Winter Thoughts

8 degrees this morning when I got up.  Yikes.  Sunny today, clear but very very cold!

This is the time of year to pore over catalogs, make plans and lists and think about what I want to change or add.

One thing has bothered me: the golden hops vine did nothing for the corner of the front garden last year.  

It was too rampant and unshapely, it outgrew the support, and it was not as interesting as I thought it would be.  Not golden at all.  The foliage is rough and coarse.

One option is to create a larger support --- either long strings up to the gutter for it to climb straight up, or simply a much larger trellis (where to get that?)

But my winter thoughts tend toward getting rid of it.  I don't like it, and my experience with the knockout roses is that I should eliminate what isn't working for me.  

This isn't working.

I can always try the Jackmanii clematis there instead.  It's in a pot now and can be moved.  Whaddya think?

Maybe, move the hops vine to the side of the garage and let it climb to the pergola on the right side?  I've been waiting for six years for the climbing hydrangea to get to the pergola, and it's close, but the hops vine would cover the right side in a season.  The pergola is the only structure big enough for this climber, but I'm not crazy about putting it in that small corner.

In any event, it comes out of the front garden this spring.