This is Clematis montana 'Elizabeth'. It's a good bloomer and has the added benefit of smelling like vanilla. Light pink fragrant flowers resembling dogwood blossoms on a vigorous vine.
Clematis montana in bloom
How beautiful! I'm just starting to get into clematis, so I'm particularly interested in seeing pictures. I have one giant purple one growing through my hydrangeas, and I need more. I'll be on the lookout for Elizabeth. Thanks for sharing.
That is lovely, I was so dissapointed I had to move my Clematis as they are starting to enclose my back patio for a plant room, but the Clematis died, I have tried some starts and hope they take off.
Doris
Beautiful! Definitely another one to keep my eyes open to get!!
:) Donna
What a lovely Clematis! Having the added scent is an extra bonus!
I did not realize there were scented clematis. Your plant is beautiful and thanks for that info !
This lovely Clematis comes true from seeds.
Is it hardy?
I keep hearing differnt things
I love them but have never seen them for sale in my area,which leads me to think they are not hardy here
All the "normal" clematis are here but never Montana
Dea, Of the montana species of Clematis there are 2 that I find particularly fragrant and can be found reasonably easy. 'Elizabeth' , light pink and 'Mayleen' , a deeper pink. 'Mayleen' also has burgundy tinted foliage that compliments the true pink flowers.
Crestedchik, The montanas should be hardy in your area. I'm in Rhode Island and they do fine with no mulching at all. If you can't find them locally you can always find them on the web. You'll have to use the Internet if you want to find the particular varieties of montanas besides C. montana rubens or C. montana 'Grandiflora' which are the 2 most popular, but not the most fragrant.
Thanks
I'm planing on buying more Clematis this year,so maybe I will just mailorder
I'm waiting for all mine to bloom so I don't order something that I already have by mistake....LOL
I'd love to have one with scent,that Mayleen sound like a great plant
Those are so lovely! I added 'grandiflora' and 'montana rubens' this spring and they both seem to be taking off nicely. These were nicely established plants and one even had a couple of seed heads on it. Do you think I can expect blooms next year?
gemini_sage, If it had seed heads , it already bloomed last season and should bloom again next season. Montanas tend to set bloom at a younger age than the large flowered varieties anyway. They are a very vigorous vine too. My C. 'Elizabeth' was eaten by deer last season to practically nothing and look how well she bounced back this year. It's flowering is at peak now and it's sending out loads of new shoots in all directions for more blooms next year.
My Montana Rubens just got eaten. It was only about 4 inches tall and now it is about 1 inch tall with a stem and a leaf left. I hope it comes back. It has only been in the ground for 2 or 3 weeks.
Ivy1, If your clematis was planted deep enough it will come back from the roots even if the top growth is eaten away. I've had Clematis 'Ramona' and Clematis 'The President' planted on the side of my front door. At the sugestion of a veteran horticulturist, I planted them deeper than the planting guide recommends. Every Spring they are nibbled down to the ground and I get nothing all year, but the next Spring they shoot up even more vigorous to get 2 or 3 feet tall before becoming a meal for Prancer and Dancer. This has been going on for 3 years now. They are now 4 feet tall and I have sprinkled "Shake Away" around them, dusted them with cayenne pepper, placed garlic clips amoung them and even sprayed wolves' urine near them in an all-out war against the deer so that maybe this year I will actually get to see at least one of them actually bloom!
P.S. Of all the tactics I've used, the wolf urine seems to be doing the trick. I had a little nibbling starting on my Daylilies and Iris at the beginning of the season, but since I starting using the urine all nibbling has stopped and I have'nt seen anymore damage since. Luv those Wolves!
Your clematis are just gorgeous!
What is this pink in the last posted photo?
How much deeper than 18" did you plant them? I am finding it difficult to get a hole 18" with the clay and rocks I have!
Is that "Mayleen" in the photo? I always wanted that one.
I planted mine a few inches deeper than it was in the pot. I have very good luck doing it that way, but it is in the worst soil at the foot of my deck stairs. There are lots of stones and it is very sandy soil. I think I might dig her up and put her in a pot. I wanted her to grow and wind through the trellis railing up the stairs to my deck and then across the deck railing. Is it better to leave her, or pot her up?
Try Irish Spring soap shavings or hang whole bars to keep critters away. I hadn't put mine out yet when she got eaten. I hope it will work. It worked for me last year. Not one bite out of any of the roses or anything else, for that matter.
Yes, That is Clematis 'Mayleen' in the last photo. She is pinker than Cl. 'Elizabeth' almost as fragrant and the foliage is burgundy tinged as opposed to the green foliage of 'Elizabeth'.
The planting guide called for planting the crown an inch or two below soil level. I was advised to plant the crown even deeper so that it is 4 to 6 inches below soil level. That way, if the top of the plant is completely eaten, there is enough left growing below soil level to spring back again.
As far as the soap, I've tried it all and last year lost a good portion of my garden to the ravenous deer. This year with the urine my garden is lush and untouched as never before, so I'm sticking with the wolves. I usually see them in the yard at dusk but since I started the urine treatment there has been no sign of them in the area. A friend of mine that was having the same deer problem switched to using urine (although he used coyote urine and I can't) and has had the same results. He hasn't seen them around since, either.
Urine of any non-vegetarian animal seems to work well as a deer deterent. I live deep in the woods(so getting arrested for indecent exposure is'nt a concern here when urinating around the garden!) and before I got my dog, that was my only means of protection and never had the first plant munched. I recommended to one DG to have the guys in her family go out after dark and do their part to keep her garden deer free!
I took the clematis plunge this spring and ordered 10 from Brushwood Nursery. Both of the montanas are growing like crazy and I can't wait to see and smell those next year. The rest are large flowered varieties and I'm trying several of those with climbing roses(the pics of this combination finally got me this year). Have any of you grown clematis with (or onto) roses? I'm wondering if there are any unforseen problems with this combo I should be on the lookout for.
I tried to get my DH to ...you know... in the garden but he was too shy... We have elderly neighbors and the houses are only about 12 feet apart here. Imagine their surprise when looking out one evening.....
Very pretty.
I had considered growing clematis among my climbing roses but I was concerned that when pruning time came, I would have difficulty in cutting out dead wood and thin shoots on the roses with the clematis vines growing in and out of them. I like to have a clear view of exactly what it is I'm cutting. I suppose it would be alright if you planted the type of clematis that needs to be pruned down every year. Otherwise, I'd be afraid of mistakingly chopping off parts of the clematis along with the rose.
My clematis 'Nelly Moser' is dangerously close to some Ivy (Hedera helix) on one trellis and every spring when I try to clip back the advances of the Ivy , I inadvertently cut off parts of the clematis vine along with it, to my dismay.
This message was edited Jun 3, 2005 1:09 AM
My "General Sikorski" has gone crazy this year! It's HUGE!
We have had two nor'easters in 4 weeks that blew the living daylights out of everything, and horrible weather the rest of the time. The General just loves being whipped around. It is also it's third year. Man, if I knew it was gonna be this great I would have put in clematis before! All the other plants are recuperating, and there goes GS climbing for the sky!
I was going to plant clematis up my standard forsythias, but I wanted to get the kind that you prune in March so I could prune the forsythias later without risking the clematis.