Clematis

A rare wild collection by Bjornar Olsen of this small species from Hailuogou, Luding, Sichuan at 2750 meters. A creeper to low climber in the wild, this collection comes from a cold and wet area so hardiness should be better than usual. This has pendulous hanging yellow flowers that would look great in a hanging basket, raised planter or in a rotted stump for moist bright shade. In the right setting, pretty much an awesome bit of clematical botanical wonderment. I've never been one to let the lack of a recogiized word impede dialogue!

This selection of this evergreen Clematis can likely be traced back to Roy Lancaster's introduction of this choice species from his collection L657 from Emeishan in Sichuan which had the distinct central silver splash on the leaflets which makes this extra luscious. Small scented creamy flowers start appearing in late winter here in the Northwest and on mild winters it is not a surprise to be surprised by flowers happening in February although March is pretty much guaranteed. A classic wall plant where it appreciates the buffer and protection afforded by the wall as well as access to plenty of sun. If you don't have a wall, try a tree as this can reach 20 feet or more but is easily kept in bounds by pruning after flowering if you are hardwired for control. Zone 7b or down to Z7 with appropriate siting.

An Aaron Floden collection of this Eastern US native clematis with vibrant hot-pink to purple bell-shaped flowers with a cream-colored interior conjuring up cheerful memories of berries and cream on a hot summer's day. Herbaceous and needs a good whack each year but will reward you with annually increasing robustness for your efforts.

A wicked cool little shrubby clematis endemic to Western Virginia where it grows primarily in the unique shale barrens of the central Appalachians, sadly almost never offered. The underside of the tear-drop shaped leaves, peduncles, and thumbelina-style bell flowers are covered in an adorable white wool that give the plant a soft glow. It's unusual for a niche endemic to have this much charm and mass appeal so use this as an opportunity to avoid your friends' accusations of liking things only for rarity or freakiness (or does that only happen to me?). Wants a poor, rocky soil given its natural habitat.

These are seed-grown from our plant of 'Hakure' which is often seen as 'Hakuree'. The parent plant was bred and selected by Hiroshi Hayakama in Japan in the early 90's who chose this for its floriferous display of white flowers just touched with fleeting lavender and sporting twisted tepals. Our seed-grown progeny will vary from deep purple to white but all will be good. 18"-30" tall. Don't call this 'Hakure' as each plant is unique individual.

A hybrid of Clematis marata and C. marmoria from Graham Hutchins of the famed County Park Nursery in New Zealand. This fairly tender little evergreen creeper has early spring female flowers of greenish-white which are strongly scented of citrus. Perfect little container plant to overwinter in the cool greenhouse or outside in mild areas.

Sweet little herbaceous species from cold areas in eastern Europe on into Russia. This gets just a couple feet tall give or take and has lovely pendant flowers in shades of blue. Often the petals have a bit of a twist adding even more charm. Good in containers and fine in the garden.

Leatherflower Clematis. This infrequently encountered southeastern US native is just a gem. Rambling small vines to 8' at the most with fuchsia-purple closed bells which turn to white at the flared sepal (petal) tips. This blooms in late spring but continues to flower sporadically into fall. Perfect for clambering into shrubs or that small trellis which would get eaten by a Clematis armandii or Wisteria. For those of you to whom provenance matters as much as it does to us, this is a collection from Humphreys County Tennessee. Young sturdy plants which may or may not flower this year but we're thinking they will.