My Neighbor Keeps Her Garden Growing

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Visited my neighbor yesterday. He shared more of his wild mint. I grow it in containers in the screen room. My cats love it and I use it in my hot tea. Smells so fresh. While visiting, he had to show me what is blooming in his garden. After his wife (my friend) passed with cancer in 2018, he has kept her garden growing every year. He is close to 80 y/o now and it is a lot of work. He said he wasn't sure how much longer he would be able to keep it going. His daughter has offered to help him. This purple clematis vine is one of my many favorites. It is growing around a lamp post on his sidewalk, in the front garden. The purple is such a deep shade, it is stunning. I need one of these in my garden. A few facts about Clematis I was not aware of: The name clematis comes from the ancient Greek klematis, for a climbing vine! Clematis belongs to the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae). Wild clematises (Clematis virginia), aka old man’s beard, virgin’s bower, and devil’s darning needles, can grow 20 feet in 1 year. Centuries ago, Europeans used clematis vines to make baskets and fish traps. Snapped many photos and I will share more later. Stunning garden.