Clematis companion

Hi, I'm hoping someone could help answer a question I have about companaion planting with my clematis. I read somewhere that they like their roots shaded and suggested underplanting with a shallow rooted plant. I don't know, however, what would be considered a shallow rooted plant. Any suggestions as to what to plant under or around a clematis to shade it? I know mulch would work, but I was hoping for some pretty little flower.

The "classic" companion for clematis is roses. I've got many of my clematis planted at the base of rose bushes, and they crawl through the branches and bloom when the reach the outside of the bush.
-T

Excellent idea, seedpicker, thank you. I do have a clematis climbing up through my New Dawn climbing rose. However, I was looking for something to plant around the bottom of the clematis.

'Walker's low' variety of catmint is a wonderful groundcover for under roses...it takes full hot baking sun, fills in where roses seem to be bare at the bottom, and it only gets about 6, maybe sometimes eight inches tall. It is in constant bloom, and the periwinkle colored flowers compliment any color of rose.

Thanks again. However, I was looking for something to plant under Clematis, not roses. Will this still work?

Any groundcover you like would work, and the walkers low is certainly a good one...
-T

Welcome to DG, soflynn, from another MD gardener!!

I usually plant my Clematis through shrubs, trees, over arbors, on trellises and shorter varieties in containers. Any type of low growing ground cover can be a good companion for growing Clematis, as long as, it doesn't compete with the Clematis for moisture.

Thanks for the welcome, Shirley. I guess I'll try to find some kind of ground cover at a local place. Although, I was really hoping someone could suggest something since I don't know anything about them. Years ago, a friend gave me a tiny little violet. It looked harmless enough. Well that thing took over my entire lawn in a short time and was heading for the neighbors. Since then, I never looked at ground covers.

I also don't know much about this darn clay soil. How do you stand this stuff? I never saw anything like it before and can't imagine how anything grows in it (I have my clematis in raised beds with real soil).

Oh well, my quest continues.