Plant: Clematis "Kakio" Quantity: 1 Source: Garden Crossings Planted: 10/22/03 Blooms: Late April Notes: Moved into sunnier location
while dormant in March 2004. It is located on the street side of the front lamp post. This is the first clematis to bloom each year. It is paired with its lighter and larger sibling, Asao, on the lamp post.
Plant: Clematis "Asao" Quantity: 1 Source: Garden Crossings Planted: 10/22/03 Blooms: Late April Notes: Planted around lamppost in front yard. The blooms are similar to Kakio with a slightly rounder petal and a paler color.
Plant: Clematis "Miss Bateman" Quantity: 3 Source: Lowe's Planted: 5/3/04 Blooms: Early May Notes: Purchased small plants which were eaten to the stems, blooms and all, the day after we bought them. Moved to the new gazebo on 2/27/05. Added a third plant from Lowe's on 4/10/05. Every spring, these little vines have an insane number of blooms on them.
Plant: Clematis "Multi Blue" Quantity: 3 Source: Garden Crossings Planted: 10/15/04 Blooms: Mid-May Notes: Planted on trellis in side garden; moved to base of rose of Sharon on other side of house on 6/2/07; moved to base of mock orange bush 6/8/08. When the blossoms first open, this looks like any medium-sized purple-blue clematis bloom, but after several days, the inner petals open to form the unusual bloom. The big petals drop and the inner blue pompoms last another week or two. Removed the mock orange plant but left these in place, so they're currently growing up a pyramid trellis.
Plant: Clematis "Dr. Ruppel" Quantity: 4 Source: Lowe's Planted: 5/3/04 Blooms: Mid-May Notes: Some of the blooms are double with very dark pink petals, and look very different from the other blossoms. Thought that we moved all of these to the base of a lilac bush in 2007 but in 2009, I found one thriving on the trellis where I thought I had put Florida Sieboldii. Apparently, I misplace plants from time to time. They're really at the base of the lilac plant now, but there appears to only be one still alive.
Plant: Clematis "Henryii" Quantity: 2 Source: Menard's Planted: 3/14/04 Blooms: Mid-May Notes: Purchased bare-root plants. Lived on a trellis in the side garden for a couple of years until we moved it to back by the lilac bushes where it is growing up a screen trellis.
Plant: Clematis "The President" Source: Sundown Gardens Quantity: 2 Planted: 6/01/03 Blooms: Mid-May Notes: Moved to back yard in April 2005 when our mailbox was replaced. These are very large purple flowers, more purple than shown here. Removed these in August 2009 when I grew weary of clematis wilt and started to weed my collection, but one survived. Moved it to the back corner garden in spring 2013.
Plant: Clematis "Nelly Moser" Source: Sundown Gardens, Altum's Quantity: 2 Planted: 6/01/03 Blooms: Mid-May Notes: Moved to back yard in April 2005. Purchased a second plant from Altum's on 4/17/05. They bloomed well every year but always wilted, too, so I finally removed these in August 2009, but one survived. Moved it to a pyramid trellis with Multi Blue in spring 2013.
Plant: Clematis "Fireworks" Quantity: 3 Source: Garden Crossings Planted: 10/15/04 Blooms: Mid-May Notes: Planted on round trellis around a drain pipe in the kitchen garden. This flower is just as large and beautiful as I had imagined.
Plant: Clematis "Piilu" Quantity: 2 Source: Garden Crossings Planted: 10/22/03 Blooms: Late May Notes: Moved to grow into our birch tree in the back yard on 4/3/05, then moved the birch and the clematis as a set to the front yard in 2006, where Piilu is very happy. The blossoms are fairly small but plentiful with ruffled edges. The foliage blends in with the birch tree very well.
Plant: Clematis "Daniel Deronda" Source: Completely Clematis Quantity: 2 Planted: 4/30/05 Blooms: Mid-May Notes: Its very first bloom was immediately nibbled by a rabbit but it is thriving. Moved from a trellis to base of flowering almond bush in June 2007, and moved them both to the far back corner in June 2008 where they look great together. The vine blooms a couple of weeks after the flowering almond is done blooming.
Plant: Clematis "Maria Louise Jensen" Quantity: 3 Source: Lowe's Planted: 4/10/05 Blooms: Late May Notes: Planted on gazebo trellis. Sold under the synonym "Marie Louise Jensen." Doing very well.
