1. Clematis This year my husband bought a trellis for our clematis (previously it grew up a post). The most encouraging thing I read about clematis: “It should be noted that incorrect pruning will never bring an early death to clematis.” Folk wisdom I picked up somewhere: “Clematis need sun on their shoulders and shade on their feet.”
2. Garlic This whimsical plant lives and breathes among my flowers. I just learned that the curlicue thingies are called scapes. I also learned that most garlic growers remove the scapes to promote greater bulb growth. Further, they are edible and here is a recipe for Garlic Scape Pesto. Pasta anyone?
Can you spot the garlic on the left?
A Living Pencil 
Yum. I love garlic! Pickled, roasted, or however. But I try to avoid pasta….because I like it too much. Lately, with my pesto, I stir a little in with my steamed Vidalia onions….the green adds a pretty color, and of course, the onion has fewer carbs than the pasta. Wait a minute… I just realized I could do that with spaghetti squash!Guess I’ll try that for dinner tonight.
what a beautiful shaped garlic plant! initially i thought (as i was moving the cursor down) that it was a decorating trellis; we have wild garlic in the garden – but not the type you have!
Funny, my first impression of the garlic was some new kind of watering system!! How funny our imaginations are, eh? And your front garden looks quite lovely.I think I will be learning about plants vicariously through YOUR learning, due to school commitments. But I’m enjoying it already!
carol, the beauty of your clematis prompt me to find out which specie grows in south africa – i found this fascinating info – i’ll have to plant one (or first search for one in my overgrown garden); i think we might just learn a lot from each other with this venture… i enjoyed your comment about pruning… we have a plum tree: a friend (a very good one of dh)showed me how to prune it so that it looks like a tree in a chinese garden…on which dh replied: do you want fruit in the summer or do you want it to look beautiful? i didn’t answer him that i think it can look both beautiful and bear fruit – we had people with us… i or rather we can still prune it though
The clematis is wonderful. I have always wanted one but never thought we could. I have a spot we were JUST talking about putting a clematis in, but I fear your mention of the sunny shoulders would eliminate that spot. SO thank you for this. You just saved us some bucks. The garlic is marvelous. I am a pasta fanatic (and my hips prove it) but unlike Carol (whose idea was wonderful) I just figure life is short….eat pasta. I would rather have it than chocolate. I have become a garlic fanatic with all of the health benefits associated with it. Okay this got long. sorry. great post my friend. blessings m
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!! We were given these and were just using them as a type of scallion. We have an entire bag still full and I wanted to use them before they went bad. I will be trying out this pesto for sure!
Beautiful photos! The DH and I discussed a spot for a trellis and Clematis yesterday, your’s is glorious!