idabean, I, too, am shocked at either how little traffic there is in this forum, or how little people are willing to answer some questions. I'd take it personally myself, but I see there is quite a list of questions or comments that have not been addressed at all, and in several days. Disappointing, to say the least.

I am brand-new to clems, but I do know a 'little' about roses, and that bluish foliage like that looks fantastic with maroons or non-bright purples. I have a similiar color scheme going on in my walkway garden. I do know that most viticella clems will do well in part shade, and they are easy-prune group, too, blooming on new wood. Just whack back in the Spring and let 'em do their thing!

Try posting your question again in the Roses forum. That place is HOPPING!

Best,
Green

Hi Marie, I see that things have quieted down considerably over here in the clem forum. I haven't checked in for quite some time. I don't know where the others are. Hmmmm?

May I suggest the Integrifolia Group of clematis? There are a nice selection of colors to choose from in blue, pink and white. They need a bit more support than your climbing clems do but are wonderful bloomers all season long.

I have Integrifolia Pastel Pink growing in the shade garden and it has prolific, lovely nodding blooms. I also have Rooguchi, which offers deep blue, bell-like flowers in my rock garden which gets intense sun for the morning but deep shade in the latter part of the day.

There is a link at the bottom of my post for you to take a peak at the a few of the miriad of integrifolias that are available.

I'm not an expert over here by any stretch, but have learned quite a bit from those that are in this forum. I hope you get to meet them soon. They are a wonderful group of people.

Tracy

Here is a link that might be useful: Chalk Hill Clematis Integrifolia

Thanks to both of you, who also agree on a group. That is reassuring to me. Although I've seen some anti-social and ill considered exhanges on GW, I completely agree that generally people are just wonderful here. Some spend what must be hours crafting just the right responses.

And sometimes traffic just slows right down. Maybe rose forum is jumping because they are in bloom and there are successes, challenges and failures that people need to talk about.

Thanks again. Looking forward to more information when people check back in.

Marie

I've also been away, but have clematis through a number of Rosa glaucas. I keep the roses about 5' tall and 4' wide by trimming out larger stems in the late winter. This is because of the size of my garden. Thus the clematis I grow on them fit those sizes well, more or less.

On one of them I grow HF Young, a vivid blue that is a type 2 but prunes itself to the ground each winter thus grows as a type 3. The blue looks great against the leaves and they flower at the same time for me. Later that one gets a fluffy white treatment of C. flammula, but that clematis grows all over the place and wouldn't fit just into the rose.

On a second I grow Etoile Violet, a type 3. This provides a second season of interest, as EV blooms mid-summer. On the last I grow Hagley Hybrid, a type 3 that holds its flowers up, making it especially nice.

I'm not sure if you can go wrong, really, except with C. terniflora or similar that would get too large. The R. glauca foliage is the perfect backgroung!

You are welcome, idabean, although I didn't do much.,

Tracyvine, I could have sworn that when I ordered from Chalk Hill last year it was because they were going out of business??? Did I dream that?

michael, sounds delicious...I might be able to tolerate more once-blooming roses if I have clems to clamber around on them!

Chalk Hill is out of business.

Some members of this forum also have many roses and may be busy on that forum this time of year, this one always seems to slow down.

It is not personal.

For a Clematis that tolerates partial shade without getting mildew look at Nelly Moser, Charissima, John Warren, Hagley Hybrid and other light colored ones that tend to fade badly in full sun.

In my experience, Integrifolias will get mildew in part shade and they don't climb so they must either be supported in a cage or left to flop. I am unhappy with some of them just flopping. Some have really stiff stems. Durandii, Petite Faucon and Pangbourne Pink come to mind. I'm trying to figure out some sort of cages for them.

Juuli, Alionushka, Gazelle and Arabella flop less stiffly and look nice draped on shrubs. In my garden anyway.

Hi, Marie. I have Rhapsody growing through a tall rosa glauca and it looks OK, but were I to do it again I'd plant one of the pink ones, such as those suggested in responses above. I have Charissima, Pink Fantasy and Hagley all in bloom now and each of these would look great with the r.g. I myself might lean toward a slightly less vigorous grower than Hagley Hybrid. Gary

Thanks, I'm collecting the names you've suggested and will spend an enjoyable hour reading about them.

I didn't take it personally. I was perplexed.
Marie

Gary, HH is vigorous for you? Not for me. :( I love the blooms on Charissima.

I have similar problems with integrifolias flopping. They look better tumbling down when that's possible, such as over a raised bed, or on low growing conifers where they stick better.

Chalk Hill is still in business, but only as a cut flower nursery now.

Will my new Petit Faucon tumble down over a landscape wall? Or will the stems be too stiff?

While I agree the stems of Petit Faucon are quite stiff, it does flop and crawl over and through things quite well. I may move mine to a terrace where it can tumble over the edge.

Well, there you go, heaps of responses, this use to be quite a busy page, I'm surprised that it seems to have gone quiet! Must admit, though, I haven't been here in ages. Then again, if you think this is quiet you should visit Australian natives. Maybe all the addverts are turning folks off.

Thanks everyone! I wondered whether all the clematis lovers were with their roses battling black spot and japanese beetles. Maybe so, may vacation. But note, the "challenging" tone of the thread subject got many more responses than boring same old same old "what goes with...." question. I am an experienced gardener, though not with clematis. But the effort of planting, digging up, replanting makes me want to "have an answer" instead of experimenting any more.

I'm still looking forward to any responses that may trickle in.

Marie/idabean