Clematis

Clematis (KLEM-ah-tis)

This is the Martha Stewart preferred pronunciation...

or

Clematis (kli-MAT-is)

This would be the Ohio version...

No matter how you say it,

it's a show-stopping, dependable and hardy perennial.

Here is mine in the dead of winter.

 This is late winter after the snow melts away...

I always worry that it's dead.

If you ask me...it looks dead.

 Then all of a sudden, almost overnight, green starts popping

out on the brown, brittle vines.

The buds start to appear after the leaves.

And at almost the exact same time every year,

right around May 15th,

gorgeous pink petals emerge.

 Each flower has 8 pointed petals.

The furry little center stays even after the petals have fallen.

I have to say that of everything I have ever planted,

this climatis is my favorite.

Possibly because it actually blooms. 

(I have issues with things blooming for some reason...)

But also because it's so dependable.

No matter how hard the winter or how wet the spring,

buds and then blooms appear.

I will show you the front of my house after it's mulched.

My spring front porch becomes my summer front porch.
When I place big ferns in my planters
I know that summer is here to stay.
And after the winter we had, I have never been more ready.

What says "summer" to you?

Thanks for visiting!

Linking to:
Sunday Showcase Party at Under The Table and Dreaming
Mosaic Monday at Little Red House
Just Something I Whipped Up at The Girl Creative
Creative Bloggers Party and Hop at Homemaker on a Dime
Newbie Party at Debbie's
Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps On The Porch