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Clematis
Clematis
Clematis blooms from May through September.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Clematis
Plant it in full sun. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 4–9. Expect it to reach about 10 ft tall and 3.5 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 3 years (not yet checked).
What was checked
Mature height and spread, 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, and each fact above says which. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
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. In zone 6, the middle of its hardy zones 4 to 9, 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; if you garden near zone 6, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 6 in March. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Clematis get?
10 fttall5 ft 7 inan adult3.5 ftwideSee Clematis in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant Clematis
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Space Clematis about 3.5 ft apart, center to center, so each plant has room to reach its full width.
Add Clematis to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Where these facts come from
Clematis' height, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags were checked against 13 published sources on July 29, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- NC State ExtensionPlant Toolbox, Clematis x hybridaheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- NC State ExtensionPlant Toolbox, Clematis x jackmaniiheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- NC State ExtensionPlant Toolbox, Clematis viticellaheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- NC State ExtensionPlant Toolbox, Clematis ternifloraheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- NC State ExtensionPlant Toolbox, Clematis virginianaheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- NC State ExtensionPlant Toolbox, Clematis montanaheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- NC State ExtensionPlant Toolbox, Clematis integrifoliaheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- NC State ExtensionPlant Toolbox, Clematis armandiheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- NC State Extensiongenus pageheight, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- NC State ExtensionPlant Toolbox, Clematis texensisheight, spread, hardiness zones and sun
- Clemson Home and Garden Information Centergenus factsheetheight, sun and trait tags
- Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower CenterClematis virginianaheight, sun and trait tags
- RHSRoyal Horticultural Society, Clematis growing guide (genus page)height and sun
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
Comes in 16 varieties across 5 colors
Same genus, similar care - pick the color you are growing.
- Avant-garde
- Comtesse de Bouchaud
- Doctor Ruppel
- Ernest Markham
- Gipsy Queen
- Hagley Hybrid
- Henryi
- Jackmanii
- Marie Boisselot
- Multi Blue
- Nelly Moser
- Niobe
- Rouge Cardinal
- Sweet Autumn
- The President
- Ville de Lyon
Compare every variety in the Clematis group
Every figure is the variety's own page fact. Tap a name to open it.
| Variety | Color | Blooms | Hardiness | Sun | Size (H × W) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avant-garde | Red | Jul–Sep | Zones 4–9 | Full sun | 10 ft × 3.5 ft |
| Clematisthis page | Purple | May–Sep | Zones 4–9 | Full sun | 10 ft × 3.5 ft |
| Comtesse de Bouchaud | Pink | Jun–Sep | Zones 4–9 | Full sun | 8 ft × 3.5 ft |
| Doctor Ruppel | Pink | May–Sep | Zones 4–9 | Part shade | 10 ft × 3.5 ft |
| Ernest Markham | Red | Jun–Sep | Zones 4–9 | Full sun | 11 ft × 3.5 ft |
| Gipsy Queen | Purple | Jul–Sep | Zones 4–9 | Full sun | 11 ft × 3.5 ft |
| Hagley Hybrid | Pink | Jun–Sep | Zones 4–9 | Part shade | 8 ft × 3.5 ft |
| Henryi | White | Jun–Sep | Zones 4–9 | Full sun | 10 ft × 3.5 ft |
| Jackmanii | Purple | Jun–Sep | Zones 4–9 | Full sun | 11 ft × 3.5 ft |
| Marie Boisselot | White | Jun–Sep | Zones 4–9 | Full sun | 10 ft × 3.5 ft |
| Multi Blue | Blue | Jun–Sep | Zones 4–9 | Full sun | 8 ft × 3.5 ft |
| Nelly Moser | Pink | May–Sep | Zones 4–9 | Part shade | 10 ft × 3.5 ft |
| Niobe | Red | Jun–Sep | Zones 4–9 | Full sun | 8 ft × 3.5 ft |
| Rouge Cardinal | Red | Jun–Sep | Zones 4–9 | Full sun | 8 ft × 3.5 ft |
| Sweet Autumn | White | Aug–Oct | Zones 4–9 | Full sun | 13 ft × 5 ft |
| The President | Purple | Jun–Sep | Zones 4–9 | Full sun | 10 ft × 3.5 ft |
| Ville de Lyon | Red | Jun–Sep | Zones 4–9 | Full sun | 10 ft × 3.5 ft |
Good to know about Clematis
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note. A note reports what its source says; where that differs from a fact above, the fact above is this entry's stored value, and its mark says whether it has been checked.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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