| Then it probably is not suitable soil for clematis because they prefer loose, well drained soil...like a nice sandy loam with lots of humus or compost in it. For gumbo clay, a better choice would be American Cross Vine or one of the hybrid coral honeysuckles like 'Pink Lemonade'. Both can tolerate very dry periods and also very wet ones and both attract hummers. We have both of them here in our clay. Another vine that does well in clay no matter what the weather (it won't die and you can't kill it) is Trumpet Creeper Vine. I have both the orange-flowered and yellow-flowered versions of trumpet creeper, but I wouldn't recommend either one of them unless you can plant one far away from the house and other outbuildings and all flowerbeds, trees, and shrubs. Trumpet creeper can be invasive in good soil and with lots of moisture, but mine are planted about 300' from the house in rock-hard red clay and they survive on nothing but rainfall. (So does my American Crossvine, but it isn't invasive like trumpet creeper is.) |
Here is a link that might be useful: Image of Crossvine at Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
