if so, maybe some sturdy bulbs? daffodils, something which blooms early enough to be pretty before the clematis does its magic, maybe.

I have sweet autumn clematis, which, when I moved here 12 years ago, was in one spot.
now it is on three sides of the house in the back of the yard, but I have never planted it, nor did it grow there from the one patch. I guess birds...dunno. Pretty stuff, esp, from 60 feet away.

Not the vining Vinca, but the annual plant (also known as periwinkle) It has lots of blooms, is pretty tolerant of a certain amount of neglect and has beautiful green leaves. Blooms available in many colors.

I've had it actually live through one or two mild winters in Indiana, but no promises on that.

http://www.costafarms.com/plants/vinca-annual

I love flowers, but have a steep hill and deep shade in most areas. Will periwinkle survive that? Usually mild winters.

get the vining kind. On a steep hill that's what I would probably plant. It survives most anything and should be fine there. Vinca annuals would work too, but if you want something that you don't bother with on that hill, try the vining kind. It will survive winters in Indiana, because I had some of that too.

I am a novice at gardening but a "wannabe" ! I have an old home, hilly terrain (very hilly) and my desire to have some colorful and decorative landscaping is real this spring. This is something I would like to know more about, anyway. So, thank you, I have my to do list started, I will come back to this group again to see what else is in discussion!

Keep in mind that it will grow fast and cover a wide area in very few years after you plant. Nonetheless, it is virtually maintenance free unless you need to trim it back.

I used it a lot in Indiana. Love it.

quite a good one. I would plant them every year; they do well and are really colorful.

GO HEELS!

I thought the beautiful vines and blue/purple flowers were called "Forget Me Nots"
But they are spreading and I hope they continue because of the terrain. Meanwhile I am battling a real war with poison ivy that is also proliferating. It is everywhere, and while I am basically just pulling it up, I am thinking of getting Round Up, but I have a dog that loves to nibble the grass, so I am refraining so far.

Although once I did plant the "forget me nots". The periwinkle comes back every year and even survives somewhat in the southeast winter.

Impatiens around your was it lamppost? They come in an array of colors and do well where we are.They're annuals tho so mb if you planted some pachysandra first around your clematis, then a ring of impatiens for seasonal color. The pachysandra is hardy and will stay green year-round.👍

When I got married, my grandmother wove 'crowns' of periwinkle that were placed on our heads in the beginning of the marriage ceremony. That was in '72. I still have them!
The words spoken were, "Crown them with honor and glory".

Good grief. Your doggie sniffln' poison ivy. You have to watch them 24/7. Tonite ours snagged a frog and deposited it on our back doormat, like a cat would!

I don't know the best method to get rid of it. MB a pro if it's really severe.

'Peace'. Meant to correct my first post in that I am wanting to tell you about impatiens for around your mailbox post. First some pachydandra, circled by impatiens. Pachy is hardy and stays green. Impatiens comes in an array of colors for seasonal planting.

(Ima mess! )

Next year will be a banner year for this clematis, but the other one on the telephone poll hasn't bloomed yet. Should I continue to fertilize?