CLEMATIS. Worldwide, temperate regions. These range from rampant vines with huge, flat blossoms to tidy bell flowered perennials. Most have 3 to 5 (or more) parted, long-stalked leaves with roughly oval, pointed and often toothed leaflets. The flowers have petal-like sepals in place of true petals, and a distinctive brush of stamens at their centers. Interesting puffs of silky-tailed seeds develop as the flowers wither. Those listed below are winter deciduous unless otherwise noted. Hybrid selections described here represent only a sampling of the hundreds currently grown worldwide. They are neatly divided by some texts according to flowering season and habit. However, our coastal climate, with its alternation of warm and cool weather for several months, seems to confuse them thoroughly. This results in generally extended flowering–a boon for coastal gardeners. Sun or light shade (generally the roots should be shaded, if only by the plant itself, to keep root temperatures down), well drained fertile soil, and moderate watering suit most species and hybrids. Hardy to 0^oF. or below, except as noted.

alpina. This species is similar in growth and appearance to C. macropetala, described below. Both are moderate in growth, usually 10’ or less in height. Both have twice-divided leaves with smooth, bright green leaflets and nodding, broadly bell shaped blossoms in various colors. Those of C. alpina are four parted and around 2" long. This species is mostly spring blooming, but there is generally a scattering of flowers through the summer months. The seed heads are quite decorative. We offer both seedlings in mixed colors and the dark pink flowered strain, ‘Rubra’ at the moment, but hope to add some of the many beautiful named selections shortly.

‘Arctic Queen’. A vigorous 10’ plant, carrying double white flowers, each up to 7" across, from late spring to fall.

C. armandii, evergreen clematis, is a massive vine, growing 20’ or more in all directions. It has thick green stems and long, shiny evergreen leaves. In spring it produces clouds of fragrant white blossoms. ‘Hendersonii Rubra’ is typical of the species in growth habit, size and general leaf characteristics, though it is redder than most selections in new growth. Most prominent, however, are the masses of soft pink blossoms in spring. Selected and introduced by the Henderson Experimental Gardens. Both hardy to 5-10^oF.

‘Ascotiensis’. A floriferous selection, graced by bright blue flowers up to 5" broad throughout the summer months.

‘Carnaby’. This hybrid produces single 6" blossoms, each striped red on a pink background. It starts to flower here as early as April and continues through most of the summer, carrying such quantities that growth is actually inhibited.

chrysocoma var. sericea (spooneri). This is a vigorous grower with attractive toothed, usually red tinged leaves. In spring it is draped with masses of 3" pure white, broad-petalled blossoms.

cirrhosa. An unusual evergreen species, rather delicate in appearance. It grows at a moderate pace to about 20’. The leaves are 2" long or less, undivided or lobed, dark and shiny. The cupped, pendant flowers are 1-2" long, white to cream in color with darker markings on the inner surface. Many are fragrant, too. They bloom in winter and early spring, when little else is in color, with a scattering of flowers at other times. Later, the seed heads are quite decorative and long lasting. ‘Freckles’ has reddish purple blotches within. The flowers of ‘Guernsey Cream’ are cream white, with greenish markings. Hardy to around 10^oF.

‘Duchess of Edinburgh’. An old favorite (though not mine), of modest growth to about 8’. It carries fully double white blossoms throughout the summer. The flowers are described as up to 5" across but are often only about 3"; however there are many of them.

‘Ernest Markham’. This is a relatively tall-growing (to 12’ or more) selection, flowering from midsummer to fall. The flowers are about 4" across, magenta in color.

florida ‘Sieboldii’. A vine of moderate growth, usually 10’ or less in height. It has twice divided leaves with smooth, tapered leaflets. In summer and early fall, it carries striking 3" flowers with pure white outer segments. The centers are made up of clusters of purple, petal-like stamens.

‘General Sikorski’. This is one of the most beautiful of the “blue” (more blue-lavender, really) hybrids. It bears its  broad-parted 5-6" flowers from early summer to fall.

‘Gipsy Queen’. An old favorite, growing at a moderate rate to about 10’. From midsummer to fall, it is sprinkled with black-violet 4" blossoms, velvety in surface.

‘Henryi’ (lawsoniana ‘Henryi’). One of the best beloved of the large flowered hybrids and (fortunately) one of the most vigorous and easy to grow. It has pure white, dark-centered blossoms 6-8" broad, produced throughout the summer months.

integrifolia. A woody-based perennial growing 1-3’ tall, with thick, undivided leaves. In midsummer it produces large clusters of thick-textured, bell shaped blossoms, lavender-blue in color. C. integrifolia rosea is a lovely pink flowered form.

x jackmanii. Properly a series of hybrids, rather than a single clone. However, the plants most often sold under this name bloom from midsummer to fall, displaying masses of deep purple 4" blossoms.

