If you’re interested in giving your garden a vertical accent, and enjoy growing flowers that hummingbirds love too, then the clematis is for you!
Clematis is a vining plant that offers a unique variety of flower colors and forms. The variety also extends to time of bloom with some blooming as early as February and others blooming in summer, but most bloom in mid- to late spring.
We are fully stocked with clematis plants right now, so it’s a great time to see what’s in store!
Pruning Types
With the variety of bloom times and growth habits, clematis have been categorized into pruning types. Here’s the need-to-know:
Type 1 – Prune Where Necessary Immediately After Flowering
Bloom the earliest in spring. It flowers on old wood of the previous season; other than trimming off obvious dieback in spring, it should only be pruned where necessary immediately after flowering.
Type 2 – Trim Back to First Buds in Late Winter-Early Spring
This type will generally start flowering in late spring. It will bloom primarily on old wood of the previous season, with a second flush later in summer. Dead and weak vines should be removed in late winter. When you see buds begin to swell lightly, then trim remaining vines back to the first buds that are seen to remove dead stems. Cut just above the fat buds.
Type 3 – Prune in Spring
Each spring this type should be pruned back to within a few inches of the ground, as it flowers on new wood of the season.
Growing Tips
- Plant in a full sun location.
- Plant near a fence, or install a trellis or other support structure for the vine to group up on.
- Protect the roots from getting too hot by underplanting with a low-growing plant. Underplanting will also disguise the leggy base of the plant.
- Grows best in average to evenly moist soil conditions, but does not tolerate standing water.
- Apply a layer of mulch, such as G&B Organics Soil Building Conditioner, in both summer and winter to conserve soil moisture and insulate in cold and exposed locations.
Our Spring 2026 Clematis Selection
Almost all clematis plants will only grow to around 10 feet tall, unless noted otherwise.
Most clematis plants are also deciduous (losing their leaves in winter), however there are a couple varieties that are evergreen such as ‘Snowdrift’, ‘Apple Blossom’, ‘Avalanche’ and ‘Early Sensation’. The evergreen varieties are primarily available at our garden center in late winter as they are known for their prolific and fragrant blooms in early spring.
Here are the 2026 varieties in stock, (as of when this blog is being written) and sorted by bloom color:
White Flowering Varieties
- Snowdrift – Grows to 20 ft. tall. Single white star-shaped flower; early to mid-spring bloom. Type 1.
- Early Sensation – Bold white star-shaped flowers with lime green eyes and chartreuse anthers; mid-spring bloom. Type 1.
- Joe – Compact vine, grows up to 6 ft. tall. Small white flowers completely smother this compact vine; early spring bloom. Type 1.
- Freckles – Fragrant, creamy-white, bell-shaped flower, 2 in. across, heavily speckled with bright-dark red streaks; mid-late winter to early spring bloom. Type 1.
Pink Varieties
- Fragrant Spring – 30 ft. long vine. Rose pink petite, star shaped blooms, vanilla scented; mid to late spring bloom. Type 1.
- Lincoln Star – Pretty pinkish-red flowers that fade on the edges and whiten in the center; early to late summer. Type 1.
- Comtesse de Bouchaud – Showy semi-double rose-pink flowers with hints of lavender and showy yellow centers; mid summer to early fall bloom. Type 3.
Lavender-Purple Varieties
- Piilu – Spectacular double lavender and fuchsia flowers; late spring to early fall bloom. Type 2.
- Vancouver Purple Tide – Deep purple blooms with red-tipped stamens; summer bloom. Type 2.
- Venosa Violacea – Deep purple flowers with white stripes; summer bloom. Type 3.
- Negritjanka – Large deep dark plum purple and up to 5 inches across; summer. Type 3.
- Countess Of Lovelace – Stunning lavender star-shaped flowers with blue overtones, white eyes and white stripes; late spring to early fall bloom. Type 2.
- Elsa Spath – Large lavender to lilac-purple flowers with yellow eyes; early to late summer. Type 2.
- Lasurstern – Deep lavender-blue flowers up to 9 inches across; spring and late summer bloom. Type 2.
- Deborah Dahl – Very large deep lavender blooms with red stamens; late spring bloom. Type 2.
- The First Lady – Showy silver star-shaped flowers with blue overtones and lilac purple stripes at the ends; late spring to early fall bloom. Type 2.
- Rooguchi – Unusual purple bell-shaped flowers with blue overtones; early summer to mid fall bloom. Type 2.
- Polish Spirit – Showy and rich purple star-shaped flowers; mid summer to early fall bloom. Type 3.
- Nelly Moser – Showy lavender star-shaped flowers with dark red eyes and hot pink streaks; early to late summer. Type 1.
- Arabella – 5 foot long vine – a non-climbing variety with beautiful lavender-blue star flowers with blue overtones and white anthers; late spring to early fall. Type 3.
Red Varieties
- Red Star – Grows up to 7 ft. tall. Large velvety-red double blooms; late spring to early fall bloom. Type 2.
- Viva Polonia – Showy cherry red star-shaped flowers with white eyes and white stripes; summer. Type 2.
- Viticella Rubra – Wine-red flowers with dusky red anthers; summer. Type 3.
Blue Varieties
- Frances Rivis – Pendulous blue blooms with white centers; mid to late spring. Type 1.
- Jackmanii – Rich royal blue with white anthers; mid-summer bloom. Type 3.
- H.F. Young – Rich, deep blue that fades to a violet-sky blue with buttery yellow anthers; early to late summer. Type 3.
Shop Our Vines Online
You can browse our live inventory of vining plants online, and even place an order for store pick-up or local delivery! See what we have in stock now, or give us a call at 541-929-3524 to ask about availability.