Not your Grandmother's Clematis!

I have always thought of clematis as that skimpy vine on a mailbox with one or two enormous flower in colors so bright they didn't look real. I never would have wanted this plant in my garden before reading an article on different varieties of clematis in a magazine one winter. I was blown away by some of the pictures and the following spring was searching them out at my favorite nurseries.

My all time favorite is the one in my header- Clematis 'montana' rubens. This woody clematis can get 20 feet high and 15 feet wide and will be covered with pale purple  flowers in early summer/late spring. Oh- and they are fragrant! They smell like vanilla- amazing! They grow in full sun to part shade in zones 5-10. Here is mine I just took a picture of in my garden getting ready to open.

clematis montana

My second favorite and one I have planted with the montana above is sweet autumn clematis (Clematis paniculata). This one is covered with fluffy white star shaped blooms in clusters in late fall and is also fragrant! You can grow this anywhere from zone 4-10. It is a prolific plant so if you have something you want to hide this may do it.

Sweet autumn clematis

Did you know that there are types of clematis that are not vines? Neither did I! Check out this cutie.

Non climbing type of clematis

Clematis seed pods

Clematis integrifolia is a non climbing garden type that works well in part sun to full sun zone 3-7.

If you go out and buy a clematis make sure to read the tag for pruning instructions, some come back on old would while other die back to the ground. They have always said clematis likes their roots shaded but the plants want full sun. I have some in full sun and some in part shade, both areas work well for me I just make sure to mulch them well.