Clematis

Clematis are one of the most popular, low maintenance flowering vines. With a little preparation and care, your clematis vine will provide cheerful abundant seasonal  blooms.

• Soil- Clematis prefer rich, well-drained organic soil (no heavy clay). Soil preparation is the trick to getting your clematis off to a good start.
• Site- full sun to part shade is just fine for most clematis. A few varieties, see listed below, will actually tolerate quite a bit of shade.
• Mulch- “head in the sun, feet in the shade” is the old clematis advice. In any case, a 2-4 inch layer of mulch is advised once the soil warms up during the hot summer months. To prevent stem rot, be sure to keep the mulch well away from the base of your clematis vine.
• Disease- Clematis wilt is easy to spot.  A portion of the vine wilts overnight. This is caused by a fungus that enters the stem just above the soil line. Cut out the diseased portion right away and dispose of in the trash, away from the remaining healthy vine. Also keep mulch away from the base of the plant allowing good air circulation and sunlight to reach the bottom of the vine.
• Feed- Fertilize your plant once a year in the spring, right after pruning or tidying up

New for 2017

	Abilene Delightful pink flowers with contrasting yellow centers. As flowers fade, a central deep pink stripe becomes prominent. Can be grown as a patio plant because just 4 foot tall. Can also be grown in part shade. Blooms June and August.
	Alaina Large 5-7 inch flowers open deep creamy pink and fade to various shades of pink as they mature. pronounced yellow center. Grows 4-5 fett making it a great candidate for a container or small garden.
	Charmaine Rich red double , semi-double and single flowers bloom from late spring to midsummer and then again in fall. Grows to a height of 6-7 feet.
	Rosalie First flowers are a two-toned rose color. Flowers then take on a multitude of pink shades all blooming at the same time. Burgundy centers. Blooms June through September and grows to 7 feet.

Premium Varieties

Most of these varieties are compact, free flowering and repeat bloomers. They are suitable for trellises, containers (because of their compact habit) or even for winding their way through small shrubs.

	Bijou Pointed ruffled violet-mauve flowers form lovely rosettes. Blooms May-July. Mounding clematis, just 1 foot. So perfect for a pot or as a ground cover.
	Bernadine Masses of large light blue flowers with contrasting red centers. Can be grown in sun or partial shade. Grows to a height of 6 feet and blooms June through September.
	Crystal Fountain Early blooming, double lilac-blue flowers with a showy fountain-like center. Blooms June-September.
	Corrine White flowers with ruffled edges and a pink/violet stripe on each petal. Compact, heavy bloomer that grows to  height of 6 feet. Blooms june through August. Grows in partial shade!
	Diamantina Has 4-6 inch purple/blue double pom-pom flowers. This double clematis grows to 7 feet and outperforms any other double on the market!
	Empress Large double flower with two tone pink blooms and a prominent center.Blooms May-June and again in August.
	Fleuri Deep purple 5 inch flowers and is very compact so great for containers. Grows to a height of 4 feet and does well in partial shade. Blooms May through August.
	Franziska Maria Compact double clematis ideal for containers. 4-6 inch blue-purple flowers. Blooms June-September.
	Josephine 6-8 inch pink petals with showy pom pom centers. Blooms June through August.
	Kilian Donahue Lavender flowers with a pink bar are very showy. White spidery centers. Blooms early and repeats throughout summer.
	Rebecca Stunning bright red flowers. Blooms May-June and again in August. Our best selling red!
	Samaritan Joe Very unique sharply pointed petals are silvery pink and edged in purple. Grows to a height of 4-5 feet and blooms June through September.
	Sapphire Indigo This unique clematis has dark purple blooms with black anthers or centers. It blooms continuously from June until September. At just 4 feet tall, it can be grown as a climber, shrubby ground cover or in a container. Will grow in semi-shade.

 Good Old Popular Varieties

	Jackmanii Most popular all-season blooming clematis. Velvet purple blooms June through September.
	The President Deep purple large 7-8 inch flowers. A continuous bloomer and does not fade in the sun.
	Languinsa Candida Large pure white with yellow centers. Some say the best large white variety. Blooms in June, July and September.
	Sweet Autumn Clematis Vigorous and easy to grow. Loads of small but prolific, fragrant white flowers bloom July- September. Will grow in semi-shade.
	Sweet Summer Love A purple Sweet Autumn clematis. Fragrant cranberry-violet blooms that start a bit earlier than the white variety. Will grow in semi-shade.

Shade Loving Clematis

• Abilene- new for 2017
• Bernadine
• Corrine
• Fleuri
•  Sweet Autumn Clematis
• Sapphire Indigo
• Sweet Summer Love
• Samaritan Joe

Pruning Clematis

Actually clematis will survive and bloom with no pruning whatsoever. But for the most beautiful vigorous flowering vines, regular pruning is a good idea. Do no pruning at all for one full year. Just let the plant get established. Never prune in the fall. Late season pruning encourages new growth which easily freezes during the winter months.

Observe your plant the first year-pay attention to when it blooms. And also note whether it blooms on old woody stems from last year (old wood) or on new green growth (new wood) from the current year.

Spring Blooming Clematis

If your plant does not appear to die back over winter and blooms early in the spring (on old wood) cut back, tidy up after the initial spring bloom. This encourages reblooming. Some double flowering clematis and other varieties have a second flush of smaller sized flowers that bloom on new wood. These should be trimmed lightly like the spring flowering plants, immediately after the first bloom period.

Summer Blooming Clematis

This is a large group of popular varieties like Jackmanni and the Sweet Autumn clematis. If you notice that your plant dies completely down over winter or if the flowers are small and all at the top (on new growth) with lots of dead foliage at the base- then you must be ruthless in your pruning. Prune these plants down early in the spring to about one foot from the ground. This promotes new vigorous growth that will flower well.