PEREN N I AL FOCUS
BOBBIE SCHWARTZ, FAPLD Bobbie’s Green Thumb The small bells and wispy deadheads of Clematis ‘Rooguchi’ hover above the large blossoms of Rosa rugosa ‘Coeur d’Alène’.
CLEMATIS
THE LESSER KNOWN ONES
Most gardeners and landscape designers know and love the large-flowered, vining Clematis that we train to grow on trellises and fences as well as up and over shrubs and on the garden floor through other perennials or as ground covers. Sadly, many of those are subject to clematis wilt. However, do not despair. There are some other wonderful species and cultivars that survive for many years against all odds. When visitors come to my garden, one of the first plants they ask about is Clematis ‘Rooguchi’. It has been in my garden since 2008 and its dark purple, downward-facing bells bloom from June until October and twine themselves into my Rosa
rugosa ‘Coeur d’Alène’. In ensuing years, it has extended its reach into a neighboring Amorpha that is also visited by Clematis ‘Piilu’, a large-flowered, pale pink. Although Clematis ‘Sapphire Indigo’ wasn’t patented until 2006, it is only within the past few years that it has drawn attention and become readily available. It is a cross between a vining and a non-vining species. The medium-sized recurved petals are a deep blue and, once established, it sprawls through other perennials and shrubs or can be used as a weedsmothering ground cover. I have two of them that I grow on very short (18 inches) obelisks that raise their stems high continued on page 10
8 | Official Publication of The Ohio Landscape Association
