Clematis

Clematis is one of plants that I seem to want to collect obsessively.  I don't know why.  I guess because there are so many different kinds, colors, sizes, etc.  I guess it's a good thing that we have a fence in the back yard, because this provides good real estate for the clematis to grow up

I bought several new clematis plants last year:

Elsa Spaeth is planted on the wall of the garage.  It was a vigorous plant when we bought it and it seems to be doing really well this spring. (Pruning group 2B...blooms on last year's and new growth)

Clematis maximowicziana, or 'Sweet Autumn' is also planted on the garage wall. It has small white fragrant flowers. We installed two 8 foot tall panels of trellis that my father made and it's a good thing because this clematis is growing over my head already.

Clematis Kingfisher

This one's on the back fence.  It's never gotten very tall and this winter it died down to the ground.  I have only two little sprouts showing.  It produces huge bluish flowers.

Clematis Pope John Paul II


Pale pinkish white flowers. This plant got completely eaten by insects last summer and almost didn't make it. (Pruning group 2)

Clematis Comtesse de Bouchaud 
Planted next to Pope John Paul, I think...Medium pink flowers.  I can't figure out why the Pope was massacred by insects but the Comtess was hardly touched...(Pruning group 3)

Clematis Ernest Markham
Big red flowers.  It was a tiny plant last summer. It's planted against the south fence. (Pruning group 3)

Clematis Lady Betty Balfour
Lady Betty is next to Mr. Markham.  This was also a tiny plant when I bought it.  We had a cold snap here for one night where the temp went down to -20 celsius.  This was after all my clematis had starting budding.  The buds on Betty seem to have not survived and I don't see a new growth from the base...(Pruning group 3)


Clematis Julia Correvon
Julia just moved to the front south corner of our house.  I finally got around to transplanting it from my old apartment a couple of weeks ago.  It has a red-burgundy flower and the petals are sort of twisted. It appears to have tolerated the move well. (Pruning group 3)


Clematis Tangutica
This is a species clematis with small yellow bell shaped flowers.  It produces interesting seed heads after the flowers also.  It is planted with 'My Angel' on the fence facing towards the street.(Pruning group 3)


Clematis My Angel

A species clematis with bell shaped flowers, outside aspect of the petal is red, and the inside is yellow.  This one also makes great seedheads. (Pruning group 3)

So, I'm looking forward to bigger shows of flowers this year now that most of the plants are better established.  Photos to come as they all come in to bloom.