text: Another is a newer bright pink variety called 'Princess Diana.' With bell shaped flowers, it's a perfect vine for an arbor and harmonizes beautifully with paler pink roses.
  Remember to plant the crown of all Clematis 2" to 4" below the surface of the soil. Mulch the root zone to keep it cool. Water regularly for best health. One inch of water per week is perfect. I like to topdress clematis in fall when I have more gardening time by simply dropping a partial bucket of compost on the root zone.
  Now is the time for summer pruning of all your spring blooming shrubs or your evergreens that were not pruned in early spring. Once the flowers fade, new growth can arch out in odd ways. If new needles and leaves have "hardened off" on evergreens, meaning thickened up and darkened in color, we can prune with our hand pruners.
  We work to restore a naturalistic look to the plants such as azaleas, rhododendrons, lilacs, winterberries, viburnums, weigelas, hollies, boxwoods, and small trees such as crabapples and Japanese maples. One goal is to open up air circulation, creating more space for each branch and leaf to photosynthesize. This practice also helps reduce incidence of disease and pest outbreaks. We remove deadwood, broken and crossing branches when encountered, picturing in our minds the future growth habit of the wood we choose to keep intact.