Plant: Clematis "Arctic Queen" Source: Lowe's Quantity: 2 Planted: 7/13/03 Blooms: Late May Notes: This plant has some stems with an odd feature: most clematis stems have pairs of leaves on them. These stems have pairs of leaves, then suddenly switch to 8 leaves, which circle the stem like octopus legs. Click here to see it. This vine is heaver and stiffer than our other clematis, probably due to the heaviness of the blooms and the unusual leafing/branching that it does. This means that it requires more help to keep it attached to a trellis. The blooms also look terrible when they're fading, so it's a fair amount of work to keep this vine looking good. Moved to base of lilac bush in 2007 where it doesn't get much sun so it isn't doing much of anything.
Plant: Clematis "Andromeda" Source: Spring Hill Nursery Quantity: 3 Planted: 5/7/05 Blooms: Mid-May Notes: These were $13 each, and came in tiny 3" pots, which makes these the poorest value in clematis I've ever gotten. However, I fell in love with this flower from a picture in a book and hadn't been able to find it anywhere else in the US, plus I have faith in Spring Hill, so I'm okay with it. One of the three plants was wilted and completely dried out, but it came back to life again, and all three plants are now thriving. The blossom looks very similar to the photo in the book except the petals aren't as angular.
Plant: Clematis "Rüütel" Quantity: 2 Source: Lowe's Planted: 4/10/05 Blooms: Mid-May Notes: Planted on gazebo trellis. Sold under the American spelling of "Ruutel." This has amazing bright pink/red color and I simply can't do justice to it. So, gaze on this photo, and imagine that the blooms are a thousand times brighter and prettier than what you're seeing.
Plant: Clematis "Charissima" Quantity: 2 Source: Garden Crossings Planted: 5/11/06 Blooms: Mid-May Notes: Planted in back garden at base of gutter. It struggles every year because it is in such an awful location. It has also suffered from wilt nearly every year. The huge blooms start out pink and fade to white quickly.
Plant: Clematis "Comtesse de Bouchaud" Source: Sundown Gardens, Lowe's Quantity: 3 Planted: 7/10/03 Blooms: Late May Notes: Bought two from Sundown Gardens, then bought a third plant for $1 at end-of-season clearance at Lowe's in November 2003. These plants bloom profusely all summer long. Moved to our new mailbox in spring 2005 where they put on a very impressive show for weeks. We cut them back to about 8 inches from the ground every winter.
Plant: Clematis "Warsaw Nike" Quantity: 3 Source: Menard's Planted: 6/6/04 Blooms: Late May Notes: Planted in far back garden after several moves. It grew up our Cleveland pear tree until we moved it to a trellis in the far back garden 8/30/08. This is a gorgeous vine that flowers vigorously all summer long.
Plant: Clematis "Hagley Hybrid" Quantity: 3 Source: Lowe's Planted: 9/26/04 Blooms: Early June Notes: Moved to spa garden 9/12/05, then to base of Kwanza cherry tree in spring 2006 where it looked amazing growing into the tree branches. We took down the cherry tree, so we moved this to a nice big trellis where it can go crazy every summer then get cut back to the ground every winter. It appears that I have at least one Comtesse de Bouchaud plant mixed in somehow, but you can't tell unless you look more closely. But I can tell.
Plant: Clematis "Polish Spirit" Source: Lowe's, Altum's Quantity: 4 Planted: 6/22/03 Blooms: Early June Notes: Purchased three plants from Lowe's, then one very large plant from Altums. After several moves, they were planted under the magnolia bush in spring 2005 and they grow through the bush each year. The foliage makes the magnolia bush look especially full. I cut this back somewhat each year, but not completely to the ground.
Plant: Clematis "Venosa Violacea" Source: Bluestone Perennials Quantity: 3 Planted: 4/27/06 Blooms: Mid-June Notes: Planted in far back garden to grow through our Kousa dogwood tree, but the lack of light and constant rabbit nibbling were rough on it, so we moved it to the base of our mimosa tree in the back garden in May 2007, then moved the tree and clematis together to a new location. Unfortunately, the tree didn't survive the transplant, so this poor, sweet clematis got uprooted again. It finally started to get a foothold in 2010, but then I moved it to a better location and better trellis in March 2012, and now it is truly thriving. It's a very tiny vine like Miniseelik.
Plant: Clematis "Miniseelik" Quantity: 1 Source: Lowe's Planted: 6/8/06 Blooms: Mid-June Notes: This vine has numerous tiny pink-purple blooms with lighter centers. Moved to base of honeysuckle bush in June 2007, then gave it its very own trellis when we removed the honeysuckle bush next to it in June 2008. Moved to another place in June 2010 to give it more room. Look how adorable this plant is. I dare you not to love it.
