Online Nurseries 2001 - Completely Clematis Specialty Nursery
Clematis, the Queen of Vines, has been cultivated for many centuries in Japan and since the sixteenth century in Europe. While not strictly "shade" plants, and certainly not for that dank corner under the hemlock, many grow quite well and flower in some degree of shade. Completely Clematis Specialty Nursery has one that will suit your garden.
Completely Clematis is a small nursery who have been growing all types of clematis since 1983 and sending them to your U.S. and Canadian gardens through the mail since 1993. Like me, they are particularly interested in the small flowered species and hybrids but their aim is to introduce new but proven varieties of all the types - small and large flowered, species and hybrids of the vining sorts as well as the shrubby and herbaceous kinds.
The site is clean and quick loading. Only a portion of the two hundred varieties they grow are listed on the web site. Order their print catalog to see all of them. This "store" page also offers several books on Clematis, note cards and a beginner's special assortment.
Their 'Varieties' page gives a brief overview of the various species and links to images representing each one. To see their list, select the 'Order Plants' link from any page and select the variety you're most interested in from the links at the top of the page. The lists give the name, flowering time, height and flower color plus links to photos. Owner, Susan Austin, tells me she's got about a hundred more images to put up, as soon as she gets a chance.
The site also has a FAQ page as well as a page explaining that vexed question of how and when to prune who. If you know the name of the plant you're looking for, try their search function. You can search by name or selecting an option from a drop down box.
A garden can hardly have too many Clematis. While you can allow them to grow horizontally to cover ground, they usually grow up, taking very little ground space. The shrubby or herbaceous types can be grown in a border, just like other perennials. The twining, vining types can be trained to netting, trellises, tripods and trees or allowed to scramble through large shrubs, which they would do in nature. Be sure to match the vigor of your chosen vine to its host. Many Clematis are light weights but some, like the sweet autumn clematis (C. terniflora) can become quite substantial and smother a small shrub. Some of the more compact varieties are well-suited to container growing if you can protect them over winter in cold climates.
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