Well these are the first blooms for the Clematis Armandii we planted last summer. As you can see the little vine is going to be loaded. Jamie and I have been making a slow, but conscious effort to introduce more evergreen plants to the garden. When we bought this clematis I just assumed it would be a summer bloomer. It never occurred to me that it may have it’s flush of blooms in late winter. That’s okay though, it’s nice to have things that bloom this early in the year. We can add this to the list of indicators spring is on the way. While I’m not a botanist by any means I have done a little research on the vine and here are the basic facts about it.
I’ve discovered two spellings of the word Armandii in my reading, one with a single “I” and also spelled with a double “I”. I’m not certain which one is correct because I have found reputable sites spelling it both ways. The vine has been known to be hardy to zone 6a but I wouldn’t recommend anything cooler than zone 8. It can grow up to 40 feet in length and produces its best blooms in late winter or early spring, although it can bloom sporadically during the summer as well. The flowers have a soft sweet scent are white and about 2 inches in diameter. The vine doesn’t require any pruning, but over the years will produce less foliage and flowers from the lower sections of the vine. So, it’s not a bad idea to give a haircut every now and then after it blooms. It performs well in sun or part shade and like all other clematis likes to keep its feet cool. I think Jamie and I are going to enjoy this vine for several years to come.
9 comments:
What a great climber!
I had never heard of this clematis. It looks nice, reminds me of my sweet autumn clematis with the white, fragrant blooms and the size.
What I wouldn't give for a vine that kept its green leaves thru th winter. Don't think that will happen up here.
The JC Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh had an Armand Clematis that I really loved. A late winter bloomer and so fragrant.
I'm in zone 7 and it seems to have survived our cold winter. I read that it is hardy to 5 degrees.
That is a very nice photo of it.
Wow, those are gorgeous. Even the buds are nice! Baby nandina is growing new branches and leaves! It should do well outside this summer (that's mid May in MI).
I knew this was too good to be true for me. I would love to have an evergreen vine. These blooms are beautiful. I like the new look of your blog. The header screams spring.
We are in zone 7 got my armandii clematis last spring, no growth at all last year. The past week I've had 8 inches of growth, woohoo!
Nice post, was just researching clematis as well, thanks
Lovely blooms, Randy. Good luck training it. It's great to see you back in action. As if I've met a friend after so many years :).
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