IPM, or integrated pest management, limiting chemical usage and otherwise observing green tactics. So if I’m an organic gardener, what do I feed my vines?
A. Fresh compost tea is great. It’s hard to get around here but I’ve read that more garden centers are brewing it so you can go pick up a couple of gallons without having to brew your own. Mulching with materials that break down to feed the soil will help, too.
Q. I confessed to you that I tend to have a pretty brutal clematis pruning system, cutting most back fairly hard (to 12-18 inches), which delays bloom but doesn’t seem to kill anyone. But please, tell us what the right way is, and I’ll try to behave in 2012.
A. All clematis will benefit from annual pruning. The good news is you won’t kill a clematis by pruning it or not pruning it. If you don’t know the variety, use the time of year it blooms as a guide. Those that bloom in early spring on old wood shouldn’t be pruned until after they bloom. Use it as an opportunity to shape or thin the vine as needed only. The ones that bloom in late spring will stay cleaner, look better and bloom more if you cut them back to some fat buds in late winter. How high to do it will vary by variety. You can experiment with different heights or achieve blooms at varying heights if your clematis has enough stems. The ones that bloom later, early to late summer, can be cut way back. Some will die to the ground and should be cleaned up like herbaceous perennials. Others may be cut to a foot or two from the ground.
Q. Can I combine multiple clematis on the same structure or support for
extended bloom? I assume it has to do with similar pruning schedules, but
which ones live happily ever after together?
A. Yes, you can but the ones with the same pruning needs will tend to bloom around the same time. As long as you keep track, you can plant group 2 and 3 clematis together. [An explanation of the group numbers can be found by scrolling down after you click on this page.] You can even grow them onto a group 1 clematis like a montana [inset above, Clematis montana 'Wilsonii.'] I wouldn’t recommend that for the ones called atragenes, though (ones from the species alpina and macropetala). Even if you combine plants that bloom at the same time, the color-blend effect can be marvelous.
Q. On that same thinking: Are there other climbers that can cohabitate with clematis happily (or other vines that work with each other and not clematis)?
A. Clematis are great choices for growing through other plants because most have very light structures. Clematis and climbing roses make great partners. They have similar needs and the clematis won’t harm it’s mate as long as you keep size in mind. Choose a clematis that will hug and flower on the “legs” of the rose or just reach up into the canopy to mingle colors. Larger clematis like tangutica and montana varieties should be avoided. They can be grown safely in trees.
A big climber like ‘New Dawn’ could accommodate a tall viticella
hybrid like ‘Etoile Violette’ or ‘Polish Spirit’ in its canopy and a
shorty like ‘Climador’ on its legs. Remember, though, any time you
increase the density of growth, make sure there’s ample moisture and
fertility. Also, choose a rose with good disease resistance. The
canopy will get dense with clematis foliage by the end of the season.
Q. Those of us who garden in the North were always told to stick to Canadian Explorer Series roses and a few other stalwarts if we dared plant a climber. I think that’s changing. Anything exciting to recommend?
A. Folks in Zone 4 should really stick with the Explorers for best results. There are plenty of beautiful climbing roses for Zone 5. ‘Eden’ is a great choice, as well as ‘Joseph’s Coat.’ Many of Bill Radler’s new climbers like ‘Morning Magic,’ ‘CanCan’ and ‘Winner’s Circle’ are fine for the cold. ‘Winner’s Circle’ has been likened to a climbing Knockout. ‘Westerland’ [below] is a solid choice, too. That orange bloom would look great with a big purple clematis woven through it.
Q. If it’s fragrance I’m after, what are your top climber picks?
A. True jasmines are wonderful for fragrance. Trachelospermum is a bit over the top unless you can stand back a few paces. Clematis montana is wonderful in spring. Many of the climbing roses have good fragrance, too. I like ‘Albertine’ and ‘Colette’ a lot. There’s a brand new one called ‘Stormy Weather’ with a rich, delicious fragrance. We’re going to grow lots of it.
Q. Some treasures in your catalog will never make it through my winter—but I’m game to protect them in the cellar, my unheated garage, or the house, even. Recommend some vines we can push the zone limits with.
