On the cusp of Autumn, they cover fences, arbors and walls across the Midwest, with their fleetingly sweet scent and canopy of blooms; Sweet Autumn Clematis.
We planted ours, a cutting from my dear friend Phyllis, last summer. It inched its way slowly through the slats on the arbor. Hesitant at first. Cautious. No. Not cautious. Most clematis are cautious, but, not Sweet Autumn, which is more like a teenager who has just been granted a driver’s license. Both ramble all over the neighborhood with no thought of the future.
We planted our Sweet Autumn at the foot of the arbor, its roots nestled under an August lily, which has just finished its annual performance. Both seem to like where we placed them, growing companionably. As this summer wore on, the clematis clamored and climbed, twisted and turned, wending its way more than twelve feet upward, then down again.
She is now in full bloom and most ravishing come late afternoon when the sun touches the tiny petals of the thousands of blooms, reminding me of a September bride. I’m already thinking of next year’s wedding, while enjoying these sweet Autumn moments.
Your Sweet Autumn Clematis grows like a Clematis weed! It would be perfect for my garden because it sounds like it has a mind of its own! 🙂
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It does have a mind of its own, Janet. I recommend it.
One usually grows at Wilder Park on the south side by the tent. Should be in bloom now. It is usually spectacular.
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I’ve been riding my bike to Elijah’s (north) most mornings and ride through Wilder Park so I will make a point to look for it!
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Such a pretty, peaceful-looking place!
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Thank you, Karen. Wish you could come over and sit with me for awhile under it.
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The arbor is everything I think an arbor should be-a place to read, reflect or take advantage of the garden that is such a welcoming place.
Do you bring the fern in for winter?
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Thank you, Marilyn. It is, for us, just that – and I am grateful for it.
This is our first year with this fern and we will, indeed, bring it in and hope to overwinter it.
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That is breathtaking, Penny. I love clematis.
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Me, too, Andra. Thank you.
Next year, it should be three times as full – I hope.
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Dear Penny, a friend once gave me a clematis that I planted by the garage in Stillwater. I don’t know its name but it had lovely pointed purple flowers and I felt its beauty even when I looked at it across the space the yard. Thank you for reminding me of that. Peace.
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I love the purple flowered clematis, Dee. That was a thoughtful gift for a friend to give. It probably bloomed there in summer for you. I’m so pleased that this brought you a nice reminder.
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Beautiful!
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Thank you very much.
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I do love clematis, Penny, So well behaved and so beautifully graceful.
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They are among my favorites, Kate. This one is worth waiting the summer for.
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What a gorgeous clematis, and I’m fascinated by it flowering in autumn as our native clematis, which is fresh and white, is always a sign of spring. I chuckled at your metaphor of it being like a teenager who’s just been given a driver’s licence. What a show it will make when it covers the whole roof.
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Aren’t clematis so wonderful dressed in white? Our days are shortening, the nights cooler, the days still mostly warm, which, I wonder, isn’t what you are experiencing there, Juliet, only with the days lengthening. Ha. Glad to give you a chuckle, there. I’m already imaging next year, though mindful to take the time to appreciate what is blooming right now.
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How lovely. Your arbor always looks so beautiful and peaceful. You have managed to make a new scene for every season. I enjoy seeing your clematis rambling around.
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Thank you, Janet. It is a special spot that I love. We figured today that it must be at least 20 feet long as it climbs above and, on one side, is coming back down.
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That plant is just i perfect over your wonderful arbor! I can just imagine how lovely it must be to sit and read there. I’m wondering if my daughter knows about this plant (and if it grows well here)….it’s her kind of plant! She has lots of room for things to run wild and crazy.
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It is a thrill to watch it perform, Sallie, and this is a perfect spot to read and ponder. I don’t know what the hardiness zone is there, but, once she knows that, she can just google and find if it will grow in her zone. As I mentioned to Janet in her comment above, we figured today that it is at least 20 feet long. If she has the room and the zone is right, this is a wild and crazy kind of plant.
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How peaceful and beautiful! I am not familiar with this particular clematis, but I’ve never met one I didn’t find very special. And I always enjoy hearing when you’ve shared a cutting from a friend. I think this is the best of thinking and meditating spots, or a place to sit and swap the daily news with Tom–or a good place to sit and watch the deer. 🙂
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This is absolutely stunning in the fall here, Debra. Ours needs another year to really become a show-off. I can wait. I love clematis and there are actually three other varieties that grow on the arbor, two in spring, one in summer, and now, Sweet Autumn. Cuttings are the best plants to have and I love them. Phyllis, who shared this, is a friend from high school. I guess I’m sharing my cutting with all of you whom I can’t actually give one to by writing about it. We use the arbor for all you mention, but, mostly, it is a most trusted thinking spot. Thank you. Hope you are mending and feeling better.
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I was not familiar with autumn clematis until a couple years ago when the maintenance man where I work was talking about it and showed us pictures of autumn clematis in his yard. How lucky you are to have it growing. I hope to get one some year soon.
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I hope you can get one too, Joyce. They really are breathtaking when in bloom and seem to herald in autumn with their beauty. I was thrilled when my friend shared hers with me. I’ll wish for you to have such a gift as well.
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Gorgeous, Penny. I’m another not familiar with autumn clematis, though I love the spring and summer varieties. It’s now on the must-have list for next year. 🙂
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This is a spectacular variety, Perpetua, and once planted takes on a life of its own. It can be exuberant, so, if you do plant one, put it where you won’t mind if it steals the show.
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