I have seen reports from gardeners of this being grown in zone 5, but in general C. florida and its varieties are reported to be reliably hardy only to zone 6 or 7. Do you have good snow cover and/or a sheltered spot to grow it in? There are hardier double whites like Arctic Queen.

I checked Joy Creek, Brushwood, Silver Star, Completely Clematis, Donahue, and Garden Crossings, but none of them currently list it. You could try again in the spring or use the list of clematis suppliers listed in this thread to search further.

Here is a link that might be useful: mail order clematis nurseries

I've killed three florida Sieboldiis here so I would take any advice about growing Alba Plena easily in a pot with a grain of salt....

I've never seen it for sale.

Hi buyorsell888, I have a Sieboldii too, but I just got it, and it's still small. I've heard Sieboldii grows slower than the other clematis, and it doesn't like high temperatures in summer. It is best to give it more shade in hot summers. It would go dorment and start blooming again in fall. If it's in a pot, you can even move it indoors by a bright window. Both Sieboldii and Alba Plena can be grown indoors, at least for a while, and can even bloom indoors. These two clematis plants are very popular in China and Japan.

Alba Plena is a wild clematis originally found in China, and Sieboldii is a mutated form of it. I've heard Alba Plena is more free flowering and easier to grow than Sieboldii. I've seen pictures of them blooming indoors, in winter, and they look amazing! And that's why I'd love to have them!

I was fortunate to have found both florida sieboldii and 'Vienetta' locally, though later kicked myself I hadn't also purchased alba plena the one and only time I had seen it available here. Yes, I'm in zone 3 and having good success with these plants. In cold climates it's all about location, location, location and placing these plants next to the warm foundation of one's home and providing very good drainage to avoid winter wet. They otherwise have not been any bit more difficult than any other large flowered type III grown by myself, though the tender thin new growth is especially prone to breakage.

The last fading blooms of the season of sieboldii and 'Ville de Lyon'

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Terrance

twrosz, WOW!!!!! They look gorgeous!!! Zone 3?? Do you cut them very short in fall? Any special winter protections?

Does your sieboldii go dormant in summer? Sorry I have so many questions. They look really great!

I ordered a 'Ville de Lyon' in the beginning of this year, but was told there was a crop failure with it, and I didn't get it. It looks nice, maybe I should try to get it next spring...

Deereyebrow, I do not hard prune any of my type III's in the fall, but I do whack them back to about 3 ft. The sieboldii types are all up against the house and do not get additional winter protection other than being planted with about four inches of stem below the ground, as is the same case with all of my other large flowered types. No, they do not go summer dormant here, they begin flowering in June and continue on until hard frost in October.

'Ville de Lyon' is pretty much one of my all time favorites!

twrosz, Thanks for the tips! Plant them deeply, against house, and not to cut too much in fall, I'll remember this... And add Ville de Lyon to must have list... I'm curious, what are your other favorites?

Another question: Is your sieboldii planted in sun or shade? Can it take some hot sun in summer?

Deereyebrow - I'd agree with Terrance that Ville de Lyon is one of my all-time favorites. It has a huge bloom in July, but continues to throw out flowers all summer in smaller quantities.

Terrance - What kind of snow cover do you have? Is the sieboldii under snow most of the winter or does it get its protection just from good drainage, the foundation warmth, and being deep planted?

deereyebrow, my zone 3 summers generally are not overly hot, though there are exceptions. In my experience, if kept well watered, the large flowered types take the heat in stride and I believe it's no different for the sieboldii's

As for other top favorites of mine, here's some in no particular order:

Perle d'Azur
Marie Cornelia ... a very nice small flowered white, though blooms on this one can be rather easily damaged
Romantika ... a beautiful variety, though mildew prone
Viola
Barbara Harrington
Prince Charles
Victoria
Jackmanii Superba
Semu
Princess Diana

nhbabs ... snowfall in my region is rather reliable with constant coverage being commonplace, this is very beneficial when bitter cold descends. Other than being deeply planted (4 inches down and about 8 inches away from the cement foundation) the plants are not given any extra winter protection other than what snow might fall upon them. I do not hill them up with soil for winter, as the root zone is warm and this would cause tender new growth to push up through the mound of soil. As a side note, I've been growing clematis for nearly 35 years and have never noticed any problem associated with being planting near to a cement foundation, at least that's been my experience.

Terrance

Thank you for the list, Terrance! I searched for these varieties on internet, and they all look very very nice! I'm thinking of adding a few more clematis next year... And thanks again for the tips, I'll help my sieboldii and other clematis to survive summer by watering more!

Meanwhile, I'm still hoping someone would know where to find Alba Plena or could share some cuttings of it...

OK, I am officially jealous!! Like BorS, I've tried sieboldii several times without luck. As far as protected locations go, one would think that a very mild zone 8 modified maritime climate - exactly what BorS and I share - would be quite suitable to the growth of this rather fussy variety but no dice!! I can't imagine what a zone 3 climate offers that would be much more encouraging but the proof is apparently in the pudding :-)

You might want to consider 'Pistachio' or 'Peppermint' as possible substitutes for Albo-plena if your search continues to be fruitless. Both are cultivars of C. florida developed by Raymond Evison that resemble A-p but are much more easily found.

Gardengal48 ... come on it's zone 3 tropical here, lol

I've posted these photos before, what the heck. Not the best shot of florida sieboldii, though this plant was set out a year ago and should really hit its stride in 2012

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I've had 'Vienetta' for four years now, really gotta love this one!

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Not related, though a seedling of mine that I really like ...

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Terrance

OK Terrance - rub it in!! That's a great looking plant and not anything to apologize for. I wish I knew what your secret was but if you can get sieboldii to apparently thrive in Z3 Alberta, I'm gonna try again :-) And your 'Vienetta' is gorgeous! You're giving me inspiration.

Gardengal48 ... I'll just recap ... these are planted only about 8" from the foundation with about 4" of stem below ground ... the soil is light and deeply dug and amended with peat moss, hold back on much manure. A bit of snow gets shoveled over, though no other winter protection is provided. I've often read of the florida types being especially sensitive to winter wet, an overhead open frame could be used to shed water away from the root zone.

I sure hope to find florida Alba Plena this coming spring!

I purchased a Florida Sieboldi from Home of Clematis. They have a online site which ships to Canada and the US.