LOVE LOVE LOVE a vine… easy to grow, high impact plants that they are I think every garden should have many. Although “up” in generally the direction that comes to mind when speaking of vines, over, under, through and in-between  are even nicer sometimes.Take  clematis for instance,  the most underused plant in the whole entire garden world. It is stunning growing on a trellis or arbor, but even better for the surprise factor and interest when you let it just romp through the garden.

I don’t have all day to go into the specifics or pruning groups etc , ( I will, just not today 😉 ) so just pick any clematis vine that  is labeled as pruning group 3. The vines in this group are the ones you cut back to the ground every spring. If you pick a 2 or God forbid a 1 don’t come back here crabbing about the mess you made.

Now plant the clem like you would any shorter  perennial, so that means not UNDER a shrub, or BEHIND the tall back of the border plants, but nearer to the front or middle  of the bed .

I will pause to add one important clematis direction that is very valuable for many reasons  ( again with the time so trust me and wait for later postings specifically on growing clematis)  plant it deeply….again… plant it deeply. Crown at least two inches below soil line

Back to the romp. After it settles in to it’s new home it will happily grow  and twine around any perennial or shrub and it’s vines are pretty delicate so it will not hurt anyone or crowd them out. You will be blessed with an extra set of blooms popping up in and around plants that if they are blooming will have a new companion  (hopefully in a well thought out color combination), and if they are already past will take on new life.

Visitors will be in awe of your gardening skill and you will be seen as a  “garden goddess” (or god).

Now. if you generally clean up your gardens in the fall, you will need to practice some restraint and patience here. Clematis should not be cut back until the late winter/early spring. If you cut it back in the fall there is a chance that it will throw out some new growth and if it does the winter temperatures will kill it. So after sitting on your hands all winter, go out in the early spring and cut it back to about 12 inches or so and pull all the vines out as well as any other plant material left from other perennials. Then let it romp all over again.

This is Josephine, one of the first clematis I ever planted . She is free and easy all over the side bed. She goes in and out artemesia,tickseed, and blanket flower, into a variegated dogwood, and up into a container plant (of petunias) that is on a plant stand next to the dogwood.

up and into the container

This is ‘Huldine’ he is mainly grown up a rose arbor, but I place side shoots into the garden next door and let him scramble

Huldine in the garden

and   ‘Betty Corning ‘ who grows through a viburnum  giving it another season of interest

For a tiny bit of clarification, Josephine is a pruning group 2. I wanted her to go through the variegated dogwood, and love her there, so I deal with her wanton meanderings by gently cutting out the perennials she twines around without cutting her. Delicate time consuming work. As I said, use a group 3.

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Cheryl