Clematis

Here's my Ernest Markham Clematis in it's second year of blooming. The first two years it didn't flower, but I've heard that is not uncommon for these vines. As you may see in the picture, it's flowering mostly from the middle up. Last year it only climbed about half this height because of a competing vine on the trellis and flowered pretty much from the ground up. Clematis like to be in the sun but tolerate some shade. It's important to keep at least the root zone cool and shaded. I accomplish this with a large 'Frances Williams' hosta planted near its base. Different clematis need to be pruned at different times of the year depending on when they flower. In the case of this one, I cut it back to about a foot in height in the spring and it grows back completely.

This is one of several plants I purchased because it was described as having a red flower color. As in the other cases, the flowers turned out to be more magenta. I've learned my lesson to not believe descriptions, but to try to see examples in bloom when at all possible.