Clematis
Clematis
Clematis blooms from May through September.
Mature size, hardiness zones, sun and the trait tags were checked against named botanical sources for this plant. The bloom months and water need on this page were not.
Growing Clematis
Plant it in full sun. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 4–9. Expect it to reach about 9.8 ft tall and 3.3 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 3 years.
When to plant Clematis
Plant Clematis in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. For the middle of its hardy zones 4 to 9 range, spring means March to May and fall means August or September. Once settled, it blooms from May to September.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar: for the middle of its range, start with zone 6 in March.
Comes in 16 varieties across 5 colors
Same plant, same care - pick the color you are growing.
Good to know about Clematis
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note.
Safety
In the buttercup family; the sap's protoanemonin irritates and can blister skin, and it sickens dogs, cats and horses. NC State rates its poison severity high. per NC State and ASPCA
Worth knowing
Grow it with its head in the sun and its feet in the shade: the top needs full sun to bloom, but the roots want cool, moist soil. per Clemson
Pruning depends on the group
Group 1 (early, old wood): tidy after flowering. Group 2 (large-flowered): light late-winter trim. Group 3 (late, new wood): cut hard. Prune the wrong group and you lose blooms. per Clemson
Needs slender supports
It climbs by wrapping its leaf stalks around thin supports, like a grape tendril. It cannot grip thick posts or branches, so give it wire, netting or slim stakes. per Iowa State
Clematis wilt
A fungal disease can make a stem, or the whole plant, suddenly collapse with blackened tissue, often before bloom. Cut below the dead area; it usually regrows from the base. per Nebraska
Plant the crown deep
Set it 1 to 2 in deeper than it grew in the pot, burying the lowest buds. That drives multiple stems and lets it resprout if wilt kills the top. per Nebraska
Pollinator value
Clematis flowers draw bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. Value is real but moderate: nectar-rich open species like sweet autumn clematis feed pollinators more than showy double large-flowered hybrids. per NC State
What pairs well with Clematis
Good companions share its growing conditions and add something it lacks: an earlier or later bloom, a lower carpet in front, or structure through winter.
Aster
Shares full sun and moderate water; overlaps, then carries the display into mid fall; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds; both offer pollinator forage.
Hyacinth
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in early spring, before this one opens; low at 10 in, to carpet the ground beneath; both offer pollinator forage, in different months.
Goldenrod
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; overlaps, then carries the display into mid fall; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds; both offer pollinator forage.
Sea Thrift
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; opens in mid spring and overlaps into this one's season; low at 8 in, to carpet the ground beneath; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.
Grape Hyacinth
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; blooms in early spring, before this one opens; low at 8 in, to carpet the ground beneath; both offer pollinator forage, in different months.
Flowering Cherry
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; taller at 26 ft, for the layer behind it; both offer pollinator forage, in different months.
Eastern Redbud
Takes full sun to part sun and moderate water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; taller at 23 ft, for the layer behind it.
Pansy
Takes full sun to part sun and moderate water; opens in early spring and overlaps into this one's season; low at 8 in, to carpet the ground beneath; echoes the purple.
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