Birdy I wouldn't think that's true about the mice- especially as your montana isn't reaching the roof. They can get in up central heating pipes etc - had this problem in a previous house which had no climbers!
You can just take off the long new shoots if you want but montanas are designed to get big - it's the very nature of them. You could add some vine eyes and wire into your wall and train the new shoots on them in the direction you want. I've trained them along 3/4 ft fences which works very well too.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I certainly think you're right in it not being Lincoln Star: the centre of LS is a red colour & mine is very light. The pics I've seen of Dr Ruppell though seem to have 6 sepals whereas mine have 8 (or do they vary?) John H
Fairygirl: it was the previous climbers we had that were well over the wall from both sides - much stronger shoots and branches, (honeysuckle) and very easy for the mice to climb up.
Once I dug all the old climbers out, and had the (unsafe) wall rebuilt without any plants growing up, the mice did not come back again like they had after previous pest treatments
I think the pest control man was right that that's how they got into our loft and I don't want to risk it again. The clematis is no risk yet, I know, but with the capability of growing 20 foot or more it is only a matter of time? So I need to keep it contained and, preferably, bushing out nearer the ground.
I used vine eyes on the adjoining wall, (on the other side) to train the wisteria (also pictured somewhere on this forum). The thing is I just don't want the clematis going over the top; I want to keep it low (even though I know that is not its nature.
Birdy I understand. If you make a framework of wires and tie them in you can still get the 'full' clematis but keep it where you want it to be if that makes sense! I had a montana planted beside a rose which was between back door and a boundary fence which was a bout a metre high. I let the montana climb up the rose and over the back door and had another summer flowering one coming over from the other side for later colour, but l also took shoots the other way and it covered the entire fence. It takes a little effort initially to tie them in where you want them but once you have the basic framework it does it's own thing and you just poke new shoots into the existing stuff. It looks great after a year or two when it all flowers. I was constantly having to cut it back to keep it in check as it loved the position it was in!
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Berghill- wow! Will have to take more time and go through them properly later. I particularly like the seat under the pergola/arbour with the yellow and white planting in the slate/scree area in front of it. Lovely vistas and avenues and lots of little hidden 'bits' too! You must spend a lot of time keeping it looking so tidy
Which bit does the cat like best? Is it the nice big hosta next to the bird feeders....
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Posts
GardeningF That plant is lovely
Sorry GF! Didn't mean too!
Right! Sneaked away while nobody was looking! Did a few n hours on the plot!
My weekend off, so looking forward to that! "Gardening Time"
Great looking hanging basket
Deano - are they Petunias? (I'm still not so hot on plant recognition) 
Birdy I wouldn't think that's true about the mice- especially as your montana isn't reaching the roof. They can get in up central heating pipes etc - had this problem in a previous house which had no climbers!
You can just take off the long new shoots if you want but montanas are designed to get big - it's the very nature of them. You could add some vine eyes and wire into your wall and train the new shoots on them in the direction you want. I've trained them along 3/4 ft fences which works very well too.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
John H, I think that clematis is Dr. Ruppel. It's deeper pink with fatter petals than Lincoln Star.
I certainly think you're right in it not being Lincoln Star: the centre of LS is a red colour & mine is very light. The pics I've seen of Dr Ruppell though seem to have 6 sepals whereas mine have 8 (or do they vary?) John H
Fairygirl: it was the previous climbers we had that were well over the wall from both sides - much stronger shoots and branches, (honeysuckle) and very easy for the mice to climb up.
Once I dug all the old climbers out, and had the (unsafe) wall rebuilt without any plants growing up, the mice did not come back again like they had after previous pest treatments
I think the pest control man was right that that's how they got into our loft and I don't want to risk it again. The clematis is no risk yet, I know, but with the capability of growing 20 foot or more it is only a matter of time? So I need to keep it contained and, preferably, bushing out nearer the ground.
I used vine eyes on the adjoining wall, (on the other side) to train the wisteria (also pictured somewhere on this forum). The thing is I just don't want the clematis going over the top; I want to keep it low (even though I know that is not its nature.
Birdy I understand. If you make a framework of wires and tie them in you can still get the 'full' clematis but keep it where you want it to be if that makes sense! I had a montana planted beside a rose which was between back door and a boundary fence which was a bout a metre high. I let the montana climb up the rose and over the back door and had another summer flowering one coming over from the other side for later colour, but l also took shoots the other way and it covered the entire fence. It takes a little effort initially to tie them in where you want them but once you have the basic framework it does it's own thing and you just poke new shoots into the existing stuff. It looks great after a year or two when it all flowers. I was constantly having to cut it back to keep it in check as it loved the position it was in!
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Take a walk in our patch as it was the other day.
http://s703.photobucket.com/user/Owdboggy/library/June%202013
or as a slideshow
http://s703.photobucket.com/user/Owdboggy/slideshow/June%202013
Berghill- wow! Will have to take more time and go through them properly later. I particularly like the seat under the pergola/arbour with the yellow and white planting in the slate/scree area in front of it. Lovely vistas and avenues and lots of little hidden 'bits' too! You must spend a lot of time keeping it looking so tidy
Which bit does the cat like best? Is it the nice big hosta next to the bird feeders....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...