Clematis, Wisteria, Dogwood, and a Bonsai
The Spring Garden
My wife had been working hard at her desk for about two hours. I noticed her hop up and leave through the front door with her clipboard. She returned about 15 minutes later and went back to work. Finally, out of the blue, she announced that the number was 81.
I must’ve had a blank stare because she immediately realized I had no earthly idea what she was talking about.
“We have 81 clematis on the property,” she said in a manner that implied I was some unknown type of dullard.
“Ahh,” I said, contemplating how to respond. “Is this a good thing or a bad thing?”
“Good for me, but maybe not so good for you. We have to get them ready for the garden show.”
“Hum,” I muttered to the dog. The tip of his tail wagged, but he didn’t look up. I checked my watch. It was 4:30, close enough to 5 o’clock for me.
I walked out onto the back deck and procured a beer from the refrigerator below the outdoor bar, a Steeplejack IPA. With a full beer in hand, I headed into the gardens to get a better handle on this whole clematis thing.
(For the uninitiated, a seemingly unlimited supply of new varieties of clematis are produced by enthusiastic gardeners around the world, and each one is given…
