California Gardening: Clematis in So. Calif., 1 by doss

doss wrote:
IN the photo the Iceberg and the Niobe are both three years old. You can see what I mean about clematis taking awhile to get started. The best part about this pairing though is that they bloom at the same time. That's another thing you have to consider when pairing a rose with a clematis. This was a lucky break for me.

You may be expert at roses, I don't know, but be sure to wind the canes AROUND the pillar or fan them out if they are on a fence because they will bloom on the horizontal canes. Otherwise you get flowers only at the top of the pillar. That's how I got this rose to bloom all the way to the ground. Can't wait to see how it does this year! It hits peak bloom around the end of May here. Here's a close up in mid-May.