Plants: Clematis paniculata - Clematis Sweet Autumn

The beautiful sweet autumn clematis is a vigorous semievergreen (or deciduous) vine than can climb up to 30 feet. The compound leaves are glossy and deep green. The star shaped white flowers are about an inch and a quarter across and sweetly fragrant. They are borne in numerous branching panicles from late summer through autumn. Vines can be so laden with billowy masses of white flowers that they look like they're covered with snow! The seed heads are pretty, too, with their silvery-gray featherlike styles. It is hardy in zones 4-9.

There is an old saying with Clematis; "Tops in the sun and feet in the shade." In other words the vine blooms best in the sun and benefits from a cluster of small plants, planted around the base of the plant. Many people simply plant a ground cover like ivy, myrtle, or pachysandra around the plant to shade the base. Clematis does best in fertile, humus rich, well-drained soil. Mulch well with composted manure or compost. Feed once a month with a well balanced fertilizer during the growing season.

Synonym: Clematis maximowicziana, Clematis terniflora

Publisher: Hirt's Gardens