A. We had great success with Aristolochia in a large pot. Late each spring, we’d set it out by the back porch corner and guide it up wires , where the blooms would dangle overhead and bloom all summer. At the end of the summer we’d just cut it back and keep it in a sunny, protected spot until the next year.
The same can be done for most
tropical and subtropical plants. Some will even perform indoors with
enough light. Passiflora ‘Lady Margaret’ [left] is a nice compact selection
that doesn’t need yards of stem to bloom. Try it in a hanging basket
in a sunny window. For others almost hardy enough, let them go completely dormant but roll the container in to protection for winter.
Jasminum ‘Fiona Sunrise’ is a good example. That awesome chartreuse
foliage is worth a little extra effort and it’s perfectly happy grown
in a large pot.
Q. Are there online places you find yourself browsing for inspiration or reference—whether some institution or a blog or photo site? Any bookmarks to share (besides A Way to Garden, tee hee)?
A. I scan many of the gardening forums like Gardenweb, Gardenbuddies, and Davesgarden when I get the time to learn more about growing vines and climbers in other climates. There’s a new community just getting growing from the founder of Dave’s Garden (Dave Whitinger) called All Things Plants that looks promising.
The world’s most complete clematis reference for most species and hybrids is Clematis on the Web . They are very quick to get new selections online. It’s a great advantage they have over print. For fans of our native Viorna Group specifically, try American Bells . Carol Lim has become an authority on the group and is in touch with other experts throughout the U.S. on the subject. For Passiflora, Myles Irvine’s Passiflora Online is the very best. The Dutch National Lonicera Collection, kept by Arjan Laros, has great information and pictures of honeysuckles.
Q. You must have a great library of garden books. Can you recommend any favorites you wouldn’t be without—one about roses, maybe, and a clematis resource, and also your favorite general garden book of all?
A. “Climbing Roses of the World” by Charles Quest-Ritson is quite thorough, but the “American Rose Society’s Encyclopedia of Roses” is excellent and useful specifically for American gardens. Toomey and Leeds’ “An Encyclopedia of Clematis” is my top choice followed by Linda Beutler’s “Gardening With Clematis; Design and Cultivation.” For obscure vines I like the “RHS Manual of Climbers and Wall Plants.” I’d be run out of Athens, Georgia, if I didn’t mention Allan Armitage has a brand new book, “Vines and Climbers.” Fortunately, it’s easy to recommend since it’s loaded with great vines and practical advice.
How to Win the Brushwood Gift Certificates
TWO $30 GIFT CERTIFICATES for your choice of plants on Gardenvines [dot] com are up for grabs, and all you have to do is comment below, answering the question:
What’s your favorite climber–whether a perennial, annual or even a woody shrub like a climbing rose? Tell us about it. (Aphids be damned, I love Lonicera, or honeysuckles, and small-flowered Clematis that scramble up and over shrubs in the garden.)
I know, you’re saying: “Is she nuts? It’s winter. I can’t plant vines now.” But not to worry; the gardenvines [dot] com site allows you to reserve a plant and get a reminder when it’s ready to ship. Even with items not in stock right now, or that you don’t want delivered immediately, this is the best time of year to shop, before those in limited supply are gone.
I’ll pick the winners at random after entries close at midnight, Wednesday, January 11, and email them the good news.
(All plant photos courtesy of Dan Long, Brushwood Nursery.)
Call me crazy, but I simply love the variegated leaves and deep blue berries on that invasive of all vines: Porcelain Berry! I hack my decade old vine back to 6 inches each November, and it’s lush growth happily returns to cover my Frank Lloyd Wright inspired redwood trellis each Spring.
Always room in my garden for one more vine. Hops over by the greenhouse, Clematis around the gate post, Campsis up the chimmney. Up up and away!
Honeysuckle
I grow morning glories in the corner of my fence. I love the way the vines give character to the fence.
I’m new to the site, thanks for my friend Martha.
The king of all climber is the Wisteria ! It will grow while you sleep!
