Wow, when clematis met smoke tree!

Here’s a combination to remember! A burgundy-red Clematis (perhaps ‘Nike’? [Ed: My clematis-loving friend Marie suggests it might be C. ‘Mme. Julia Correvon’) clambering over a Japanese maple and then up through the “smoke” of a golden smoke tree (Cotinus coggygria Golden Spirit aka ‘Ancot’). Wow-ow-OW!

Let me show you my shoes. I was walking in Toronto’s Hunt Club neighbourhood when I saw this, and literally skidded to a halt. Almost gave myself whiplash. Here’s the big picture.

Yes, I tend to get carried away by these things. Perhaps what you see is a sparsely blossomed shrub. What I see is a magical opportunity.

Below, a closer view. Then two shots of a Golden Spirit smoke tree further along the street – which only needs a clematis growing through it to reach perfection. Do you agree? Would you try this – or have you already? Please tell.

6 comments

  1. Ooh! I planted a Golden Spirit this year. It’s too small to support a clematis right now, but I will have to keep this in mind for the future.

  2. You said it: Wow-ow-OW! And good photos: my hands would have been shaking at the thrill of it, every picture out of focus.

    1. I often have problems with shaking hands – and with not being able to walk five steps down a street before taking pictures of plants. Not all my walking companions share my obsessions. But they like me anyway, so they’ll slow down till I catch up.

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