Clemantis, Sweet Autumn

I winter sowed this and was delighted when 2 seeds germinated and thrived in spite of me . . . now I am not so sure. Do any of you have pictures of the leaves of this plant . . . or have I done a fine job growing weeds?

Here's a picture of my mature Sweet Autumn Clematis.

Rats! The leaves are long and slender - sigh. Mighty fine looking weeds, though lol

I tried ws this clematis also but the slugs got mine as the were coming up!

Mobi, I think we should try again . . . now to locate a source of seeds . . .

I'd say I'd send you some from my mature plants but I'm not good about saving seeds. I get tired and have depression so I end up buying most of mine. If I remember I'll try and look you up but I can't promise anything - I never know how I'm going to feel, especially a few months down the line.

Be happy that it didn't germinate! Sweet Autumn Clematis is VERY invasive! I can't get it out of my garden. It reseeds everywhere, chokes out other plants, climbed to the top of my 'Sky Rocket' Junipers and smothered my 10' Holly tree!

Please look in PlantFiles about this Clematis because many, many gardeners have given the pros & cons of growing this very aggressive vine.

I'm glad you spoke up Shirley, I've pulled miles of this stuff out of fences, trees, and nice shrubs that deserved better...
There are so many more beautiful Clematis out there.
Seandor, I think you'd be better off taking a chance on seeds from a hybrid that won't come true but odds are good it would be a nicer plant than C. ternifolia/ sweet autumn. Take a look at this site, I believe he posts in the Clematis forum:

http://www.bcollingwood.com/

I don't *have* to own sweet autumn - I just want a clemantis with fragrance. Are there others? I guess I should ask the clemantis forum. :-)

Thanks for the link, claypa ; -)

This message was edited Jul 9, 2007 9:10 AM

Sea, I thought I was in heaven when I got mine to grow from seed....first they sleep then they creap and it was looking good, y'know? The year it leapt, it went up the 10 foot wall and then 1/2 way up the shingles of the roof until finally a rain brought it down and I cut it back to the nubs. ANYBODY who grows this can get you seed or seed heads for it to direct sow in Autumn, but what about Clematis montana? I think it is aggressive, but not loco like the SAC.

BTW, I didn't think SAC smelled at that great.

Suzy

Okay Suzy, oh, btw - all the seeds I ordered from T & M sale arrived (this is the second order after you let us know it had been extended AND that shipping would be free with the code number - so you are somewhat responsible - like giving a drunk a drink . . . lol - just kidding!)

Anyway, I now have enough seeds to start my own nursery! What was I thinking of?????

Sorry, didn't mean to come on so strong! I just know what this Clematis is capable of and want to spare you the problems that I have encountered with it.

Yes, it is lovely to look at when it is in flower, but personally speaking, I didn't care for its scent either, but that's different for each person. http://davesgarden.com/pf/showimage/10315/

Definitely hop over to the Clematis Forum where you will get a lot of great advice! Besides Wintersowing, I hang out at the Clematis daily. It's one of my favorite forums!

Thanks claypa for providing the link to Brian Collingwood's web site. He has a very informative site, his hybridized seedlings are gorgeous and he provides a lot of help when growing Clematis from seed.

If you are looking for a lovely Clematis to cover a large trellis, I would recommend the viticellas, which are resistant to Clematis wilt. Once established, they require a hard prune (Group 3) because they flower on new growth. Clematis viticella, 'Betty Corning' comes to mind because it has all the attributes that you are looking for, as well as, a light scent. It depends on what color & shape of flower your heart desires! http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/69288/

The Clematis montanas are another good possibility. They get really large15 to 25 ft, give one flush of flowers, and are heavenly scented.

Hope this helps!

Thanks for your suggestions! I have Betty Corning. I want a fragrant clemantis that does well in the shade - not asking for much, am I lol.

Off to the clematis forum I go!

My 'Sweet Autumn' clematis does grow like a maniac and tries to take over 2 adjacent trellises as well as its own... but *knock on wood* so far it hasn't been an invasive reseeder in my garden (and I haven't been good about deadheading it, either). The C. montana v. rubens on the trellis next to it is one year younger (because I lost the first plant that I bought at the same time as the SAC), and it's holding its own a little better against it this year. I'm trying to layer some cuttings of both of them, so we'll see how that goes...

You might check out Brushwood for descriptions and possibilities. I've ordered from them a couple of times and been very happy with the plants they've sent. If you order more than one plant, shipping is free, and if you order 3 plants you get a discount. :-) http://www.brushwoodnursery.com/

I tried WSing a couple of clematis varieties this year, and I did get a couple of seedlings of C. ligusticifolia http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/56865/.... they're in a gallon pot now, and I'll probably plant them out this fall.

Seandor, there's a guy on eBay wh o sends FREE SAC plants with every order. He can't get rid of it fast enough. It did a good job of covering an ugly old stump which is now a charming old lump. But in my naivetée, I bought one late-flowering clematis (SAC), one spring flowering one (I don't remember which one; we see a few flowers occasionally) and plumbago to shade the roots (I'd read they like cool feet and sunny heads). Sometimes we even see a few glimpses of the plumbago. But I don't think they are too hard to come by (heck, I'll send you some of mine), I don't think they're worth fretting over or wintersowing. They're not rare or unusual!

xxxx, Carrie

Okay Carrie - if you get any spares, you can drop one on me :-)

You got it, girlfriend!

xxx, Carrie

Thanks!

There's probably a good reason for that.

I almost cried when I saw this in my favorite wetland in Maryland. It's within a few yards (2-3) of a Bald Cypress, Rhododendron viscosum (the only ones I've ever seen), Kalmia, Sweetbay Magnolias, Clethra, two kinds of blueberries, Lobelias, native Photinias, rare ferns, Viburnums, Arbutus, Ladies' Slippers, wintergreen, etc., etc... none of which will being growing in the space this monster takes up. It's a quarter mile from the nearest house, and they don't have it growing in their yard.

I can't get rid of it fast enough either, but I wil try.

I would cry too. Michaela, when you come to get the dahlias, you can grab as much SAC as you can carry.

xxx, Carrie

Okay! :-)