‘John Warren’. One of the hybrids which bloom in late spring on the previous season’s growth, then again in late summer and fall on the current round. The blossoms are deep pink with even darker tips, and up to 7" broad.

‘King Edward VII’. A vigorous and free blooming selection, with 6-8" lavender blossoms striped with rose along the midrib of each segment.

‘Lady Betty Balfour’. This beautiful selection illustrates the value of choosing plants for an extended show. It is one of the last of the large flowered hybrids to bloom starting its season in September and continuing until the first hard frosts. The flowers are about 6" across and bright bluish purple in color.

lasiantha. A native of the California chaparral, clambering up through manzanitas and other shrubs. It has 3- to 5-parted leaves, and masses of white 1-2” blossoms in spring. These are followed by beautiful silvery seed heads in summer and fall. Only occasional watering when established. Hardy to 0-10^oF.

montana, anemone clematis, is a sturdy, dense, vigorous vine with bronzy, much-divided leaves and four-parted flowers with full, flat sepals. The best-known is the variety rubens, featuring abundant clusters of 2" pink flowers, displayed in both spring and fall in our climate. ‘Elizabeth’ is similar but has slightly larger, more fragrant flowers. ‘Tetrarose’ is notable for its large (up to 3"), long-lasting flowers, colored more vividly than those of rubens, and robust growth (of course, the wisdom of growing a more vigorous montana is open to question). The forma grandiflora bears a profusion of white flowers, though they are not strikingly large as the name would suggest.

‘Nelly Moser’. An old standard, similar to ‘Carnaby’, above. It is moderate in growth, to 8-10’, and outstandingly heavy-blooming with peaks in early and late summer. The flowers are mauve-pink with lighter edges and darker central bars on each segment.

‘Niobe’. Another plant of moderate growth and outstanding production of flowers, in this case from late spring to fall. They are around 6" broad and vivid, deep red in color.

paniculata. New Zealand clematis. The plant first received, and still sold throughout the eastern U.S., under this name is apparently C. flammula. The real C. paniculata is an evergreen vine growing around 10’ tall. It has bronze tinged leaves each with 3 narrow 3" leaflets and summer puffs of 2-3" blossoms, white often with pink anthers. Hardiness is uncertain, but probably around 20^oF.

‘Petit Faucon’. A recent hybrid of unusual habit, producing several 2-3’ stems from the base. It produces a succession of flared, somewhat bell-shaped bluish purple flowers through the summer months.

‘Pink Champagne’. This is one of the two-season hybrids, blooming heavily in late spring and again in late summer (though here on the coast, the show may be almost continuous). It has lavender pink 6" flowers.

‘Proteus’. An older selection of moderate growth to about 8’, flowering from late spring to late summer. The flowers are up to 6" broad (usually less) and vary in form from single to fully double. They are mauve-pink in color.

‘Red Cardinal’. A very free blooming hybrid, putting on its heaviest show in spring and fall. The 5" blossoms are broad-petalled, velvety in texture and deep red in color.

‘Sunset’. A recent introduction with very long blooming season, late spring to fall. The flowers are quite showy, painted red with purple shading.

tangutica. Golden clematis. A relatively small (10’), slender stemmed vine with intricately divided grey green leaves. It produces an abundance of 2" bell shaped, golden-yellow blossoms in summer and fall. The seed heads are quite ornamental.

‘The President’. One of the best of the purple hybrids, blooming from late spring to fall. It has vivid purple single flowers 5-6" broad.

‘Tillicum’. A subtly beautiful hybrid displaying huge (8") blossoms colored pale lavender-blue, mostly in spring and fall.

‘Ville de Lyon’. An old favorite, with crimson flowers about 4" broad, produced mostly in late summer and fall.

viticella. One of the more delicate in appearance, with slender 6-12’ stems and three-parted leaves, the leaflets attractively lobed and bronze-tinted. The flowers are 2-3" in diameter and borne in open clusters. ‘Alba Luxurians’ has cupped white blossoms with greenish tips on the segments. Those of ‘Madame Julia Correvon’ are also cupped and colored deep, velvety red. Several modern hybrids extend the palette of this species. ‘Blue Belle’ has deep blue-violet blossoms about 3" broad. ‘Etoile Violette’ is similar, with bright yellow centers. ‘Polish Spirit’, a more recent hybrid, is noted for both its deep purple color and its abundance of flowers. ‘Purpurea Plena Elegans’ has fully double violet “pompons” with petalloid stamens at their centers. ‘Venosa Violacea’ has nearly white flowers with purple veining.