Other Names:  Armand Clematis

Group/Class:  Evergreen Clematis

Description:

A large, vigorous, evergreen climber that gets covered profusely with single white star-shaped flowers with an almond scent, over leathery, dark green glossy leaves; perfect for covering a wall, trellis, or fence; prune soon after flowering

Ornamental Features

Armand's Clematis is blanketed in stunning lightly-scented white star-shaped flowers with buttery yellow anthers at the ends of the branches from early to mid spring. It has attractive dark green evergreen foliage which emerges coppery-bronze in spring. The large glossy narrow compound leaves are highly ornamental and remain dark green throughout the winter.

Landscape Attributes

Armand's Clematis is a multi-stemmed evergreen woody vine with a twining and trailing habit of growth. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.

This is a relatively low maintenance woody vine. It is a Type 1 clematis, meaning that 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. It is a good choice for attracting bees, butterflies and hummingbirds to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Armand's Clematis is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Hedges/Screening
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Armand's Clematis will grow to be about 30 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 3 feet. As a climbing vine, it tends to be leggy near the base and should be underplanted with low-growing facer plants. It should be planted near a fence, trellis or other landscape structure where it can be trained to grow upwards on it, or allowed to trail off a retaining wall or slope. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 20 years.

This woody vine should only be grown in full sunlight. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. To help this plant achive its best flowering performance, periodically apply a flower-boosting fertilizer from early spring through into the active growing season. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution, and will benefit from being planted in a relatively sheltered location. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in both summer and winter to conserve soil moisture and protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This species is not originally from North America, and parts of it are known to be toxic to humans and animals, so care should be exercised in planting it around children and pets.

Armand's Clematis makes a fine choice for the outdoor landscape, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. Because of its spreading habit of growth, it is ideally suited for use as a 'spiller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the edges where it can spill gracefully over the pot. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.