Any TX clematis growers out there?

I am bound and determined to grow clematis successfully. We're in zone 8b, (San Antonio) and I just "rescued" a clematis from the big box store's clearance rack. (Yes, I know, I know. :~) It has no tag, and I've looked all over, but being new to them, I'm just not sure which one this is.

The flower is 3" wide, and a little more lilac purple than it seems in this photo. I've cross-posted already on the Clematis thread, but wondered if any TX gardeners had advice for the success of these fussy things.
Thanks in advance!

this time I stuck each of mine in a 1 gallon pot and half buried that in the flowerbed next to my porch, and I have my first blooms. (mine came from Burgess and I'd have sworn one was dead but all lived so far) Feet in the shade, heads in the sun, bed is on the north side of my house.

I've been growing clematis here in Houston for a number of years with relatively good results. So far I have five of them growing. They get morning sun until about noon, then shade the rest of the day. I make sure that the roots (base of the plants) are shaded, too. I've long since lost the name tags for a couple of them, so I can't tell you which varieties they are, but I do have a Josephine and two Avant-garde, which have smaller blooms. However, the Avant-garde are not growing to standard color. They're a lot paler than most photos.

Here's one that I can't remember the name of (although I'm thinking it's something like Polish Pride):

Thanks guys--I'm encouraged. :~) I'm trying to figure out where would be the best place here for this one...our place is situated sort of on a diagonal to the cardinal directions, not really North-South and East-West, so it'll be a trick, but I'll figure something out. I'm guessing the main thing is to keep the roots cool. Beautiful photo!

I have three that have been growing for about 4-5 years. They are on a chain link fence on the south side of my house amidst climbing roses. They are in dappled shade with irises all around their feet. They bloom beautifully every year. My mother-in-law has 2 in her yard that get morning sun/evening shade. We are both in the DFW area, zone 8a.

just try to remember that clematis is one of the Blister beetle's favorite foods stay vigilant!!!!

Looks similar to mine but not quite. Mine is the only bush clematis at least that's what it said. Loves it here in TX. I have it in a pot on the porch.

I agree with all that it is possible to grow clematis in Texas. There used to be someone who lived in Conroe Texas that grew many. I also have success with most. I like the type 3 more because they seem to take the full sun better. How big is the root system? When you plant it add bone meal at the bottom, compost and some expanded shale. Make sure the crown is 2-3 inches deep and mulch well.I know this is heartbreaking to do, but if you cut it back for the first year, you will be rewarded with long term healthy plant

I received a cutting in our RU from Bariolio of a Clematic named Polish Spirit. She lives in Sugarland and has some to swap at RU's so I guess they do well for her.

HA! I saw the word "clematis" and had to look! Yes, I have Polish Spirit. It is doing fantastic. It's in my backyard against the house. Faces north so it gets sun from east to west but not blazing hot. I also have one facing west (yikes!). But it is still alive and blooming off and on too. I just cut it back in the winter and have had it for a couple of years now. Nothing seems to bother it although it will get lots of brown crispy leaves. I just pull those off or trim it pretty well (just did that about a month ago) and it's growing new branches again. This was after the first big Spring bloom. I don't even fertilize it much, just a bit of fert when I feed the azaleas in the same bed.
Actually, I live in Katy, Marty!
Good luck with your clem. :)
Janet

You guys are awesome. I am so encouraged...and will definitely follow the advice about bone meal, planting depth, pruning, etc. The place I've selected for it is on the north side of the house, but gets morning sun for quite a few hours, but the deck shades the ground where it'll be planted. It's an area we're trying to block off, traffic-wise (dog tends to leap from there when chasing squirrels) so a trellis will be ideal in that spot!

Marty, did you get that cutting to grow?

Anna, it is not looking good. Will let ;you know.

I haven't heard of too many successes so I was curious.Clematis don't seem to follow the regular plant "rules"

My autumn clematis cutting from RU did great while it was in the coke bottle, for awhile, then started to have "clear" spots on the leaves like they were rotting. I opened it up and transplanted to a pot but there were no roots I could see... May be a seasonal transplanter. a lot of cuttings do better over the winter.

The Polish spirit I got from Janet looked great the day I got it, the next 2-3 days it started to look bad, and it then went from bad to dead looking. It was already planted in a pot when I got it so I dont know if, or how many roots it had. I keep all new plants in the shade until they look perky and this one was always in the shade but never looked perky. I was hoping it just went dormant. It's still in the shade and I monitor for signs of recovery but like I say. It does not look hopeful..

I'll try starting more cuttings from different parts of the plant-soft stems and semi hardwood. I know I got at least one to root because it's against my garage on a trellis. Hopefully, I'll have some to give away in the fall. Ones that are definitely alive!
Janet

Janet, thanks. I hope you will put my name on that list for the fall in case mine does not make it.

Janet, we will all be interested on what works!

Ok, now the pressure is ON! I like a challenge... :) At least, gardening ones!

I have some of the more modest native clematis, the red texensis variety and the purple pitcheri. They are more accents than features. I let them climb over some of my spring flowering shrubs that don't have much summer interest. People notice the flowers peeking out and can't figure out what kind of shrubs they are. :)

What a great idea, Dennis. Thanks for sharing that. I have vines that need a place to climb and that may be an idea to try :)