sundays child wrote:
Hello people, This is my first post so please excuse me if it is not in
correct format or is in wrong place !
We moved into our home in August 2009. The garden is not very big, but
is very pretty with some lovely plants. A previous owner has obviously
loved it and has taken a lot of trouble to choose a really good mix of
shrubs, bulbs and perrenials. There is a pergola which has several
Clematis growing over it. From the labels left on the plants they are
all identified as winter flowering evergreens. The problem is, the
flowers are really insignificant and the plants have completely swamped
the pergola. We are at a loss as to what to to for the best. They have
obviously been there for several years as the stems are really thick and
intertwined and it would be really difficult separating them to prune.

Should we bite the bullet and cut the whole lot down so we can plant
some of our choosing ? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

regards to all


I know one is eager to get involved, but I think it would be prudent to
live there for a whole year to see what comes up before making any major
changes. Someone who bought my house in August might think they had a
few roses in some beds and some ferns in the corner of the garden. Only
next year would they know the rose beds are full of daffodils and
jonquils, and the fern is a nice asparagus patch. You don't yet know
what the clemantis will look like in the coming months.