Clematis, Early Large-flowered Clematis 'Arctic Queen'

Blackened crispy leaves are often due to a common fungal disease called clematis wilt. Large-flowered clematis are more prone to clematis...Read More wilt than the species and small-flowered hybrids. http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/you...

Clematis and tomatoes are two exceptions to the usual rule, and are best planted 6 inches deeper than the soil level in the pot. This protects the stem bases from mechanical damage, and helps prevent clematis wilt, whose fungus enters where there's damage. It also helps keep the roots cool.

Many small-flowered hybrids are spectacular in flower, and long-blooming. I consider them indispensable, especially the viticella hybrids. I've given up planting large-flowered hybrids, except for 'Jackmannii', which seems to be somewhat wilt resistant.

Has bloomed reliably for two years in a row though sparingly. Grown in a pot with rosa S. de la Malmaison. would probably do better pl...Read Moreanted directly inground and I may eventually transplant, but not on my to do list right now.

This clematis comes back reliably for me and blooms heavily year after year. It usually is a bit on the short side, maybe 4-5 feet on ave...Read Morerage, but here in far Northern WI (zone 3 or 4a, depending on where you look), I'm just happy it comes back at all! Year after year, by early July it is covered in beautiful, huge, double white blossoms. I just LOVE this one!

I noticed recently that, while I have buds on the old growth of my four other other clematis, there are no buds on the one-year-old stems...Read More of my Arctic Queen. There is new growth coming up from the roots, however. So, on the advice of a friend who has tons of clematis and is a master gardener, I cut off the dead stems and will train the new growth up trellis. We had a very hot month or two last summer and, although I kept it well watered, it struggled. My friend says she routinely cuts all new clematis down to a few inches of stem the first year. I hadn't intended to do this, but will see what happens. I don't know if this is common for this particular clematis and would like to hear from others.