Clematis
CLEMATIS
I FIRST FELL IN LOVE WITH CLEMATIS WHEN I PLANTED MY GARDENS AT TURKEY HILL. AT THAT TIME, I REALLY DID NOT FOCUS ON THE LARGE-FLOWERED TYPES—THE ‘NELLY MOSER’, C. JACKMANII, AND ‘MRS CHOLMONDELEY’—BUT RATHER ON THE FRAGRANT SPRING BLOOMERS: C. MONTANA and C. VIRGINIANA, PLANTED AT THE BASE OF WALLS AND PILLARED SHADE TERRACES.
They grew very well, covering great areas with pink and white star-like flowers. I even had the scent collected for future use as a perfume because it was so delightful.
Years later, when I was planning the design of the landscape at the farm in Katonah, one very important feature on the list of “requirements” was a clematis pergola. I had visited a master clematis grower in California and fallen in love with blue and lavender and purple varieties, and I was determined to somehow grow these beautiful vines in all my favorite colors. I conferred with the growers, and they assured me they could provide many different plants in a variety of “blues.” The bower or trellis supports were sixty-two Chinese granite grape stakes, and to make it easier for the vines to climb, I wound copper wire around each of the 8-foot-tall uprights. This has worked extremely well and the vines, now more than ten years old, reach all the way to the top of the stakes every year.
Clematis are easy to grow, but they are also prone to some very serious diseases, which cause the entire vine to wilt and dry up. This happened one year and I thought I had lost the entire grouping; but after being hacked to the ground, the vines re-emerged better than ever. The pergola has been a focal point, the clematis underplanted with blue catmints (Nepeta x faassenii and N. racemosa ‘Walker’s Low’), orange poppies, and hundreds of several types of purple allium. Not only does the border look good for months, it serves as a great source for cut flowers and “catnip” for my beautiful cats.
I first saw clematis used in bouquets and arrangements in California. Graceful and arching, the vines lend themselves to loose, ethereal arrangements, and the white varieties are very effective in wedding bouquets, too. I am now rethinking my hesitation to have other colors of clematis in the gardens and have planted the massive white varieties in my small garden of all white flowers—they grow nicely on pyramidal tuteurs. I have also started planting the vines on other walls and at the bases of trees. Because there are only about three hundred species of clematis, it is not too large a genus to get to know well. And the rewards both inside and out are immeasurable.
For a fragrant bouquet that shows off the range of clematis colors, Kevin picked four varieties from the pergola at Katonah. The deeply saturated purple of ‘Rhapsody’ anchors the center, while lavender ‘Eyre’s Gift’, pale lavender ‘Blue Angel’, and white ‘Snow Queen’ surround it in a glass trophy-shaped vase. Smaller white rambling roses in full bloom and feathery Japanese painted ferns lighten the arrangement; the ferns also play on the clematis color palette.
Because they have such short stems on the vine, clematis blossoms are tailor-made for floating arrangements. This simple, elegant grouping of white clematis and purple and white passion flower includes the plant’s own greenery, taking its cues from the flower’s natural growing pattern. Here, the shape of each bowl echoes the symmetry of the flower petals, while the foliage and stems decorate the area outside the vessels, creating an especially pretty centerpiece on a lavender linen runner.
GROWING & ARRANGING
KNOWN AS THE QUEEN OF THE CLIMBERS, CLEMATIS PLANTS ARE EXTREMELY ADAPTABLE, AND WILL GLADLY HOOK ONTO AND TRAVEL UP TRELLISES, FENCES, ARCHES, OR TREES. THOUGH THEY’RE NOT AS WIDELY USED AS CUT FLOWERS, THEY MAKE STRIKING ARRANGEMENTS.
Even without a pergola or other dedicated structure, clematis vines should grow vertically without any trouble. Here, in an area separate from the blooming pergola, ‘Arabella’ clematis finds purchase on the bald cypress tree, which also offers a cool environment for the shade-loving roots.
HOW TO GROW
Clematis is a genus of about 300 species within the buttercup family Ranunculaceae. The distinctive blooms are widely known as clematis, but have also been called traveller’s joy, virgin’s bower, old man’s beard, leather flower, and vase vine. With the right care, clematis can climb structures more than 20 feet tall. Their tendrils twist and curl because the touch of a stake or branch stimulates growth on the opposite side of the stem. The blooms appear all summer long, making them a true garden great.
ZONE Clematis generally grows best in Zones 3 to 9, depending on the cultivar. They are generally hardy, and some varieties can even succeed in the varied winter temperatures of Zone 10. ‘Comtesse de Bouchaud’ and ‘Duchess of Edinburgh’ can handle even regions as far south as Florida.
