Nelly Moser

I'd like to introduce you to Nelly Moser. Nelly's a clematis, and I've known her longer than I've known most people in my life.

She has big showy flowers that I've always thought looked kind of fake, like they're all made out of cloth.

They bloom for about a month, starting with one at a time and picking up speed till the whole vine is covered with pink, and the green leaves do their best to peek out from behind the big blooms in an effort to share the sunshine.

But the flowers ain't about sharing.
As I said, Nelly and I go back a ways. I purchased my Nelly Moser in the late 90's. I bought her planning to plant her at an apartment where I was living back then, but I never got her in the ground. I'm very glad that I didn't because I was only there for a year and a half before moving here to the place I still call home.

As soon as we moved in, I planted her on the corner of the tool shed. Clematis like to have their roots in the shade and their leaves in the sun, so she's been very happy there, flowering reliably and profusely year after year.

But, if you have a few more minutes, come take a look at what else is growing in my gardens today. It's just through here...

The flower on the left is campanula persicafolia. It's by no means my only one!

They might well be my absolute favorite perennial.

This flower's name is lychnis coronaria, but I much prefer her common name, rose campion. Her flowers are mixed with the ox eye daisy, this week's invasive species.

Here they are with a perennial geranium, sanguineum var. striatum.

Here they are with a rudbeckia and more campanulas.

Here they are in front of my peonies.

And out on the road with the rose bushes.

I could go on but I should probably leave it there before I have to change the hashtag to #alwayswaytoomanyflowers or something. 🙄

Thanks so much for stopping by and checking out my post as always at #alwaysaflower:)