That is absolutely stunning.

Sorry, few Clematis are fragrant. All need pruning. They don't make the best vines for this situation as almost all take several years to get going.

It looks like you're growing the vines in pots instead of the ground and I don't have any experience with that so this may not help, and I don't know how much sun you'll have or how tall the pergola is, but... Rooguchi is my longest-flowering clem and gets perhaps 8' tall. Mine is shorter, but that's because the support I have it on is shorter and I think it reaches the top and falls down on itself. If you're looking for something to grow on top of the pergola for shade, I'd try Sweet Autumn, which starts from 6" every year for me and reaches 20 or 30' in a season, but I think it would need more space than a small pot and would probably completely cover your posts. Its bloom time is pretty short, but spectacular, and some people have fragrance from it, but not me. One clem that I really love is Venosa Violacea and that might work for you depending on the sun available.

I have a dirt by the post. I forgot to mention it. I will do some research about the sweet autumn. Thanks! :)

Oh, and as I walked past my window I realized I should have mentioned Etoile Violette, which blooms a long time, is vigorous, and gets pretty tall. I also saw that you had posted this on the rose forum, so I'm going to go out to see how thorny some of my climbing roses are and report back on that. I have New Dawn, which is thorny but doesn't usually cause me any problems, and some others I'll check.

If you want a large flower 'Elsa Spath' has been blooming for me since mid spring. Not fragrant as there are not many fragrant clematis that I am familiar with that are large flowering. Another long bloomer for me is Ernest Markham with mid sized blooms.

I love Sweet Autumn but it doesn't bloom until late September/early October for me. While very fragrant most of the year it is just a green vine. Another fragrant (to some people) with a small flower is Betty Corning which is also a vigorous vine and has a longer bloom time.

I also think you might want to plant them in the ground. They should easily grow from there with some small support to your front posts and into the arbor. Another thing to keep in mind is that the vines need something thin to wrap their stem leaves around. They do not wrap their whole stem around like morning glories or beans. You may need to wrap your posts with some fencing for them to grab onto.

If you do not want to look at dead looking (but not dead) vines during the winter choose a type 3 (sometimes also called type C) clematis which is cut back low after it dies back from a very hard frost. Type 2 (B) can also be cut low or left until spring and cut to a new growth point.

Clematis are slow growing and it may take several years to get the effect that you want, but so worth it IMHO.

Bury them deep and angle toward the support.

I remember when you built this pergola. Great work.

This post was edited by mnwsgal on Fri, Aug 9, 13 at 12:51

I have a 3 yr old Etoile Violette and it's only 6ft tall.

Thanks for checking out your rose for me opheliathornvt. I'm currently leaning towards climbing rose right now. What I'm planning to do too is plant boston ivy along with climbing rose(New Dawn or Awakening). However, I need to know how long the thorns are.

mnwsgal , how tall are your Elsa Spath' and Ernest Markham? And yes, I will be ripping out the trumpet vine as well as honeysuckle gold flame vine.

"Bury them deep and angle toward the support." Yup, my wife loves the pergola! Me too! :)

I have a new John Cabot rose that I checked out this morning and so far, it seems to be thornless. I only planted it last year, I think, so I don't know if it will continue that way, but it's one of the hardy Canadian Explorer series, so it should do well for you. Now that I think about it, I also grow Zepherine Drouhin and she's also thornless. She only blooms well for me once, with sporadic blooms later, but I like her and she's also hardy.

Oops, it's John Davis. I have both, but Mr. Cabot is thorny. Sorry.

According to my info Elsa Spath grows 10-12 ft. This blooming all summer may be a fluke due to our unusual weather this year. It is listed as blooming June and September.
Ernest Markham 12-15'.

Here are some that grow long:
Etolie Violette 12-20 ft.
Sweet Autumn 10-20 ft
Tangutica 10-20 ft.
Duchess of Albany 10-20 ft
Polish Spirit 12-15 ft
William Kennett 10-20 ft
Ramona 10-16 ft
Gypsy Queen 12-20 ft
Henryi 12-20 ft
Huldine 12-20 ft
Lady Betty Belfour 12-20ft
All the c. montana varieties are 20-30 ft.

I suggest that you go online to various clematis sites to see what you like and what might work for you. Clematis on the Web is one site many use as a reference. I also like to look at some of the clematis growers sites as well. Brushwood, Donahues, Silver Star Vinery are sites I have used and bought from. My first choice is to buy locally and to buy in bloom to be sure I am getting the plant I want.

Growing clematis is an investment in money and time. It can take three years or longer to get a great display. The time researching possibilities will be well spent.

Elsa Spath & Gravety Beauty August 2013

Purple Pleno

Since I grow these on my neighbor's chain link fence it is difficult to say how long they grow. The vines are woven (both by me and on their own) along the fence and also naturally drape over the fence. When they get close to the ground I cut them back a bit.