Clematis and dahlias

This is the jackmanii variety of Clematis. If the summer weather is cool, it will bloom for weeks. They can be fickle, but I've had these two blue ones for many years in the same spot. In the winter, the vines look completely dead and you cut them back almost to the ground. They like this hard prune, and come back each spring better than ever.

They're growing over the top of rotted out wood pyramids. I was going to replace them this spring, until I started looking around and got discouraged. Everything was cheap and flimsy or else beautiful and expensive, and it seemed a shame to spend all that money on metal "art" when the vines would cover it completely. But the old wood ones may finally fall to pieces this winter, and I'll have to find something else. Whatever I buy has to support a surprisingly heavy mass of foliage. I know this, because I drag the tangled dead vines off each fall.

You may be familiar with the other variety of Clematis which is evergreen (armandii.) It has white flowers and in Seattle can bloom in late winter. We have one over the back deck, but I've cut it back hard too many times, and it's never forgiven me. People have strong preferences about both, but the jackmanii is the flashy one.

It is a beautiful time in our garden right now, right at the cusp of being overgrown. Soon the lilies will be finished and the daisies flopping over.
This is one of my nicer dahlias, called "Arabian Nights." It is a great cutting flower with long stems, and this week looks at the peak of perfection.

The BBC Plant Finder page lists "gardener skill level" for all the flowers, and this one is listed as "Experienced." Really? Ha! That makes me feel pretty smug.

Hope you have a great summer weekend. Not a cloud in the sky this morning, and perfect weather ahead for Seattle, although I'll be busy running up the water bill.