Clematis Ideas, Tips & Guides

How Long Do Clematis Flowers Bloom?

That’s not to say that C. tangutica cultivars aren’t beasts of a vine, too. As with C. terniflora, I cut these back hard in early spring, to less than a foot above the ground. They nevertheless produces a rampant amount of growth, to more than 10 feet tall, and around mid- to late August start to open up an increasing number of charming yellow bells: lemons with their peels unfurled in quarters. (If I didn’t hack it in spring, but simply clean out the dead stuff a little, it starts blooming for me in June.)I know I’m being imprecise, but frankly I cannot tell several of the good tangutica cultivars apart. I think mine’s‘Gravetye Variety,’ with deepest maroon anthers, and other good cultivars to look for include ‘Bill MacKenzie’ and ‘Golden Harvest.’ My tangutica type doesn’t cover itself in the sweet-scented froth of flowers of C. terniflora, a Japanese native that’s got a reputation as a terrible thug, or like its native American, far b

I’ve mentioned my penchant for growing vines up and over otherwise-dull shrubbery, and in doing so not long ago I guess I got to realizing I was barely making use of a fraction of the opportunities.An accidental favorite of mine is ‘Duchess of Albany’ (above, and detail, bottom) a Victorian era hybrid of C. texensis. I say accidental because I thought I was buying its cousin, another texensis type with much deeper-colored flowers called ‘Gravetye Beauty,’ named at the turn of the 20th Century for the home of William Robinson, the gre

I’ve told you how to do this before with various shrubs, to get two seasons of interest from the same space: with Clematis, and also the oddball called Codonopsis.After seeing Brushwood Nursery’s selection of vines at the Trade Secrets show last Saturday near me (just a few of the astonishing 400 or so in the online catalog), I’d have to say proprietor Dan Long has something for every shrub, and then some. Wow. Though I had already added four or five new clematis to the garden the last two weeks, I bought five more from Brushwood’s booth, good-sized plants for very fair prices, and tomorrow they will get their homes here.And then I went back to my place and emailed the ver

MAYBE IT’S THE EXTRA-DRY YEAR that postponed its bloom cycle, but suddenly my Clematis tangutica cultivar–looking like not much but a tangle of vines and leaves for months—has gone mad with flowers. The bumblebees and I had grown impatient, but now all is forgiven.

The song goes on to describe one animal after another:The monkeys stand for honesty, Giraffes are insincere… Here’s it’s more like this (do forgive the lack of meter and rhyme):Peonies are everyone’s darling, except when they refuse to bloom. Kousa dogwoods like to grandstand, and not just in the spring. Allium moly’s a prolific charmer—perhaps too prolific for some zoos. Dame’s rocket is likewise controversial: alien invader, or biennial border beauty? Honeysuckles attra

I don’t know why I waited so long to add Clematis ‘Roguchi’ to my garden, but I finally did so a couple of years ago, and then bought another plant this spring. (It’s also found as ‘Rooguchi’ in various catalogs, and don’t ask me which is correct. What everyone agrees upon: it’s one of the best small-flowered clematis there is.)  I quickly learned that it is long-blooming—in North Carolina, Tony Avent of Plant Delights Nursery says May through September; for me, it starts a little later but goes all summer long, and into fall. To the delight of me and the bees, who love to crawl inside its spectacular 2-inch purple bells, it just keeps on producing.Clematis ‘Roguchi’ performs like a herbaceous perennial—it’s more of a scamperer than a climber, and it doesn’t become some crushing woody vine. Because of that neighborly demeanor, it’s beautiful w

I HAVE A LOT OF PLANTS (and a lot more that used to grow here somewhere live on in memory). I even know most of their names–except when it comes to the Clematis.  Why didn’t I label those? In the process of trying to put names to vines that are exploding all around me right now, I made a little slideshow for the record. Hey, if it’s on the internet, I can refer to it any time I forget who’s who again, right?

Dan Long–proprietor of Brushwood Nursery aka gardenvines.com–is celebrating 15 years of selling an impressive assortment of hundreds of vining and climbing plants. He joined me from Athens, Georgia, on the latest radio show and podcast, to give us a tour through some upwardly mobile choices in the world of scented things. (Details on how to listen and subscribe free to the program are at the bottom of the page.)my fragrant-vine q&a with dan longQ. I mentioned the recent headlines of new fragrant Clematis–so maybe let’s start there before we talk jasmines and honeysuckles and even some passion flowers and climbing roses, among the many delicious possibilities. When I think fragrant clematis I think of C. mo

When I’m plant shopping, I try to discipline myself by reciting a little mantra: “early, middle, late.” As in: It’s a long season of possibilities, if you plan correctly. Early, middle, late is the reminder to fill my garden-center wagon (or my online shopping cart) with more than a single moment of a favorite plant, and enjoy a prolonged season.You might already be following that advice with lilacs or daffodils or daylilies and have not just one variety but a whole sequence, but we can—and should—be doing it with Clematis, too.My vine-mad friend Dan Long ofBrushwood Nursery, longti

Could l look past a little increasing shagginess of the lawn and the start of some summer weed uprisings here and there, just for a few days? After my final spring event the previous weekend, I tried just that this last week. Want to see what I saw?frogs of the weekTwo female green frog of different ages were glad that I wasn’t making all that noise with the damn lawn mower. They let me join them on the grass beside one of the little in-ground water gardens, where they were quietly keeping company.stylophorum’s odd podsIn many beds where the celandine poppy’s gold flowers starred in early spring, St

