Sweet Autumn Clematis

Sweet Autumn Clematis is a great addition to the garden in the right place. It takes shade or sun in our High Country climate. While it can be invasive in warmer climates. I have not seen it re- seed in ours. You will see the slightly less attractive native in bloom throughout the region and while it similar and often mistaken for Sweet Autumn Clematis it is not fragrant and is a rampant grower. Sweet Autumn has a more leathery leaf, good for arrangements as a vine, flower and seed-head with thick dark green leaves.

 A shady trellis is an excellent location for it, as very few other flowering vines will grow well in shade. That includes other large flowering clematis , roses and honeysuckle.

Sweet Autumn Clematis

General Culture:
Easily grown in average, medium, well-drained soil in full sun to part shade. Unlike almost all other species of clematis, this plant will thrive and bloom well in considerable shade. Blooms on new growth. Prune hard in fall after flowering or in early spring.
Noteworthy Characteristics:
Sweet autumn clematis, as the common name suggests, is a fragrant fall-bloomer. It is a vigorous, deciduous, twining vine with an extremely rampant growth habit. If given support, it will climb rapidly with the aid of tendrilous leaf petioles to 20-25' in length. Without support, it will sprawl along the ground as a dense, tangled ground cover (to 6-12" tall and 10' wide) which typically chokes out most weeds. Features aromatic, 1" diameter, cruciform, pure white flowers (each with 4 narrow petal-like sepals) in terminal panicles from late August to October in a profuse bloom which typically covers the foliage. Flowers give way to attractive, plume-like seed heads. Compound, leathery-textured, shiny green leaves (3-5 oval to elliptic leaflets with cordate bases). Sweet autumn clematis can aggressively self-seed in the landscape, and has escaped cultivation and naturalized in many parts of the U.S., particularly in the East and Midwest. Synonymous with and sometimes sold as C. maximowicziana, C. paniculata and C. dioscoreifolia, although technically C. paniculata is a separate species native to New Zealand.
Problems:
No serious insect or disease problems. Spreading, sometimes hard-to-control vine.
Uses:
Trellises, arbors, posts, fences. Can also be allowed to sprawl along the ground as a dense ground cover to hide old tree stumps or other eyesores. Can also be grown through large shrubs, but growth must be monitored to insure that the shrub is not overwhelmed. The above information is from the Missouri Botanical Garden's website
Zone: 5 to 9 

Plant Type: Vine
Family: Ranunculaceae
Native: No
Native Range: Japan
Height: 15 to 30 feet
Spread: 15 to 30 feet
Bloom Time: August - September   
Bloom Color: Creamy white
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Water: Medium
Maintenance: High
Shady Grove Garden's now has Sweet Autumn Clematis in gallon pots for $10.