Right now is the peak Clematis moment here in our garden. This refers, first of all, to what we call the Great Wall of Purple filled out by Clematis ‘Jackmanii’ on part of the west-facing wall of the house, around the corner from the front door.
Here we are walking up the driveway to the Great Wall of Purple.
The ‘Jackmanii’ is blooming well, despite losing part of its root run due to driveway construction two years ago.
Although I notice that the blooms seem to start a bit higher up the vine this year, though once again they are blooming all the way up to the rain gutters. I wonder if the flowers start higher because I didn’t cut them back quite as hard this year. Usually I cut the vines around February or March to about 18″, but this year I cut them about that twice that high. I can give no reason for this, other than deciding in the moment to do something a bit different.
On the other hand, this season the ‘Jackmanii’ are filling a third trellis. The first two trellises are hung on the brick wall, but this year I pushed a third trellis into the ground along the porch railing, and attached it discretely as I could.
Overall, I’d say the quantity of ‘Jackmanii’ blooms is satisfactory this year. Actually, this is three separate plants. Of those, two were planted and one volunteered.
In terms of other Clematis, ‘Multi-Blue’ is doing nicely on a tuteur in the Crabapple Bed.
And in the Driveway Border, ‘Betty Corning’ has just past her peak.
In the Back Garden, Clematis ‘Ice Blue’ is blooming very sparsely. I am afraid it is in too much shade.
So there you have it, the peak of this year’s Clematis season in our garden. It’s exciting and gratifying to watch these beauties come into their own each year.
gardeninacity 
Your Jackmanii is fantastic, it makes a real statement on the front of your house, so many flowers is wonderful. I also love Betty Corning, she is so pretty!
Wowsah!!! Just wowsah!
Thanks. Laurie!
Thanks, Pauline. Many neighbors do comment on the jackmanii.
I have a similar wall of purple with Jack. However mine peaked a couple of weeks ago. I think I need to follow your lead and start cutting back in February. That Betty Corning is a real eye catcher too!
The cutting back does make a difference, I think.
Love “Betty Corning”, with those pretty bells, and your “Jack” is amazing. I have what is probably a “Jack” in full bloom now. There’s also a “rescue from near death” – pale lilac streaks on dusty white – that actually bloomed this year. It’s a puny plant still, but showing signs of a will to live.
Your pansy pots look really good, too.
Thanks. The pansies are starting to weary in the summer heat. Always a conundrum when to pull them and replace with summer annuals.
Love your clematis. Keep ’em coming.
Thanks, John!
Jack is doing quite well in our garden too but Multi blue has petered out. Just a bloom or 4 on it now. There are others but. I must confess I can’t remember the names of them and I am too lazy took them up.
I know the feeling. “multi-blue’ is never as robust as Jack.
They’re all beautiful but the jackmanii is a real knockout. I’m surprised people don’t wander into your driveway hoping to see more.
They usually stay on the sidewalk.
Glorious!
Thanks!
I find ‘Jackmanii’ to be very reliable. I will try to cut him back to 18″ as you do. Normally I just prune out the dead wood. My ‘Rebecca’ was a real stunner early on and is still putting out her huge eight petal pearly white blooms. Asiatic lillies are coming on as wellas a number of native plants.
I have not tried ‘Rebecca’. My Asiatic lilies have faded away – too much shade.
Your Jackmanii is looking as good as ever Jason. And Betty is still looking gorgeous to. š
Thanks, Cathy!
Your Jackmanii is looking as good as ever Jason. And Betty is still looking gorgeous too. š
Your wall of purple is stunning! I’ve come late to the planting of clematis, but I hope some day to have a display as wonderful as this.
It can take a few years.
I look forward to seeing your Jackmanii every year.. nothing compares with itā¦š
This is just spectacular! What a joy it must be to walk up to your front door!
That’s what I aim for.
Now those are some real Clematis, Clematis as they should be. Beautifully grown.
Thanks!
These are stunning, Jason, and I know they bring you much joy.
One of the highlights of the year.
I always look forward to this post. I have about ten plants, and if I combined them all, it would make 1/4 of this display. That plant is happy, happy. š
I lucked out putting it in just the right place.
