Re: Burgandy Clematis -Reply -Reply

Hi Peggy:

You wrote:  

All four sound beautiful and promising. I'll
probably try them all
if I can find them. 

There are also several mail order sources. 
Wayside is one, but they can take awhile to get
established.  Let me know if you want catalogue
names (usually no pictures, however).

I have homes for the ones that don't work
where the
color is less critical. 

One of the things I've been known to do is
snap off a flower of the climatis and walk
around the yard until I find a pleasing color
combination.  This means moving the climatis
sometimes, but I really have not found that to
be a problem.  Obviously you have to consider
location (if the climatis will like it there) and
space (how big it gets).

Ooh.  I just thought of another burgandy-ish
one.  It is climatis viticelli 'Purpurea Plena' and
it is a double!  A little large at 10 feet, but it
does bloom MID-summer versus the others
that mostly bloom early summer (that can
make a difference when trying to combine
them).  If you are going with New Dawn as the
host plant, I'd go with an early summer one. 
My Purpurea Plena is growing in the middle of
a large perennial bed, up a large tomato cage
and cascading over into a 'Silver King'
artemesia.  Silver King doesn't mature 'till
mid-summer, so a mid-summer bloomer was in
order.  You can see the possibilities are endless,
even though our budgets are not!!!!

finding a clematis in bloom at a nursery where I
live
doesn't seem to be in the cards. 

Get a good climatis book, it is worth its weight
in gold.  For pictures, descriptions (they really
are pretty consistent and detailed), color and
pruning advice.  The one in Wayside's
catalogue by Evison (?) is very good and about
$18-20, well worth it and a perfect beginning. 
If you are into roses and climatis, there is a
book out last year, something like "Roses and
Climatis as Companions" written by a primo
climatarian in Britain which is EXCELLENT
(but $40).  Well worth it though, and extremely
enjoyable winter reading!  LOTS of pictures.

first year I
haven't spent 90% of my time and money
figuring out how to fix my
filthy clay soil when I would have rather been
making things pretty. 

Smart woman.  You won't regret it!  Make good
dirt!

really had my heart set on the New
Dawn/clematis/maple combo and the
people at our local nurseries reacted like I was
asking for the moon.

If they aren't into what you're into, they're
often no help.

Where do you live?  That can be essential to
know.

How you plant your climatis can be important. 
I have about 30 now, and have followed this
advice which I read somewhere:

Be sure to dig a big hole, as your plant will be
there for a long time (usually).  In my PNW
garden (acidic) I add mushroom compost and a
handful of lime (climatis like lime -- hence their
beauty in England) and bone meal to promote
root growth.  The main secret that has really
worked for me is planting the crown or root ball
about 6 inches BELOW the soil.  Then if your
plant gets the dreaded climatis wilt (a disease
that will kill them back to the ground) or
simply gets snapped off by the dog (or cats, in
my case) it will almost always come back up. 
Just keep watering it even when nothing shows.
 It eventually will.

I'll offer further personal experience: 

 Everything I'd read said they like cool feet and
hot heads.  The English say they can take heat,
they just need lots of water.  When I have
planted them in too shady of an area, assuming
they'll grow up through the host into the
sunshine, it has often slowed their growth
considerably.  A good book will explain which
ones like sun/tolerate some shade, etc.

You'll love whatever you decide on, I'm sure. 
Enjoy!
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