Clematis Margot Koster | Clematis in Seattle

October Clematis of the Month

November 8, 2013 at 6:27 pm (clematisinseattle)
Tags: Clematis alpina Joe Zary, Clematis Asao, clematis bagatelle, Clematis Dorothy Walton, Clematis Margot Koster, clematis ternifolia, Clematis Versailles, sweet autumn clematis

Sweet Autumn Clematis (Clematis terniflora)

Sweet Autumn Clematis Gracing the Fall Garden

Sweet Autumn Clematis wins, hands-down, as Clematis of the Month for October in my garden this year — for the second year in a row. This clematis, loaded down with buds in September, burst into bloom in very early October, then bloomed its heart out throughout the month and even into November. In Boston, Sweet Autumn bloomed much earlier for me (in August) and the scent was stronger because of the more intense heat there. Nonetheless, I love it in Seattle, too. The delicate white blooms are lovely and the light vanilla (or is it hawthorn?) scent on sunny days is a welcome addition to my fall garden. A species clematis, whose natural habitat is in China and Japan, Sweet Autumn is a large plant (throwing vines as long as 30-40′ in one summer) that needs plenty of space to grow. Don’t be alarmed about the size, though, because it can be cut back hard – to only one foot high – in spring.

A note of caution for gardeners in some parts of the eastern United States – Sweet Autumn can be almost invasive there, but not so here in Seattle.

It’s correct botanical name is currently Clematis terniflora, but in the past it’s had a confusing number of unpronouncable monikers — C. paniculata, C. maximowicziana, and C. dioscoreifolia. Under any name, it’s a winner in my garden!

Other October Bloomers

A few other clematis in my garden managed to open a blossom or two during the month of October, though most are winding down for the winter now. I hope to see some winter bloomers (like C. napaulensis and C. cirrhosa) showing off in a month or two. If they do, I’ll be sure to post photos!

A Luscious Last Blossom of C. Asao

C. Bagatelle (aka C. Dorothy Walton)

C. Margot Koster’s Last Few Blooms

C. alpina ‘Joe Zary’

C. Versailles

Fall Has Arrived

September 26, 2013 at 4:01 pm (clematisinseattle, Planting Clematis, Spotlight on Clematis)
Tags: Clematis Betty Corning, clematis etoile de malicorne, clematis florida sieboldii, Clematis Hakuju, Clematis Happy Birthday, clematis madame baron veillard, Clematis Margot Koster, Clematis Mrs. Cholmondeley, Clematis Multi-Blue, Clematis My Angel, Clematis Omoshiro, Clematis pitcherii, clematis rebecca, Clematis Rooguchi, Clematis Szisaia Ptitsa, Clematis terniflora, clematis tibetana, Clematis Ville de Lyon, Clematis viorna, Clematis Vitiwester, sweet autumn clematis

Even though fall arrived on Sunday in Seattle with rain, wind, and cooler temperatures, serveral clematis were still showing their wares. Some even starred in beautiful autumn floral combinations!

Clematis My Angel (rumored to be a thug)

A Digression

But first, let me digress about a recent sighting of Clematis My Angel. A month ago or so, my husband and I took a weekend jaunt to the quaint Victorian town of Port Townsend on the Olympic peninsula here in Washington State. We enjoyed a great lunch one day outdoors on the patio of a little neighborhood restaurant. Several houses, including the restaurant (which had been a house in an earlier life), had yards that butted up against each other with a wide and winding semi-public pathway in-between. As we were eating, my eagle clematis eye recognized that an unfamiliar clematis was cloaking an arbor about 30′ away, so quite naturally I had to investigate. It was Clematis My Angel, a hybrid of Clematis orientalis var orientalis and Clematis intricata, raised by Wim Snoeijer of the Dutch nursery Jan van Zoest. It’s a lovely clematis that blooms in August and has great seedheads. I, however, have steered clear of it because of rumors that it can sometimes become invasive, not only reseeding but also running underground. It’s lovely, though, with nodding bronzy-purple buds that open to show off yellow undersides with brown stamens. Hmm, maybe I DO need this one, after all.

Way Too Many Clematis Need Planting

Sunday I managed to plant eight of the twenty-four clematis that have somehow showed up in my potting area. Then, today, I upgraded four to larger pots–too young or too small to plant out yet. Because the eight clematis I managed to get planted this weekend are new to me, I have no photos of my own. But you can check out the links below to Clematis on the Web to see what they look like. All but one of these will join three or four others on the back fence of my property – and grow through to the alley-where they can WOW alley strollers and dog walkers!