Unfortunately I had planted it in the wrong place: Climbing over the deck… and was warned by friends that it will take down the deck with the house.
So, it had to go and we started all over again far from the house.
But savage garden it is
I have several Clematis, Betty Corning is perhaps a favorite. I discovered that they are good cut flowers and that was another reason to want more.
I love wisteria and climbing roses.
Lonicera sempervirens (trumpet honeysuckle) – a rambling, climbing hummingbird magnet!
Love Dan’s trick of planting Clematis at 45 deg. Will try that out this year!
So tough, these “favorite” questions….
I’m utterly foolish for annual sweet peas, Lathyrus odoratus. I wish that I could take over the entire vegetable garden with sweet peas and just sit amongst them all summer.
Clematis is my favorite climber. I have three growing on my garden fence, however I wasn’t thoughtful enough to plant three different types so there is an abundance of blossoms, all at once.
I have several Clematis, Betty Corning is perhaps a favorite
I’m terribly fond of viorna Clematis, particularly C. pitcheri tangling its way through shrub roses. But I also love the non-vining species like C. fremontii that form wonderfully fuzzy clumps in the rock garden.
I don’t grow them any longer because of the deer, but I am absolutely transfixed by the site of Morning Glory, Heavenly Blue. When they are off to a gallop, it amazes me how one plant can produce so many blooms. My other fascination is that each bloom last but one day, starts out the palest of blue, darkens to an something between blue and purple and disappears. I once had them growing on a lamp post and the blooms found their way into the glass portion of the lantern creating the appearance of jewels under glass!
I love the little cardinal flower vine– is it a member of the morning glory family? — I grow it up to my second floor deck and the hummingbirds just love it.
I love the clems too, but love the annual ones even more!
Ones like Spanish Flag and Hyacinth bean….
but I will never plant a Trumpet vine after spending several years trying to eradicate it. I grew under pavement and threatened to overtake the wooded area nearby, and rarely flowered…
I’m a clematis sucker. Just ordered ‘roghii’(sp), can’t wait for it to arrive. I have some replanting to do as I managed to kill a couple last year.
Gelsemium rankinii…evergreen, blooms spring and fall…fragrant, cheery yellow blooms. What more could you ask?
I have a clematis near my mailbox. It hasn’t done that well as some dogs keep visiting.
I love golden hops if I have to pick a favorite, and one reason is because in the heat of summer I crave that wall of green gold and the mirage of coolness it conveys.
I started lots of new vines last year – clematis, lonicera, New Dawn climbing rose – but what I”m really eager to plant this year is Actinidia or hardy kiwi. I’ve seen it in gardens in England and near by at Wave Hill. The pink blush on white and green leaves is just spectacular! Of course, I love hops, too!
I absolutely adore Clematis. I have, in the past grown several kinds that aim for each other. Jackmanii with Honorine, Sweet Autumn that wowed me with reblooming Jackmanii. The belled varieties of Clematis. I also started planting Clematis underneath the blooming shrubbery so that when those bushes weren’t blowing me away with their own show of flowers, the vines of Clematis were winding up through the branches and stems and making people wonder what kind of shrub that was in my former gardens in Faerie Holler East……….. As for vines…….anything that blooms and is perennial, thank you. Although I have to say I saw how tenacious Akebia could be, and I decided to pass an offer from my mentor and extra mom one year. Thanks for the chance to win a vine.
New dawn roses
I have two favorite vines growing together…’New Dawn’ rose and clematis ‘The President’. I love the way the clematis weaves through the rose canes and it has blooms almost all summer.
Honeysuckle for its fragrance and memories. As children, my sister and I would run through the woods laughing as we picked wild honeysuckle. We loved the fragrance and thought if we harvested enough flowers we would be able to make a drink of the nectar. Every time I look at it in my garden, I think of her.
I am so fond of the Morning Glories, , ,All colors and hues. Once I grew it with Silver Lace Vine and completely surrounded a deck area. At Thanksgiving I love to harvest the dry seeds to save for next year’s show!
I dont have any climbers yet and dont know where to begin actually. I would love climbing roses along a trellis in my back yard, but just a dream right now.