Plant: Clematis "Jackmanii" Source: Bluestone Perennials Quantity: 1 Planted: 4/27/09 Notes: Planted on trellis in back garden. I have wanted one of these for years and am pleased to see how welll it is doing. Moved it to a larger trellis in the far back garden in March 2012 where it will have more room.
Removed or Disappeared
Plant: Clematis "Sweet Autumn" Quantity: 5 Source: Lowe's, Avon Gardens, Langeveld Planted: 11/09/03, 4/14/04, 4/4/06 Blooms: Late August Notes: Grew up our gazebo in 2004, then into pine trees in 2005. Moved to spa garden 9/12/05. Added three more from Langeveld on 4/4/06. Moved to base of pine trees in spring 2007 where they can grow and spread to their heart's content. Bloomed for the first time in 2009 since being moved and was doing nicely, however, it was killing the pine tree it was on, so we removed it in spring 2013.
Plant: Clematis "Mme. Le Coultre" Quantity: 3 Source: Garden Crossings Planted: 10/15/04 Blooms: Late May Notes: Some books list this as identical to Marie Boisselot, but others claim it is slightly different. It sure looks identical to me, but I'll keep it in a separate category for now. Originally growing on a trellis with Multi Blue; moved to Rose of Sharon on other side of house on 6/2/07; moved to base of mock orange bush 6/8/08. Removed the mock orange bush in 2009, and this wasn't there anymore.
Plant: Clematis "Marie Boisselot" Source: Lowe's Quantity: 3 Planted: 7/13/03 Blooms: Mid-May Notes: This is an amazing plant. Terrific growth, endless blooms, sturdy flowers. Succumbs to wilt every year, but recovers quickly. Moved to base of lilac tree in August 2009 when we replaced the siding on our house and haven't seen it since.
Plant: Clematis "Gravetye Beauty" Quantity: 3 Source: Bluestone Perennials Planted: 6/15/06 Notes: Planted at base of Bartlett pear tree in far back garden, where it gets very little sun. It finally bloomed for the first time in August 2007. Moved to a trellis in May 2008 when we removed the tree it was growing on. It never really had a chance to get established, and in spring 2010, it appears to have disappeared.
Plant: Clematis "Florida Sieboldii" Quantity: 4 Source: Bluestone Perennials Planted: 6/1/06 Notes: Originally planted three at base of plum tree in far back garden. They weren't doing well and it's all my fault because they were in a terrible location that gets very little sun. I moved them in spring 2007 to a trellis in the far back garden instead so they'll get more sun, but when they finally bloomed, they turned out to not be Florida Sieboldii, and appear to be Carnaby instead. I bought a replacement from Bluestone in spring 2009 and it is doing well. The blooms are much smaller than I expected -- perhaps 2 - 3 inches wide. Unfortunately, this still doesn't seem to be Florida Sieboldii since it doesn't have the distinctive purple center. Oh, well.
Plant: Clematis "Scartho Gem" Quantity: 3 Source: Lowe's Planted: 9/26/04 Blooms: Mid-May Notes: Moved to spa garden 9/12/05. These are really pretty blooms. Moved to base of mock orange bush in spring 2007 and it looked gorgeous there, but when we removed the mock orange, there was no trace of this vine. It's a shame, because I really liked this one.
Plant: Clematis "Snow Queen" Quantity: 4 Source: Lowe's Planted: 5/3/04 Blooms: Mid-May Notes: Purchased small bare-root plants. These were originally planted next to an ugly bush to grow through it. Rabbits ate all of the leaves at the bottom of the plants, and earwigs ate the blooms. Moved to a sunnier position with other young clematis plants on 6/6/04. These fade quickly from pale blue-pink to white. Moved these to a tall trellis in June 2008, but removed them in June 2009 when I got tired of the yearly wilt.
Plant: Clematis "H. F. Young" Quantity: 2 Source: Lowe's Planted: 5/3/04 Blooms: Mid-May Notes: These are doing
very well, with lots of new growth. These are absolutely gorgeous and look great in a vase with Snow Queen blossoms. Moved these to a tall trellis in June 2008, but removed them in June 2009 when I got tired of the yearly wilt.
Plant: Clematis "Carnaby" Source: Lowe's, Sundown Gardens Quantity: 3 Planted: 8/02/03 Blooms: Late May Notes: Both of our Carnaby plants from Lowe's developed clematis wilt immediately and had numerous problems before moving them to a trellis in the side garden on 4/8/05. Added a third plant from Lowe's on 4/16/05. They continued to be extremely susceptible to wilt, and finally died in 2007. It's a shame, because these are lovely blooms, but Dr. Ruppel is much more vigorous and just as beautiful.
