Flowering Clematis
Clematis are among the most decorative and spectacular of all the flowering vines - it's always exciting to see them bloom year after year.
I have grown many varieties of this wonderful plant. Soon after I bought my Bedford, New York farm, I built a long pergola along the front carriage road leading to my home, where I could grow lots of clematis. I concentrated on creating a palette of blue and purple flowering cultivars. And every summer, they provide a graceful and colorful display.
Enjoy these photos.
-
- There are several different varieties of clematis planted along my winding pergola that extends from the carriage road in front of my flower cutting garden all the way to the west end of my soccer field. Each pair of posts supports the same variety and every year around this time, they stand out in all their gorgeous colors.
-
- Copper wire is wrapped around each post, so the climbing tendrils of the clematis vines could attach easily. The uprights for this pergola are antique granite posts from China originally used as grape supports. They’re perfect as posts because they don’t rot over time like wood does. A friend of mine acquired a lot of stone from this valley and I purchased a couple hundred of these posts. I only wish I had bought more of them.
-
- Clematis is a genus of about 300-species within the buttercup family Ranunculaceae. The name Clematis comes from the Greek word “klematis,” meaning vine.
-
- Clematis are native to China and Japan and are known to be vigorous, woody climbers.
-
- Most species are called clematis, but it has also been called traveller’s joy, virgin’s bower, leather flower, or vase vine. It’s also been called “Old Man’s Beard,” because of the long fluffy seed heads that look similar to an old man’s beard.
-
- Clematis leaves grow in pairs along the stems. The clematis leaf shapes vary with different varieties, but knowing how they grow can help differentiate them from other vines.
-
- The standard clematis flower has six or seven petals, measuring five to six inches across. Colors range from light lavender to deep purple, white to wine red, and even a few in yellow.
-
- For this area, I chose various shades of lavender, purple, and blue.
-
- Some of the cultivars grown here include ‘Parisienne,’ ‘Blue Angel,’ ‘Jackmanii,’ and ‘Eyers Gift.’
-
- It can take several years for a clematis vine to mature and begin flowering prolifically. To shorten the wait, one can purchase a plant that’s at least two-years old. Clematis also prefer soil that’s neutral to slightly alkaline in pH.
-
- Both butterflies and hummingbirds are attracted to clematis flowers.
-
- This is Clematis viticella ‘Betty Corning’, which has slightly fragrant, bell-shaped flowers that bloom from summer to fall.
-
- Here is a similar variety in deep pink.
-
- Both produce a multitude of blooms every year.
-
- Many clematis are lightly scented. Flowers vary in shape and sizes. They can be flat, tubular or bell-shaped and can be as small as one-inch wide.
-
- The timing and location of clematis flowers varies – spring blooming clematis flower on side shoots of the old season’s stems. Summer and fall blooming vines flower on the ends of only new stems.
-
- As a perennial, clematis are vigorous vines that return yearly and are hardy in USDA zones 3 to 9.
-
- Some clematis cultivars will bloom in partial shade, but to really thrive, they need at least six-hours of sun each day. Just think, “head in the sun, feet in the shade.” The vines like sun, but cool, moist soil.
-
- Clematis plants are also heavy feeders and benefit from a low nitrogen fertilizer such as 5-10-10 in spring, when the buds are about two-inches long. Alternate feedings every four to six weeks with a balanced 10-10-10 fertilizer and then continue this alternate feeding until the end of the growing season. The blooms appear constantly for many weeks making their everblooming nature a must-have in any garden.
-
- Once established, clematis should be watered about an inch or so weekly, and more deeply during dry spells.
-
- Across the carriage road from my pergola, I also have some clematis vines planted at the base of several bald cypress trees. On these trees, we used twine to secure the climbing vines. Known as the “Queen of the Climbers”, Clematis plants will train onto almost any upright support and will bloom beautifully for years.
Martha Pins
Martha Tweets
