Gardening with Gita
The Clematis That Refuses to Go Dormant
By
Sep 3, 2008 - 9:03:09 AM

Clematises, without question, are one of the most beautiful of all climbers: they deck our mailboxes, their signature location in spring; can be trained to grow on trellises, or simply prefer to ramble on the nearest growing shrub or a tree. Available in more varieties than one can keep track of, one of my most enjoyable tasks, when I worked as a seasonal associate at a local garden center, was arranging the container-grown clematises in alphabetical order.

But as lovely as a vine in bloom is, don’t you hate to see them wither once the show is over?  In fact, when done blooming, they begin to look so lifeless that someone who is not very familiar with the life cycle of clematises might presume the plants to be either diseased or dead!

Ruling out any unusual circumstances, the ratty-looking plants nonetheless are anything but lifeless, for when the right season arrives, they burst into life, putting forth new growth that ultimately bears those gorgeous, vibrantly-colored flowers. As this is the only growth pattern of clematises I have always been aware of, it was somewhat of a surprise one late summer when I spotted an interesting clematis at a nearby garden center that looked quite healthy. Even at tail end of the season; turns out that unlike others this particular species, Clematis armandii, does not peter out after flowering, instead stays green year-round.         

Vigorous, aggressive, sprawling are some words that come to my mind in describing the C. armandii, climbing all over our pear tree growing in the vicinity; with wiry branches hanging in the air in the absence of an appropriate support, the vine has indeed reached great heights, literally. Whereas the flowers are not, by any standards, showy like the ones of their cousins’, the intense fragrance makes up for the size and the color: opening in very early spring, the pure white flowers emit a scent that not only catches one off-guard, but is hard to forget.

Rather carefree, all this clematis asks for is a sheltered but sunny site, a well-drained soil, and some kind of a support to climb on to. So, if you happen to have, in the garden, such an accommodation available, then C. armandii is the one to grow this fall; be prepared to see the vine take off, tough out the cold weather, and, at the slightest hint of spring, bear flowers that will take your breath away.

Gita’s Tip of the Month: A rake or a cultivator can dislodge some of the winter weeds that are beginning to make their appearance; it is always easier to tackle weeds while they are relatively young rather than at later stages of growth. 

gitaagrawal@juno.com

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