Clematis Happy Birthday

Clematis Mrs. Cholmondeley (pronounced Chumley)

Clematis Multi Blue

Clematis Omoshiro

Clematis Rebecca

Clematis tibetana subsp vernayi var laciniifolia

Clematis Vitiwester

Also planted, but in a place seen from inside the garden:

Clematis tibetana (black form) (should look similar to the one at this link)

A Sampling of my September Bloomers

One of the most lovely clematis blooming in my garden now is Clematis florida sieboldii next to my front steps. I have enjoyed the one in my back garden so much that I got one last spring for the front . It bloomed beautifully for me in June, but then collapsed to the ground (wilt? broken stem? something else? who knows?). So I had to cut it to the ground – then, lo and behold, it grew a new stem and is blooming again in September! Gotta love that clem!

Clematis florida sieboldii (in my front garden)

Madame Baron Veillard is still throwing its welcome late blooms.

Clematis Madame Baron Veillard

Even Betty Corning has put out a couple of new blossoms for my enjoyment.

Clematis Betty Corning

And Clematis Sizaia Ptitsa, which has been blooming for months, is still sending out new flowers.

Clematis Sizaia Ptitsa, still going strong

Clematis Etoile de Malicorne, a June bloomer, showed off with a late and lovely blossom.

Clematis Etoile de Malicorne

Nearby Clematis Ville de Lyon is blooming with the black berries of a Hypericum.

Clematis Ville de Lyon

My Clematis terniflora (Sweet Autumn Clematis) is loaded down with buds and should burst into fragrant bloom any day now. Though Sweet Autumn Clematis blooms for me here in Seattle in late September and early October, when I grew it in Boston (much much more heat), it would bloom for me from August to October! But even with a shorter season here in Seattle, I wouldn’t be without it.

Multitudes of Buds on Sweet Autumn Clematis (Clematis terniflora)

Great Autumn Clematis Combos

Late blooms of Clematis Margot Koster spontaneously color-coordinated itself with a Pee Gee Hydrangea.

Clematis Margot Koster

Clematis Rooguchi Making a Comeback with Rudbekia Goldsturm.

Clematis Rooguchi

As promised, here is a photo of my Clematis viorna cavorting with the beautiful lavender fruit of Beauty Berry (Calicarpa).

Clematis viorna with the lavender berries of Beauty Berry

Two More Sweet Little Bells

Here’s a photo of a cute hybrid of Clematis pitcheri from the southeastern US.

Clematis pitcheri hybrid on a Ceonothus.

A Japanese hybrid, Clematis Hakuju has dainty white bells that bloom off and on all summer for me with the black leaves of a dark Actea (formerly Cimicifuga) and the clear green leaves and white flowers of Nicotiana sylvestrus.

Clematis Hakuju with a dark-leaved Actea (aka Cimicifuga)

What’s blooming in YOUR garden?

Bloomin’ June!

June 14, 2013 at 7:06 pm (clematisinseattle, Spotlight on Clematis)
Tags: clematis caroline, Clematis Ekstra, Clematis Etoile Violette, Clematis Fair Rosamond, Clematis florida, Clematis Fujimusume, Clematis Hakuji, Clematis Josephine, Clematis Margot Koster, Clematis Pagoda, Clematis Proteus, Clematis recta Purpurea, Clematis Sonnette, clematis the first lady, Clematis Vyvyan Pennell

Drip System, at Last!

Each clematis has its very own emitter!

Life is good. My friend Sean helped me (uh, well, actually, I carefully watched him) put in a drip system for my clems and all my pots. I am in heaven. With the dry spell we’ve been having, I have NOT had to spend hours (sometimes DAYS) watering. YayHA! Thank you, Sean. He showed me how to tweak the system myself, and I plan to make some tweaks this weekend. Hmmm, we’ll see how that goes.

Soon I’m Off to the International Clematis Conference in Germany

Where are the clems?
(2011 Belgium Conference)

Yes, it’s true. There actually is an annual international conference where clematis enthusiasts from all over the world gather together to immerse themselves in clematis for a whole week. Later this month I will be heading to southern Germany to attend my third conference (the other two were in Portland, Oregon, and Belgium). Now, I know you are probably imagining us sitting around in a stuffy conference room listening to erudite lectures about obscure clematis. Oh, no, each day all 60 or 70 of us visit two to four gardens and nurseries together–punctuated with rest stops for delicious food and drink, amid comraderie in a multitude of languages. But just imagine our consternation when, once in a while, we visit a garden with no clematis! Though we are able to enjoy the garden anyway, we are mystified that a gardener could actually neglect to weave at least one clematis into the garden design. We might even find a little time for one of those erudite clematis lectures, too. I plan to take lots of photos and hope to post from Germany, so keep a lookout (I’ll be in Europe from June 27 – July 11).

Bloomin’ June

My garden is in transition now between last of the large-flowered May-June bloomers and the beginning of the later-blooming clematis. Every day I find another clematis in bloom — what an exciting time! Here are just a few of my beauties: