“Clematis on Lattice” – Summer 2013 – The Chicks in the Hood Tour – Pittsburgh, PA
“A Plant a Day till Spring” will highlight one plant a day, starting on the winter solstice (December 21, 2013)… And ending on the vernal equinox (March 20, 2014)… If all goes to plan I will be starting with old Snowdrop photos from 2013… And ending with new photos of Snowdrops in 2014…
Clematis are vigorous, woody, climbing vines… The woody stems are quite fragile until several years old… Untangling and pruning is extremely difficult… I pride myself on being able to successfully work with them… I have clients that won’t let anyone get close to their clematis… Except me… Leaves are opposite and divided into leaflets and leaf stalks that twist and curl around supporting structures to anchor the plant as it climbs. Some species are shrubs… While others are herbaceous perennial plants… The cool temperate species are deciduous… But many of the warmer climate species are evergreen. They grow best in cool, moist, well-drained soil in full sun…
Clematis species are mainly found throughout the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere… But a few are found in the tropics…
The timing and location of flowers varies… Spring-blooming clematis flower on side shoots of the previous year’s stems… Summer/fall blooming clematis bloom only on the ends of new stems… Twice-flowering clematis do both…
“Cluster of Clematis” – Summer 2013 – The Chicks in the Hood Tour – Pittsburgh. PA
In the American Old West the Western white clematis was called pepper vine by early travelers and pioneers who took a tip from Spanish colonials and used the seeds as a pepper substitute… The entire genus contains essential oils and compounds which are extremely irritating to the skin and mucous membranes… Unlike black pepper… The compounds in clematis cause internal bleeding of the digestive tract if ingested in large amounts… When pruning them… It’s a good idea to wear gloves… Despite its toxicity… Native Americans used very small amounts of clematis as an effective treatment for migraine headaches and nervous disorders… It was also used as an effective treatment of skin infections…
plant petunias and question everything – chriscondello
New To writing and never had to site sources before… These “Plant a Day Till Spring” posts are simply intended to kill time until spring… My source is Wikipedia.org… The photography is all my own… And I am adding my own information… But much of this is just related from the web…
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chriscondello 
I have a huge mess of the white clematis here in Topeka, KS. I’ve chopped it back but it just keeps coming back, and has become invasive in some areas of my large yard. Any suggestions for keeping it under control? The bees love it, and I love bees.
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Just curious… Is it a sweet autumn clematis or a white oriental? I only ask because I will be doing Sweet Autumn in a few and can cover pruning in detail if that’s what it is…
Let me know…
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I honestly don’t know! I adopted this home & garden from my grandparents, and they were crazy for flowers and sustaining a habitat for local birds. I’m crazy for that too, but am still learning. I’ll wager it’s sweet autumn, because it blooms late summer to fall, and smells heavenly!
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Sounds like sweet autumn… I’m definitely covering it…
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The petals of this one are beautiful…they look they’re quilted.
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Like they are quilted, rather.
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Oh, my favorite flowering vine!
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Clematis montana do very well here in Tasmania and most gardens have at least one specimen. Maybe I should have asked your advice before I pruned my clematis back from the deck rails that I was just about to paint. The entire mass decided to part company with the rail and dropped to the ground…at least the chooks have a new nesting place now 😉
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Are you planning to do lobelia? I only ask because the seed company sent us a free packet with our order. Not important. Thanks, I am enjoying this series…
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Sure… Give me a few days to track it down…
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I love clematis – I have 3 different varieties in my garden. My absolute favorite is Sweet Autumn Clematis. It has a wonderful aroma and does very well in my garden. I have it climbing and trailing along the ground.
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