Common Name: clematis
Type: Vine
Family: Ranunculaceae
Native Range: Garden origin
Zone: 4 to 8
Height: 3.00 to 10.00 feet
Spread: 3.00 to 6.00 feet
Bloom Time: July to September
Bloom Description: Creamy white (inside) lavender-white (outside)
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Water: Medium
Maintenance: Low
Flower: Showy, Fragrant
Leaf: Good Fall
Tolerate: Deer, Black Walnut
Culture
Best-grown in sandy-humusy, medium moisture, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade. Prune back to woody base in fall or late winter. May die to the ground in harsh winters.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Clematis × jouiniana, commonly called Jouin clematis, is a hybrid (C. heraclefolia 'Davidiana' × C. vitalba), non-clinging, woody-based, sprawling perennial or sub-shrub. It is a semi-climber which may ramble 6-10' along the ground or up a slope or to 3' tall as a sub-shrub. Flowers (to 2" diameter) have 4-6 strap-shaped petal-like sepals and appear in compound panicles (corymbs). Flowers are a creamy-white inside and lavender-white at the tips and on the outside. Flowers are mildly fragrant and bloom July to September. Coarsely-toothed, compound leaves (3-5 leaflets; each 2-4" long) turn an attractive yellow in fall.
Genus name comes from the Greek word klematis which is an old name applied to climbing plants.
Problems
Clematis wilt is a potentially fatal fungal disease that can affect any clematis, but large-flowered, hybrid varieties are the most susceptible. Powdery mildew, leaf spots, rust and viruses can also be problematic. Potential insect pests include aphids, vine weevils, slugs/snails, scale and earwigs. Watch for spider mites.
Uses
Best as a sprawling ground cover for tree stumps or banks. May also be trailed over walls or ledges. Also effective as a rambling border sub-shrub.