Leaping Clematis

The first year you sleep,

The second year you creep,

The third year you leap!

This is a saying that befits plants such as clematis, which take a while to get going after they are planted. The purple clematis I planted our first summer in Seattle is now in its third year and 'leaping' along the fence. It's not quite as full as I had hoped it would be by the third year, but it's getting there. I wonder what they do in the fourth year?

One of two sides

...and by the way...clematis can be pronounced either "CLEH-ma-tis" or "Cle-MAH-tis" - the first is the British pronunciation, and the second is more common among Americans. I switch between pronunciations depending on who I'm with and how snooty I want to sound - you kind of sound foolish using the British pronunciation around non-gardeners (apologies to our British readers).