With more than 300 varieties of clematis to choose among, we're happy that Martha Stewart has done the legwork to help refine our wish list.
Her favorites—all blue or purple varieties—grow in her garden in Westchester County, a few miles north of New York City.
"When I bought my farm in Bedford, I knew I wanted to build a long pergola and have clematis growing all over it," writes Stewart. "Each year, the flower display gets better and better."
Of course it does. Yours can too, with her hand-picked clematis varieties (chosen for their hardiness, long blooming seasons, and beautifully shaped flowers). Here are sources for nine of Martha Stewart's favorites:
Photography via The Martha Blog.
Above: Stewart designed a long pergola with stone columns for her clematis to grow up and over. It's so lovely we can't resist examining it from a few different angles before we move on to discuss the specific varieties she's growing.
Above: She had the pergola built using antique granite posts from China (of course she did). But don't be intimidated. Any old post, column, trellis, or fence will do as a support structure. Clematis vines are natural climbers.
Above: At Stewart's farm in Bedford, clematis vines are trained against a crisscross of steel wire wrapped around the granite poles.
Clematis 'Parisienne'
Above: First displayed in 2005 where it made its debut at the UK's Chelsea Flower Show, nurseryman Raymond Evison's Clematis 'Parisienne' owes its popularity both to its vividly colored single flowers and to a diminutive stature that makes it an easygoing companion in a planting sheme.
For UK readers, a 1.5-liter pot of Clematis 'Parisienne' is £12.99 from Raymond Evison. For US readers, a 1-quart post of Clematis 'Parisienne' is $17.95 from White Flower Farm.
Above: At its mature height of 4 feet, Clematis 'Parisienne' is short enough to plant near the front of a border and it's an ideal candidate to train as a herbaceous shrub (prune it as a bush instead of letting it climb).
Clematis 'Betty Corning'
Above: Named after a bride who discovered it in her garden in upstate New York, garden, 'Betty Corning' is the only scented variety of the small-flowered viticella group. A Viticella 'Betty Corning' is $22 from Clematis Specialty Nursery, whose owner notes: "If I could only have one clematis in my garden, this would unhesitatingly be my choice."
Clematis 'Arabella'
Above: Shipped in a 1-quart pot, Clematis 'Arabella' is $24.95 from Wayside Gardens, which notes that the late-flowering variety will flower for as long as four months every growing season and has "more blooms per inch than most others can even dream of."
Clematis 'Daniel Deronda'
Above: A Clematis 'Daniel Deronda' is $10.95 from Home Clematis via Amazon.
A deciduous climber that likes well-drained soil and a sunny spot, Clematis 'Daniel Deronda' blooms early in the season and will reach a height of 8 feet when mature (from two to five years after it arrives in your garden).
Clematis 'Fairy Blue'
Above: Raised in Japan by Hiroshi Hayakawa, Clematis 'Fairy Blue' has double flowers with a silvery center that resembles a fountains. A late spring bloomer, it will grow as high as 8 feet; £15 from Thorncroft Clematis.
Clematis 'Rhapsody'
Above: With a large, deep blue single flower as big as 6 inches in diameter, Clematis 'Rhapsody' blooms from June to September and will grow as tall as 8 feet at maturity. A Clematis 'Rhapsody' in a 1-gallon pot is $19.95 from Home of Clematis.
Clematis 'Blue Angel' and 'Jackmanii'
Above: To many people, dark purple Jackmanii is the quintessential clematis. The first modern hybrid with big, big blooms, Jackmanii was introduced in the early 1860s. Its profuse blooming habits and vigorous growth (it will easily achieve a height of 10 feet at maturity) are two of its best attributes. White Flower Farm calls its Clematis X Jackmanii 'Superba' "an improvement on the original," a description which fills us with longing. Shipped in a 1-quart pot, it's $16.95.
A good pale blue backdrop for Jackmanii is Clematis 'Blue Angel'; the prolific bloomer will grow as high as 12 feet and is $16.99 from Garden Crossings.
Clematis 'Blue Ravine'
Above: Clematis 'Blue Ravine' will tolerate partial shade and is $22.50 from Joy Creek.
Clematis 'Eyres Gift'
Above: From UK plantsman Barry Fretwell, Clematis 'Eyres Gift' is distributed in the US by Florida-based Roseville Farms; $14.99. 'Eyres Gift' will reach a height of 8 feet in the garden and is a long-lasting cut flower.
For more garden design inspiration, see:
- 11 Garden Ideas to Steal from Martha Stewart.
- 9 Ways to Create Curb Appeal with Flowering Vines and Climbers.
- The 7 Best Climbing Roses for Your Garden.
- Alternatives to Ivy: Vertical Growers.
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