Clematis Blooming in October

October 18, 2012 at 6:17 pm (Clematis of the Month, Spotlight on Clematis)
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Did you know that our mild Pacific Northwest climate allows for at least one clematis to be blooming in every month of the year?  Here’s a taste of what I mean.  In my October garden, I have two late-blooming clematis at their peak of bloom, Sweet Autumn Clematis (C. terniflora) and C. ‘Madame Baron Veillard’.

Sweet Autumn Clematis in October

Sweet Autumn Clematis is a big plant (20-30 feet) with a multitude of small white wonderfully fragrant flowers.  In our climate this plant blooms in October, though in my Boston garden it bloomed for me in August and September. To be successful in the Pacific Northwest, this clematis needs to be sited in a warm spot.  That’s because the flowers require serious heat to set buds and shortening days to trigger them to open.  We don’t have any trouble providing the shortening days, but heat units can be a problem here.  Mine seems to love growing eight feet up a lattice onto a west-facing deck.

Clematis ‘Madame Baron Veillard’ is a lovely mauve flowered clematis that waits til September to even think about blooming in my garden.  It was named over 100 years ago for a French baroness who loved to garden. 

As you can see, it has a lovely  bloom that warms the heart just as the days seem to be getting shorter and gloomier.

Several other clematis are blooming in my garden now, including three that are especially showy.  The one on the right is Clematis ‘Sizaia Ptitsa’  — that’ll twist your tongue, huh?  A friend of mine just calls it Slice of Pizza, which is not too far off the Russian pronunciation.  This clematis has been blooming for over three months and is just beginning to show signs of winding down. 

Below is Clematis viorna, a species from the southeastern US with a sweet bell-shaped cream-and-lavendar bloom and wonderful seed heads.  It, too, has been blooming for months and is showing off here with the lavendar berries of a beauty berry.  Last, but definitely not least, is Clematis florida ‘Sieboldii’ (also below) – what a gorgeous flower!

C. viorna (species clematis)

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Buying Clematis in Autumn

October 14, 2012 at 4:26 pm (Buying Clematis)
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Autumn is a GREAT time to buy clematis!  Not only do many nurseries offer the last of their raggedy-looking but healthy clematis at great discounts, but also fall is an ideal time to plant clematis in the Pacific Northwest.  

Choosing a Clematis Variety

If you have a smart phone, the easiest way to pick out which available clematis variety you want is to google Clematis on the Web, a fabulous website with photos and detailed information on thousands of clematis.   Not only can you see what the flower will look like, but you can also find out when it blooms, how big it gets, how hardy it is, and much much more.  If you don’t have a smart phone, write down the names of some of the clematis available at the nursery and check them out on your home computer before buying (I know, I know, that means two trips to the nursery–how much of a hardship is that?).

Choosing a Specific Plant

Now that you know which variety you want, check to see if there are multiple pots of that variety.  If so, look carefully to see how many stems (or vines) there are at or near the base of the plant.  The more stems the better! A plant with multiple stems will generally be a much healthier plant over the long haul.  Check the two photos recently taken at a local nursery–the one at the top of the page has three stems; the one below only one.  Buy the multi-stemmed plant!

Upcoming Topics:  Planting tips; October-blooming clematis; harvesting seedheads–so check back!

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Clematis in Seattle!

October 4, 2012 at 6:29 pm (clematisinseattle)
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Laura

Hello, I’m Laura and I’m a clemaniac.  I love to blather on about all the varied blossom colors, flower shapes, bloom times, well, basically all aspects of the beautiful genus, clematis, The Queen of Climbers.  Every week or two I will post about what I’m doing with clematis in my Seattle garden, be it pruning, buying, planting, starting seeds, perusing online and hardcopy catalogues, studying, visiting clematis in other gardens (as well as my own), dealing with diseases, and whatever else I run into about clematis. 

 I have been growing clematis for over 20 years, first in my Boston garden where I left behind 50 clematis, and since 2005 in Seattle where I currently have 130 clematis, and counting.  I grow them everywhere—in trees and shrubs, scrambling over perennials, and on fences, trellises, and arbors.  I enjoy sharing my clematis knowledge with others and frequently present PowerPoint talks on clematis to garden clubs, nurseries, and other venues throughout Greater Seattle.  I am a member of the International Clematis Society, the British Clematis Society, and the Friends of the Rogerson Clematis Collection (in Portland, Oregon).  I was privileged to attend the 2010 and 2011 International Clematis Society Conferences in Portland and Belgium, respectively, and plan to go to the 2013 conference in Germany in June.  Doesn’t that sound like a clemaniac to you?

Hope you’ll stop by now and then and check out what I’m doing!

Here’s the lovely white Clematis Huldine showing off in my garden in July with Clematis Madame Julia Correvon as a charming backdrop.

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