Most gardens are very private. Unlike TheGardenLady’s garden whose garden is in the front of the house for all to see, with the back yard being more natural and tranquil, most gardens are only seen by the owners and their guests. It is exciting to get invited into a private garden to see what their garden is like. So here are some photos of a private garden in Seattle.
  Back Gate
         Back 40
    Camus & Pac Coast Iris
Clematis
Front Door Garden
Lenton Rose
Oregon Grape and Huckleberry
Side Rock Garden
Wisteria and Two Maples
Readers of  TheGardenLady would love to see photos of your private garden. Please share your photos with us.
I saw a gorgeous plant at a person’s house and thought it was a clematis. She said it wasn’t and said a name like “boca via” or something. I tried to do a search and couldn’t find anything like that. It is a very tall plant in a huge pot with a trellis type thing to hold it up. Just beautiful! Any ideas what is was?
Trying to find a plant without knowing its Latin name or even a common name, with no description of the flower and its color nor having a photo of the plant- even a photo of its leaves if not a photo of the flower, is asking a lot of TheGardenLady.
I will guess that your friend might have an Akebia Trifoliata known as the three leaf chocolate vine. This has a pretty flower. with a fragrance. It doesn’t like its roots disturbed and can be planted in a container or in the garden. It grows tall.
BUT Akebias can be INVASIVE.  See here. If this is the vine you are seeking, when buying BE WARY! What does invasive mean? It means that the roots or seeds of the plant will spread all over and for the rest of your life you will be trying to kill the plant all over your yard and your neighbors’ yards. Invasive plants do not allow other plants to live and because the Akebia is not native, it will probably not allow native birds or good insects like butterflies to have sufficient foods that they need. Especially the Akebia quinta (the five leaf chocolate vine) which is definitely said to be VERY invasive. I’ve read of a new variety of Akebia quinta called Silver Bells Chocolate vine. TheGardenLady thinks that this vine will also be an invasive. Just because something is sold does not mean that it is ok.
Please, if this is the vine you are looking for, check out your state’s invasive list or call your local Master Gardener office to check on the plant’s invasiveness. I would worry about the invasive quality of any Akebia and buy a beautiful clematis instead. There are so many clematis to choose from.
If the Akebia is not the vine you are looking for, contact Georgiavines. The owner has made it her life’s work to raise vines of all kinds. She might even suggest a vine for you that the person whose vine you loved will find even more enticing. Two other vine nurseries are here and here.
Clematis likes soil that has a pH close to neutral (6.6-7.0). You have to add enough lime to ensure that your soil is not too acidic. Generous amounts of bone meal and compost should be added to the soil. Clematis likes soil that drains well, so coarse builder’s sand should be added to soils that have a high clay content.
Lilacs also like a rich, well-drained soil with a neutral pH. They will grow happily in soil with a wider pH range- from 5.8-7.8 pH.
If the writer of this question is from the New England area where soils are often very acidic, soils will require modification for optimal lilac or clematis growth.
But do not try to change the pH of your soil by guessing. If you live in the US., contact your county agricultural extension service or your local Master Gardener Office for soil-testing information. You will get a soil testing kit that you will fill with soil for the test and when the results are returned, you will learn if your soil needs to be altered. The test results will be sent to you with instructions for altering soil pH to meet the needs of your plants. And if you don’t understand the instructions, you can visit the Master Gardener Office where the Master Gardeners will explain the instructions to you.
  Back Gate
         Back 40
    Camus & Pac Coast Iris
Clematis
Front Door Garden
Lenton Rose
Oregon Grape and Huckleberry
Side Rock Garden
Wisteria and Two Maples
