Falling in love again
Never wanted to
What am I to do?
I can't help it
Love's always been my game
Play it how I may
I was made that way
I can't help it
Men cluster to me
Like moths around a flame
And if their wings burn
I know I'm not to blame
Falling in love again
Never wanted to
What am I to do?
I just can't help it
Composed by Friedrich Hollaender. English lyrics by Sammy Lerner
Oryginally performed by Marlene Dietrich in the film Der Blaue Engel
Never wanted to
What am I to do?
I can't help it
Love's always been my game
Play it how I may
I was made that way
I can't help it
Men cluster to me
Like moths around a flame
And if their wings burn
I know I'm not to blame
Falling in love again
Never wanted to
What am I to do?
I just can't help it
Composed by Friedrich Hollaender. English lyrics by Sammy Lerner
Oryginally performed by Marlene Dietrich in the film Der Blaue Engel
Clematis 'Blue Angel' (original name: 'Błękitny Anioł') is one of the best cultivars of this beautiful flowering vine, bred by the renown Polish clematis breeder, brother Stefan Franczak, a Jesuit monk and horticulturist in one outstanding person. Just like the cultivars of clematis He created.
If you want to admire the blue (as a matter of fact: lavender blue) petals of numerous flowers appearing along the long and entangled shoots of the plant, you had better be prepared for le coup de foudre, love at first sight but... . Before I develop my warning concerning emotional threats 'Blue Angel' might inflict on us, let me deal with the pleasant aspect of growing this clematis in the garden, on a terrace or balcony.
'Blue Angel' is a large-flowered hybrid clematis whose flowers open late spring and early summer (June and July) creating a magnificent looking carpet of blossoms that can last until August . Its stems grow 3-4 meters long. The plant does not require much - as for an angel- as long as it is planted next to trellis, tree trunk or other framework that can give a firm support to its twining shoots. No support, (almost) no flowers!.
The roots of the clematis need to be kept cool all the time, especially in hot summer spells. That is why we should plant other species (perennials or small shrubs) whose dense foliage will protect the delicate roots from the penetrating sun rays which make the soil too warm for the roots to perform well. The stems, however, must enjoy full sunlight which guarantees abundant flowering.
The soil should be rich, loose and fast-draining. Waterlogged sites ought to be avoided as the roots abhor excessive moisture, but they should never suffer from the lack of water. Even a short period of drought might be disastrous, especially while flower formation and their blooming. Try not to forget about regular watering and fertilising, the latter at least once a month using a complete liquid fertiliser. Prodigious flowering relies on regular fertiliser applications.
'Blue Angle' is frost resistant and does not require winter protection. Only in severe and snowless winters it sounds OK to cover the dormant plants with suitable material like bark, peat or sawdust. Early spring all stems need to be pruned down to 30-50 cm long. 'Blue Angel' forms flowers on wood produced in the spring, so after cutting, there will appear new vigorous shoots bearing a lot of flower buds later in the season.
So far so good. We are in love with 'Blue Angel', the shoots grow rapidly, we can see a lot of buds and we do anticipate a lava of lavender blue flowers soon, so soon, when one beautiful day..., to our surprise, we notice that some of the already opened flowers look withered although the soil is moist, the temperature is just right. Trying to help the problem we water the plant just in case. At night time the petals might regain their turgor and everything seems to be back to normal. No, it is not! The next day the wilting comes back, and in a few days the flowers and flower buds become wilted. The moth burnt its wings. The wings of 'Blue Angel' got burnt and all we can do is either cut the plant near the ground level in vain hope the new shoots will appear or dig the plant out and mourn its death. The flame that burnt the petals is called clematis wilt and the bad news is that it cannot be controlled, it cannot be cured. The good news is it does not happen that often and may be it will never happen to your 'Blue Angel'. All you need to do now is simply fall in love again with a new 'Blue Angel' . This time in a different spot, however.
Listening to warm and irresistible voice of the great Marlene Dietrich might help find new energies and forget about past failures. Ella Fitzgerald's songs are rumoured to be helpful too.
If you want to admire the blue (as a matter of fact: lavender blue) petals of numerous flowers appearing along the long and entangled shoots of the plant, you had better be prepared for le coup de foudre, love at first sight but... . Before I develop my warning concerning emotional threats 'Blue Angel' might inflict on us, let me deal with the pleasant aspect of growing this clematis in the garden, on a terrace or balcony.
'Blue Angel' is a large-flowered hybrid clematis whose flowers open late spring and early summer (June and July) creating a magnificent looking carpet of blossoms that can last until August . Its stems grow 3-4 meters long. The plant does not require much - as for an angel- as long as it is planted next to trellis, tree trunk or other framework that can give a firm support to its twining shoots. No support, (almost) no flowers!.
The roots of the clematis need to be kept cool all the time, especially in hot summer spells. That is why we should plant other species (perennials or small shrubs) whose dense foliage will protect the delicate roots from the penetrating sun rays which make the soil too warm for the roots to perform well. The stems, however, must enjoy full sunlight which guarantees abundant flowering.
The soil should be rich, loose and fast-draining. Waterlogged sites ought to be avoided as the roots abhor excessive moisture, but they should never suffer from the lack of water. Even a short period of drought might be disastrous, especially while flower formation and their blooming. Try not to forget about regular watering and fertilising, the latter at least once a month using a complete liquid fertiliser. Prodigious flowering relies on regular fertiliser applications.
'Blue Angle' is frost resistant and does not require winter protection. Only in severe and snowless winters it sounds OK to cover the dormant plants with suitable material like bark, peat or sawdust. Early spring all stems need to be pruned down to 30-50 cm long. 'Blue Angel' forms flowers on wood produced in the spring, so after cutting, there will appear new vigorous shoots bearing a lot of flower buds later in the season.
So far so good. We are in love with 'Blue Angel', the shoots grow rapidly, we can see a lot of buds and we do anticipate a lava of lavender blue flowers soon, so soon, when one beautiful day..., to our surprise, we notice that some of the already opened flowers look withered although the soil is moist, the temperature is just right. Trying to help the problem we water the plant just in case. At night time the petals might regain their turgor and everything seems to be back to normal. No, it is not! The next day the wilting comes back, and in a few days the flowers and flower buds become wilted. The moth burnt its wings. The wings of 'Blue Angel' got burnt and all we can do is either cut the plant near the ground level in vain hope the new shoots will appear or dig the plant out and mourn its death. The flame that burnt the petals is called clematis wilt and the bad news is that it cannot be controlled, it cannot be cured. The good news is it does not happen that often and may be it will never happen to your 'Blue Angel'. All you need to do now is simply fall in love again with a new 'Blue Angel' . This time in a different spot, however.
Listening to warm and irresistible voice of the great Marlene Dietrich might help find new energies and forget about past failures. Ella Fitzgerald's songs are rumoured to be helpful too.
Jarek
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