Not all Clematis are twiners, or even vines in the accepted sense of the word. Clematis heracleifolia is another of the herbaceous forms. I grew this for many years, but when it suddenly did not reappear, I did not cry. Perhaps in a large stand, it would make an impact, but as a single specimen, it proved rather sprawly, with flowers needing close inspection to be noticed at all. It is said to be fragrant, but I never noticed a scent from my plant. The foliage is interesting, however, but not sufficiently to command garden space for this alone - at least in my garden. I have seen photos of some cultivars, however, who promise to be more worthwhile. Clematis heracleifolia 'Hyacinth Blue', looks promising, but still needs staking if you want it to stay upright.
The hybrid, 'Will Baron', (or 'Will Barron' - haven't been able to sort this yet) is relatively new in my garden. It was given me by a net friend as a cutting a couple of years ago. This year, it flowered quite nicely in partial shade. It grows up netting (you can see it on the right side of this photo) attached to the roof overhang on our covered walk. This means it gets no direct overhead sun, but, facing west, it does get a few rays after mid-day, although a large dogwood (C. florida) is directly across the path and blocks a lot of sun. Flower size is rather mid - not huge and not small; this may change as the plant matures, or it may not. In any case, the delicately colored flowers arrive in early summer and persist for some time.
I have two others adjacent to this, also gifts from the same friend, who have not bloomed for me yet. I do not know whether this is due to age or the fact that they get even less sun than Will does. I will give them another year or so and then move them if there are no flowers.
 |
 |
| Here's the follow-up discussion on this article: | View all related messages |
For a complete listing of article comments, questions, and other discussions related to Marge Talt's Shade Gardening topic, please visit the Discussions page.