Get Blooms Into Autumn With Late-Flowering Clematis

Whether you want it to cover a fence or scramble through a shrub, the right clematis will do the job beautifully. Anne Swithinbank offers options for September and beyond

- Anne Swithinbank

An abundance of intriguing species and flamboyant cultivars means that, between them, clematis can fill gardens with colour and interest on any day of the year. Among my favourites are the variable bunch whose flowers open between late summer and winter, their buds and blooms beaded with dew and lit by soft autumn sun. Autumn is also the best time for planting clematis, while still-warm soils are moistened by rain.

Clematis are divided into three pruning groups. Group one flower on last-year’s stems in winter and spring and, if necessary, are pruned immediately afterwards. Group two produce large blooms in May and June after minimal tidying in February or March. Our late season beauties, meanwhile, belong to group three, characterised by flowering on wood produced in the current growing season. These are pruned any time from when they die back up until February or March – just as fresh growth starts. Cut above the lowest growth buds some 21⁄2ft (75cm) from the ground, and by late summer they will be back to full growth.

Generous blooms

Whether they cling with coiled leaf stems or thread through their host, these clematis are perfect for growing through shrubs and trees. Perhaps the best known are cultivars of European C. viticella, the virgin’s bower from Italy and Turkey. Easy to please and untroubled by wilt, their generous blooms open from July to September. Popular ‘Étoile Violette’ is often recommended as a ‘beginner’ clematis for new gardeners.