Texas Gardening: Need clematis help, please, 2 by pirl

pirl wrote:
Another Texensis for you to consider might be Duchess of Albany:
http://www.gardenvines.com/shop/small-flowered-clematis-4/cl...

My photo is below.

It's so easy to layer that one in spring to get more plants.

The clematis roots want to be moist and cool, which does not translate to sodden with water. Just a piece of bark will work to shade the roots. You don't want the surface of the soil to be hot - that's the reasoning behind shading the root area. It will help keep the roots moist and cool.

Putting down a layer of manure, another layer of compost and topping it with bark would be ideal. If you have a slug problem then spread the slug bait before adding the bark, which can be one large piece or many pieces. Nothing I've ever read has said it must be a rock to shade the roots though a rock could work quite well.

Some people do manage to plant something in front of a clematis and have no problems but I feel anything planted in front of the clematis takes nutrients and water that the clematis could use so I avoid doing that.