Sweet Autumn--the joy of Clematis terniflora

An Asian Vine with an American Heart

Hailing from Northwest Asia, Clematis terniflora, aka Sweet Autumn Clematis is an absolute show-stopper in the garden, a delightful touch of whimsy to posies, and a dramatic accent for bridal bouquets.

It's a workhorse in other words, with the most delicate, dainty flowers you can imagine. There is a fragrance too, not too heady, but much like it's abundant flowers-it's airy and sweet. With a bloom time from August to September, she drapes herself over fences, arbors, chairs, gazebos, people (haha...just kidding!), and virtually anything else that can hold her up. Which is a lot, because her vines are soft wood, not hard, such as wisteria or trumpet vines, and this is another thing that makes her so loveable. In the garden she reminds me of huge banks of snow drifts because there are so many blossoms, virtually the entire vine is solid white!

Sweet Autumn Clematis can become a nuisance in some parts of the country. She freely self-seeds, and I know this to be true because I have now two fully grown vines, and I have just recently discover a new baby in another area of the garden, which I will definitely need to re-home or relocate because it's right along side my walkway. If you live in a milder climate where she may re-seed herself to the point of obnoxiousness, then you can curb that by trimming off the seed heads after blooming in finished. That way she'll not have the chance to reseed. Also, during dormancy, around November or December, I trim mine back to about 1' from the ground so there's always room for her to scramble and ramble a good 20' or so the next year.

Let's examine these sweet blooms a little closer because they don't actually have petals! Rather each bloom consist of 4 white sepals with a bunch of stamens in the center. How interesting, right?

In the language of flowers, the primary meanings of the genus of Clematis is mental beauty, ingenuity, unchanged for eternity, artifice, love of family, sons and daughters. These meanings can play a vital role in floriography because it will encompass so many occasions and sentiments, and even milestones. Here are some posies made with Clematis using the different meanings that are parallel to the occasions they were meant for~

For a sweet memorial table recognizing end of life and an unchanging love for eternity.

A sweet token of love for my daughter.