Linda Beutler is author of three books about clematis, president of the International Clematis Society, and curator of the Rogerson Clematis Garden collection in the Pacific Northwest, just outside Portland, Oregon. Suffice it to say, Linda knows from clematis.In a recent conversation, Linda shared tips on matching the right clematis to the right support, and what to look for (not flowers!) when buying nursery plants, and why following the traditional rules on pruning without applying some common sense as well isn’t the way to go. Plus: Enter to w

“Now what was I supposed to do with this one?” we say, scratching our heads while not-so-accidentally turning away to some other task, and leaving the botanical sprung mattress innards just hanging there. Boing! I asked Dan Long of Brushwood Nursery to help me (us!) get past our “pruning fears and misconceptions,” as he calls them.The how-to pruning story is below in Q&A format, plus pruning diagrams … and a podcast full of more vine-growing tips beyond the subject of pruning.the clematis-pruning q&a with dan longQ. On the Brushwood website, and in other Clematis references, pruning instructions always refer back to three types, or groups. Ca

After your admiration for the clematis I showed on Six on Saturday, I wouldn’t want you to think that every clematis I had, and I have already told you there are many, was as floriferous. Clematis viticella ‘Venosa Violacea’ (above) on one of the rose arbour posts is doing OK though, albeit not in the same way as some others. However, as a very rough approximation perhaps at least 25 or 30% of the summer flowering varieties are not blooming or are looking unlikely to bloom this year – it could easily be more than that, but I am trying to be optimistic!

Clematis are showy, versatile vines that are well-known and beloved for their beautiful flowers.They’re outstanding for adding vertical accents with bright,

Clematis Perle d Azur from the Jackmanii group is simply sensational.

Triternata grew at the entrance of our round garden, by late Summer it would cover  a 5ft tall conifer with its small foliage and tiny flowers.

The Viticella group of Clematis has to be regarded as amongst the best of climbing plants

Clematis Viticella Madame Julia Correvon

 Today’s featured plant is in the only spot where I feel a Wisteria would thrive in the garden, don’t have the heart to remove Clematis Blue Angel though.

Clematis Viticella Sea Breeze flowering well in its first year

The pink forms of Clematis Montana are not at all bad, but for me, the white Clematis Montana Grandiflora is outstanding.

Clematis is an attractive deciduous vine that can be grown in home gardens and backyards. The genus includes evergreen and herbaceous varieties, with multiple colors, forms, and flowering seasons, though most of the plant flowers between early spring and fall. Here are some of the best Types of Clematis you should grow!

Clematis Montana Mayleen, we had this one in Aberdeen growing up through a Rowan tree in the back garden.

The Clematis Durandii differs from most of the other forms

I have been keen to try one of the Spring flowering Alpina types for quite some time. I am very pleased with our choice of the Clematis – alpina Maria Basescu

Leather flower or Clematis is a hardy climbing vine with masses of attractive blooms of solid colors and dual shades ranging from white to reds, or pale pastels to dark purples. If you too want to have this plant in your home, then here’s all you need to know about How to Grow Clematis in a Pot!

A Clematis for all Seasons For the past few months I’ve been buying a beautiful blue clematis that is now being sold as a cut flower by some florists. Not only does it look wonderful in a vase, but it also lasts at least two weeks while the flowers progressively open.

The Delicate Delight of Herbaceous Clematis The improved soil in one of the new raised beds near the house must have been just what this pale blue clematis required. The tiny pale blue flowers look quite wonderful amongst the white Japanese anemones.

Several years ago I was sent this clematis whose name was long forgotten until one of our readers (@Ginbath) identified it as Clematis Rebecca. Lacking a convenient space it was hurriedly plonked into a corner of the potager. It is the healthie

Here are some Beautiful Ideas with Clematis in the Garden that you can copy to make your yard stand out with colors!

Amsonia, Clematis and more Amsonia is a modest and undemanding beauty in the border This patio clematis from Raymond Evison has been growing happily in a pot for at least 5 years I’ve just picked the first sweet peas The Cooper’s Burmese is a fragrant delight I’m rather pleased with my rustic beanpoles Kiwi Jenny is blooming prolifically The Iochroma is rewarding being moved outdoors with an abundance of flowers

It’s the perfect time to give the newly-emerging clematis some twiggy supports, allowing them to climb and scramble, rather the sprawl and collapse. I love the decorative nature of my various metal plant supports (they add structure to the winter garden) but I find that they are not sufficient on their own, even with companion roses, to support clematis so I add very twiggy silver birch branches to the central area and find this works a treat.

Time to Clip the Clematis One of my tasks (pleasures) this week will be to go round the garden and give all the summer and autumn flowering clematis a prune. I often think it’s all made unnecessarily complicated with talk of flowering groups etc.

Are you pining for elegant vines with sumptuous flowers, lively colors, and a carefree habit, but live in a region with short summers?Look no further than the reliable charm of

Beautiful and familiar flowering vines, the Clematis genus is also a highly versatile and diverse group of plants.They provide a wide range of sumptuous flower