Jack is splendid, as always! Adding the third trellis really expands the display. I wish I had even a quarter of the success you have with clematis plants. I used black zip ties to secure a black trellis to my porch rails for a Major Wheeler honeysuckle vine. Can’t see them at all. Your Betty Corning is a show stopper. Nice work!!
Now I am having trouble with my coral honeysuckle, which is I think the straight species for Major Wheeler. Blooming very sparsely.
Inspired by yours, I have a Jackmanii arriving this fall. Hope it covers the pergola over the deck to provide summer shade.
Good luck with it!
The great wall of purple is gorgeous!
Thanks, Shari!
You have some great clematis here Jason and yes this is peak time for them ! They do look like a “wall” of flowers .. I have them against a wall, over an arbor bench .. on an obelisk … and on an arbor of their own. I think I have too many of them, it gets to be a bit much when they need to be babied with support tie in. You are right to assume they haven’t flowered from the bottom because you didn’t cut back as much this Spring .. Warsaw Nike does that if I don’t cut it back enough early Spring. It takes a bit of work and I’m trying to cut down on that .. I falter because the flowers are so pretty ? LOL
I’ll definitely go back to cutting back to about 18″ next year.
Clematis ‘Jackmanii’ is still one of my favorites, and is probably my favorite of the ‘fancy’ types, because it was the first one I learned in school, and is probably the easiest of that type to grow here. We learned it as a species (Clematis jackmanii) rather than as a cultivar of unknown species (Clematis ‘Jackmanii’).
I was always confused by ‘Jackmanii’ vs jackmanii.
Do you know if it is a species or a cultivar . . . or a hybrid?
Well, I thought it was a species but I guess not.
It could be. I really do not know.
Yes, it is a cultivar of hybrid origin. I just looked it. up.
OK, thanks.
You are welcome.
Your Clematis have put on a beautiful show. I am never as successful with Clematis. Do you just let the shoots grow into each other loosely at the height of the season? Perhaps I am trying to over control mine. Amelia
Yes, I only do a bit of tying so the vines don’t get too far from the trellis.
LOOKING GREAT! Thanks for sharing. I hope you are well.
Doing well, thanks.
Yours is the most vigorous and successful Clematis āJackmaniiā I’ve ever seen. Lovely, lovely!
Thanks. I’m quite proud of it.
I remember the concerns you expressed during the driveway construction. Clearly, that beautiful purple plant has recovered from the insult done to its root system. Looking more closely at the Betty Corning, I suspect it has our native purple leatherflower in its line. I looked around, and found some cultivars of C. texensis, our scarlet leatherflower, too.
That does make sense.
And what a season it is! I am always excited to see the herbaceous types, but it is hard to beat your Great Wall of Purple.
Are there woody types? I had no idea.
That’s a good point. I was meaning the mounding type rather than the climbing type.
Oh, I’ve seen some of the mounding type, and I covet them.
That is one gorgeous wall of purple. I’ve never tried Clematis – for some reason I’m not into growing vining flowers although, when I lived in Wichita, Kansas years ago, our little house came with a wall of orange trumpet vine. The Betty Corning fascinates me – not sure I have ever seen it. Love those bell like flowers.
Trumpet vine is another kettle of fish, of course – beautiful but so hard to control!
My goodness, you seem to have a clematis kingdom! Absolutely lovely. thank you for sharing these fantastic photos!
You’re welcome. I like the idea of being addressed as Clematis King, but fear that would be inviting bad luck, as well as an unseemly show of hubris.
š How about caretaker?
Wonderful clematis, but as usual, Jackmanii, the wall of purple totally steals the show.xxx
I think so, also.
You definitely have a way with clematis, they look stunning. Do you feed them regularly? One of my viticellas is making massive growth each year but flowers only sparingly at the top. Any idea why this is? Wish my Betty Corning would look like yours š
I give them healthy portions of compost each spring. Don’t have any experience with Viticellas, unfortunately.
Your clematis Jackmanii is always so stunning, it’s a wall of purple awesomeness. It’s somewhat lesser-sized twin is here growing over a rose arch, it’s just starting to come into flower as well.
A rose arch is a good place for them, though it should be a good sized arch.