Both cultivars grow to the same height of about 10 feet, and both bloom first in early summer and again in early fall.
12. Madame Julia Correvon
‘Madame Julia Correvon’ is a C. viticella cultivar with stunning, five-inch-wide maroon flowers with creamy white stamens.
Part of Group 3, it blooms from early summer to early fall. And it’s such a reliable, profuse bloomer that it nabbed the Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit.
Prune the 12-foot-long vines back to one foot above the ground in the early spring.
13. Piilu
Get ready to meet one of the most stunning clematis vines out there. This “little duckling” is truly unlike anything else.
The first flush of flowers, which appear on last year’s wood, treats you to semi-double mauve-pink blooms with a bold maroon stripe down the center of each petal. At the center is a ruffle of medium purple petals.
In the late summer, a second flush of blossoms emerges on the current year’s growth.
‘Piilu’
Each is a single, pink blossom with a maroon line down the center. In a good year with the right conditions, there is hardly a break between the first and second flush.
This plant stays fairly petite at just six feet tall, which makes it ideal for gardeners who want something that can shine fantastically in a container.
Plants in nursery containers are available at Burpee.
14. Princess Diana
If you didn’t know better, you might think ‘Princess Diana’ was some kind of vining tulip plant, with bright raspberry and cream flowers covering eight-foot vines.
The prominent seed heads are just an added bonus.
You’ll sometimes see this cultivar labeled as ‘The Princess of Wales,’ but whatever it’s called, you can expect to see tulip-shaped blossoms on this Group 3 plant from late spring through the fall.
‘Princess Diana’
While any clematis can be grown as a ground cover, this one does particularly well because of its upright flowers and dense foliage.
You can bring this princess home to your kingdom by heading to Nature Hills Nursery.
15. Princess Kate
Highly distinctive with flaring, tulip-like flowers, Princess Kate (‘Zoprika’) has dramatically pointed, long petals of creamy pink with dark raspberry anthers and reverse coloring.
Blooming steadily from July to September, this compact cultivar grows four to five feet long and makes a striking, trellised summer screen when massed or as a climber, floral ground cover, or tumbling from containers.
Princess Kate
Cut back vines to a strong set of healthy buds in late winter or early spring. Hardy in Zones 4 to 9.
Bare root plants are available at Burpee.
16. Rouge Cardinal
The petals on ‘Rouge Cardinal’ are a striking, velvety, bold red that draws the eye wherever you put it.
Add to that the fact that the flowers are seven inches across, and it’s a real statement piece, especially climbing up a trellis or obelisk.
This Group 3 type starts blooming in midsummer and then pops up again in early fall.
The first flush usually features double flowers and the second is a mix of double and single, but extremely profuse.
17. Sarah Elizabeth
A delightfully sweet cultivar from the Compact Patio Clematis group of the Boulevard® series, Sarah Elizabeth™ (C. ‘Evipo098’) sports impressive, candy pink flowers adorned with deep magenta anthers with a long bloom time of late spring to early autumn.
An ideal choice for wall-side borders, trellised containers, small spaces, or as a spiller from planters and window boxes, the diminutive vines grow four to five feet tall and are hardy in Zones 4 to 9.
Sarah Elizabeth
Prune as for Group 3, cutting back all stems to a set of healthy buds in late winter or early spring.
Plants in #1 containers are available at Nature Hills.
18. Sweet Autumn
‘Sweet Autumn’ (C. terniflora) is the queen of the autumn clematis.
This species has naturalized in many parts of the US, which should tell you how easy it is to grow.
It also tells you that you might want to be careful about planting it in case your community has deemed it invasive.
The 20-foot vines on this plant are absolutely covered in fragrant, petite white flowers from late summer until the first frost.
‘Sweet Autumn’
If you want to prevent it from spreading all over the place, just give it a quick prune after flowering to cut down the seed heads.
Or, leave them in place for the ornamental interest they provide.
Vines in one-gallon containers are available at Nature Hills Nursery.
19. Sweet Summer Love
She may sound like a sweetheart, but this plant is one tough cookie.
If you’ve ever tried to train a clematis vine only to snap the brittle wood, you know they can be a little bit fragile. The vines on ‘Sweet Summer Love’ are tough and resilient – but she has a soft side, too.
The fragrance from the blossoms is unreal, heady enough to fill your yard with their sweet, delicate scent all summer and through the early fall.
‘Sweet Summer Love’
Oh yeah, and don’t forget the maroon, nearly red flowers that gradually transition to deep purple over their lives.
Plants in gallon-sized containers are available at Nature Hills Nursery.
20. Taiga
This cultivar is no shrinking violet. The big, bold, flowers feature petals with a deep purple base and cream tips, all on an eight-foot-tall vine.
Truly unlike any other clematis out there, the young flowers appear more purple as they first open, but as the unusual curved sepals start to unfold, the plant looks more and more creamy.
And the flowers aren’t the only stand-out feature. This type first blooms in the spring, followed by a second flush from late summer through fall.
If the display seems less than impressive at any time, just trim the whole plant back a bit and you’ll be treated to a new flush.
‘Taiga’
Intrigued? It’s no surprise. ‘Taiga’ wowed attendees when it was introduced at the Chelsea Flower Show in 2017.
Make it a part of your own flower show by picking up a one-and-a-half-gallon container at Plants By Mail.
21. Volunteer
Another compact cultivar from the Boulevard® series, Volunteer™ (C. ‘Evipo080’) has delightful, star-shaped flowers of frosty pink with darker cerise bands and lemon yellow anthers.
Flowering abundantly from early summer to early fall, the vines grow three to four feet, adding colorful charm spilling from containers, as a mounding groundcover, or small space climber on a mini trellis.
Volunteer
This Group 3 cultivar is pruned hard to healthy buds in late winter and is hardy in Zones 4 to 9.
Plants in #1 containers can be purchased at Nature Hills Nursery.
Amp Up Your Autumn Display with Fall-Blooming Clematis
There’s nothing more attractive than an arbor or fence smothered in blossoms, except maybe one smothered in blossoms during the fall when so many other plants have already lost their sparkle.
Fall-blooming clematis put on a show that’s pretty hard to rival, and they do it when all those summer stunners are starting to go to sleep.
Which one of these options is calling your name? Have you grown any of these top picks before? Let us know in the comment section below.
If you’re enjoying the world of clematis plants and you’re interested in learning more about these classic garden vines, we have a few other guides that you might find useful. Check these out next:
