It is evergreen, leafy, undemanding, vigorous, and great for a jungle style garden wherein it can scramble over trellis, pergolas, trees, and over shrubs...
 |
| Clematis armandii |
It will need regular pruning if you find it too vigorous and want to keep it within its allocated boundaries. Every few years it may warrant hard pruning, almost starting all over again, and as a bonus you can get much larger leaves on the first year it grows back.
 |
| Clematis armandii |
Hence it's my favourite plant this week!
We join Loree of Danger Garden in celebrating our favourite plant of the week!
Mark :-)
This gardening blog follows our journey as we create our Tropical and Exotic themed garden. We hope you'll enjoy the journey as much as we do. We started our Exotic Garden in 2005 and this site will show its development, as well as our travels, both abroad and within the UK to gardens, nurseries and friends.
Thanks for this overview about Clematis armandii. I planted one last year and have been wondering how to care for it. I noticed that it has held onto some very rough-looking leaves, and wondered what to do about them. It is finally showing some signs of putting out new ones, so I figure I'm probably safe now trimming off those ratty old ones. No flowers yet, but maybe it will skip flowering this year in favor of putting on some growth.
ReplyDeleteShould be fine to trim off those tatty leaves Alison, they will soon be replaced. It takes awhile to start flowering from small but if it puts strong growth this year it might reward you with flowers next year :)
DeleteStrange you should mention this plant. I have one which you gave me many years ago and it does a good job of covering a drain pipe. Not flowering yet as it is in a rather shady spot.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear that Don! And must sort out that Norfolk trip soon!
DeleteGorgeous plant. The fragrance is wonderful.
ReplyDeleteIt is Jessica :)
DeleteI like this plant, actually I saw it today in a nursery and was thinking about buying it. Does it stand frosts well?
ReplyDeleteIt withstands frosts very well Lisa, hardy and sails through our winters with no problems. Should be fine in your location :)
DeleteThe flowers remind me of those on Clematis terniflora (Sweet Autumn Clematis), which is one of my favorite plants. I'd been thinking of getting 2 more C. terniflora to replace the twiggy white trumpet vine growing over our front door arbor but C. armandii may be a better choice - and, according to my area garden guide, it'll grow here! Thanks for the idea!
ReplyDeletePleased to hear that Kris :) be great to see it growing in your garden!
DeleteI've been toying with the idea of growing this on our new fence. I miss the fragrance and those attractive leaves (since getting rid of the plants growing through the hydrangea). I keep telling myself I should come up with something more "exotic" but then there is a reason the standbys are so well loved...
ReplyDeleteSo true Loree. It's so easy now to bypass these standbys but they remain available for a very good reason, their reliability. The way it dangles on shrubs, pergolas, and fences they look so exotic, and the evergreen leaves are great too, looking lush even in the depths of winter. Well worth seriously considering on your fab new fences!
DeleteA truly reliable and vigorous plant in our area which I've never grown myself but can think of a fence, currently covered in hedera helix, that might need to be covered in this instead!
ReplyDeleteI think this climber will do the job very nicely Peter!
DeleteIt looks like a very interesting climber. The leaves are not what one typically associate with clematis, are they?
ReplyDeleteIndeed Alain, quite atypical of what is traditionally conceived Clematis is :)
DeleteClematis armandii has done really well this year and is full of blooms. Here in Suffolk I have lost a couple over the years in really bad winters but I always replant it because it is so gorgeous. Lovely photos of it.
ReplyDeleteThank you Chloris! Haven't had problems with even in winter 2010, interesting to hear you lost it in some winters. Well worth planting again as you've said :)
DeleteThe front fences of gardens in a nearby street are covered with this plant. I had no idea what it was but it smelled gorgeous, so I cut a bit off (on the street side!) and brought it home to photograph then stuck it up on Instagram - so now I know! I especially love it in pink and it lasts well as a cut flower in a vase. Top value!
ReplyDeleteHaven't thought of using it as a cut flower before Caro, now you've given me an idea!
DeleteWe have this rambling over our front deck. It will soon be smothered in blossoms, but the leaves are every bit as wonderful as they dangle from the roof and are backlit by the setting sun. The one harsh winter that knocked it back, it came back from the roots. As you said, the leaves were bigger than ever that year.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear you like this climber Ricki. There's something very graceful about the way it dangles off trellis and pergolas, looks so exotic!
DeleteI was going to ask if it had a fragrance, and then saw it does... Mmm I'm sure it's lovely!
ReplyDeleteIt is indeed Amy :)
Delete