Clematis

Southern Gardening is in Picayune, MS at the home of Kay Cline admiring her beautiful varieties of clematis growing in her landscape. Let’s take a closer look at some of the plants. Clematis Josephine is a true show stopper with its large lilac base petals of 5 inches that surround pom-pom centers of pink-lilac. Its base petals fall away with age to leave fluffy centers. Flowers continually evolve in shape and form. This premium variety is at the forefront of Clematis breeding - form and coloration are truly breathtaking. Another beauty in Kay’s landscape is Wisley Clematis. This impressive variety blooms with plenty of dark purple to violet colored flowers that can get 6 inches wide. Noted for the sheer abundance of its blooms, Luther Burbank Clematis, produces many large, violet-purple, open star flowers, 6 to 8 inches across. The attractive blooms are blessed with 6 rounded, wavy-edged sepals that nearly overlap at their base but draw apart and crimp downward as they expand. They also make a lovely prominent tuft of pale-yellow stamens, adding to the visual interest of the blooms. If you are looking for a dramatic color, Ernest Markham Clematis with its vibrant magenta-red flowers with a frilly center of golden anthers would be a great choice. The flowers definitely stand out in the landscape with their back drop of green foliage. Train any of these Clematis on an arbor, fence, or trellis, or allow them to climb through shrubbery to create an excellent vertical effect in the landscape. As you can see, clematis vines can definitely add visual interest and appeal to any landscape. I am Eddie Smith, and I will see you next time on Southern Gardening.