Wisteria is my absolute favorite….morning glory in the mix makes for a beautiful view.
My favorites are an antique pink scented climbing rose and an autumn Clematis with a welcome scent in fall.
My favorite vine is the Moon Flower.
Thanks!
I have quite a few clematis vines, but my happiest vine seems to be Clematis montana ‘Elizabeth’. Wonderful vanilla scent and yummy pale pink flowers in great abundance!
I planted Lonicera ‘Peaches and Cream’ in the fall, and I’m hoping it will be as wonderful as its catalog description.
This past summer we had Moonflowers for the first time thanks to my mom-in-law who introduced me to them. She liked to grow them when she lived in Pennsylvania and wanted to keep up with them now that she is resettled in Massachusetts. We planted some seeds near a shaded seating area in our garden and in the late summer evenings I sat with my coffee watching individual buds unwrap themselves into large white flowers the size of six inch saucers. On warm evenings it took about 20 minutes for a flower to open. They lasted less than 24 hours but the plant produced new flowers for well over a week. A spectacular performance.
Count me firmly in the wisteria camp!
I remember seeing clemetis growing for the first time when we moved from Phx to St Louis!!! WOW!!! Love at first site. Now here in Neb I have them growing where ever I can but the most beautiful is the Sweet Autumn that I train on heavy fishing line around my front portico. Maybe this Spring I’ll try planting one to keep my vibernum company–oh such happy thoughts as the wind is gusting up to 50 mph and the snow is coming down. I think winter is here at last.
Honeysuckles and bougainvillea have long been personal favorites of mine, but lately I’ve become obsessed with grape vines, and the beauty and versatility of their leaves. So handy!
Clematis viticella ‘Etoile Violette’ is definitely my favorite vine! Big billows of vine, with hundreds of velvety purple flowers with gold stamens. If this isn’t enough, it’s easy to prune, and thrives in my Wisconsin garden – not the easiest climate for gardening.
My favorite climbers are honeysuckle (love that scent!!), the invasive trumpet vine (I think it is eating my house), and my wonderful Cecile Brunner rose. I want to try clematis and jasmine. There is always something new to try–even though, often, that something “new” is “old”.
Clematis is definitely my favorite – carefree, years of beauty! We have some hops now [for beer making, but they are quite beautiful], and do usually have some annual vines.
I had a climbing hydrangea that I babied for about 8 years before it gave up the ghost. My hydrangeas never seem to realize their potential, but I’ve never let that stop me. Maybe I should do the kind thing though and switch to another climber….might be easier on me–and the plant world.
Clematis is definitely my favorite….
I would be interested in knowing wht the best vines are for part sun/part shade.
Clematis x durandii and Clematis texensis are my favorites, but I’d love to add Clematis addisonii.
I enjoy the trumpet vine-hummingbirds love it.
So many vines, so little time! I’m an orange trumpet vine lover myself-love the look climbing over my stonewall.
My favortie is the Trumpet Vine.
I love old fashion “moon flowers”. I plant them close to the windows of the room I’m in at night to enjoy them.
We put in a Trumpet Vine/Trumpet Creeper, which is native to New Jersey. We are looking forward to it flowering next year and attracting the hummingbirds.
Morning Glories!
I love the trumpet vine (Campsis). I can cut this vine right back or just trim it either way it delivers loads of beautiful orange blooms and lasts until a frost. It has many fans, such as bees, hummingbirds and last summer I had Orioles visiting. I have my vine in the front yard which climbs and disguises an old hydro guide. A very showy plant!!
Wisteria is actually my favorite climber-long blue-purple fragrant Easter blooms!
But since wisteria spreads too easily, my next favorite is Dr. Ruppel clematis!
It is hard to pick a favorite! I love honeysuckle and clematis, roses and trumpet vine. I love the look of a trumpet vine at some place other than my own yard because they absolutely take over! Honeysuckle can too but I’d have to say it is my fav…beautiful flowers and scent! MMMM
Japanese Hydrangea Vine ‘Moonlight’ and Hardy Kiwi – yum!