SOIL Clematis need moist, well-drained soil that’s neutral to slightly alkaline. Amend the planting hole with compost, and make sure the surface stays moist and cool.
LIGHT Make sure these climbers have access to at least five hours of sun each day. Some varieties will bloom in partial shade, however, and the plant roots should be shaded to keep them cool and moist. This can be accomplished using low-growing plants or 2 to 3 inches of mulch.
CHOOSING If you buy clematis as a container-grown plant, condition the root-ball, pot and all, by letting it sit in shallow water for twenty to thirty minutes before planting. If buying a tall plant, stake it immediately. Purchase shorter vines in early spring or late autumn.
PLANTING Select a site that will give the foliage and flowers full sun but will also supply a cool, moist place for the root run. Underplanting helps—at the farm we plant catmint and grape hyacinth. Plant deeply—the crown should be at least 2 inches below the surface of the soil. Make sure to build any climbing structures before the roots go in.
It’s the nature of the clematis vine to climb, typically 6 to 10 feet (although some grow as tall as 20 feet). Thus, it’s important to provide the plants with a structure that it can attach itself to—whether natural or manmade. Most clematis are lightweight vines that can grow atop or through other garden plants without any adverse effects. On the farm in Katonah, clematis bloom not only up and around the pergola (see this page), but also along tree trunks throughout the property (see this page). To encourage clematis to keep climbing, use soft, flexible twine to give the vines some extra support and train them to climb in the direction you prefer.
WATERING & FERTILIZING Clematis should be watered about an inch or so weekly, more deeply during dry spells. Cut back water in rainy years to prevent fungus. Feed with superphosphate in autumn and with a balanced organic fertilizer during bud and after bloom.
PRUNING In late fall or early winter, cut back most of your clematis plants to about 4 to 6 inches from the ground to encourage a bushier, stronger growth. Give more delicate or older varieties a gentler pruning.
Depending on the cultivar, clematis bloom differently and need specific pruning strategies. Spring-blooming varieties flower on side shoots of the old season’s stems, while summer and fall bloomers flower on new stems. Prune spring-flowering vines immediately after the last flowers have dropped, and do not cut back more than a third of the stems. For summer-flowering varieties, wait until early spring, a few months before flowering, to prune; remove dead or weakened stems and lop off stems above the first large, swollen buds. Clematis stems are delicate, so handle with care when pruning and training the direction of growth. Use narrow-bladed pruning shears and move gently.
TROUBLESHOOTING Keep your eye out for clematis wilt, a fungus that turns stems and flowers black and brown (this is more likely to occur with large flowering varieties than small). To treat, cut off wilting stems just below the infection, and never compost diseased vines. If powdery mildew is a problem, spray lightly with an organic fungicide.
The long pergola (top) stands along the carriage road leading up to my home in Katonah. Varieties include pale ‘Blue Angel’ (bottom left), star-shaped and striated ‘Parisienne’, and deep blue ‘Rhapsody’ (bottom right).
HOW TO ARRANGE
CUTTING Clematis is often overlooked as an arrangement flower, but there are myriad suitable varieties; I grow as many as I can. Some can be slightly more challenging; the woody vines wrap and tangle around each other, so be sure to extract the stems with care. They break very easily and require patience and a tender hand, but they’re worth it. When going for a whole vine with clippers, try to untangle the branches while they’re still on the plant, to avoid cutting away more than you intended—or the wrong stem of blooms entirely.
ARRANGING The large-flowering varieties work best for a simple arrangement: Cut three and arrange them in small vases, bowls, or other vessels down the length of the table. This allows for an up-close appreciation of the flower’s shape and color. Or mix them with hostas or other large leaves in a bubble bowl. Because clematis grow on a vine, they can offer the benefit of movement to an arrangement in a way that is unlike any other flower. Always embrace the curves of their unpredictable stems—the trailing vines can elongate a bushy arrangement or add an unexpected element to a domed bouquet.
Large star-shaped blooms and tiny bell-shaped flowers; petals in bright white, deep purple, pale lavender, sapphire blue, and scarlet—clematis is a genus with many faces, and I happen to love, and grow, a wide variety of them. Here, several varieties are placed separately in small glass vases and grouped on a silver tray in order to highlight the form of each individual flower.
Transparent trumpet vases give tender clematis vines structure, allowing these flowers to do what comes naturally to great effect. ‘Eyre’s Gift’ clematis in three stages of growth, with its sharp edges and star-shaped petals, counters the soft, ruffly effect of Kevin’s favorite cream-colored peonies. Leaving foliage on both stems adds to the direction of the grouping, which reaches above as it gestures gracefully below. This is a good example of matching stems to vase to accentuate the form of both.