Clematis hybrids
Deciduous Perennial, Vine

USDA Zones: 4 - 8
Light: sun in Zones 6 and colder as well as in Pacific Northwest; partial shade in warmer Zones
Height:  8 to 10 feet
Width:  4 to 6 feet
Flower Colors: mostly blues, purples, and pinks; also white and red
Bloom Time: late spring - fall
Special Features:
Flowers

Quickly becoming one of the most popular vines in the country, hybrid clematis has good reason for its recent stardom. This perennial vine climbs a manageable 8 to 12 feet and produces showy large flowers in purple, white, pink, red, and blue that range in size from just a few inches to as large as a dinner plate, depending on the cultivar. Even the ripened flower heads are pretty, creating lovely silky whirls after the blooms are gone.

Choose the right cultivar and you'll have a clematis that will bloom from early summer into fall. Other cultivars bloom in two flushes, one in early summer and again in late summer or early fall.

Notable Varieties
'Jackmannii' is one of the most popular, blooming in rich purple in mid- and late-summer, growing 10 feet.

Care
Needs rich, well-drained soil with plentiful moisture. Needs at least 6 hours of direct sun a day, but roots like shade, so mulch or plant annuals or perennials at the vine's base. The old-time wisdom about hybrid clematis is they like their heads in the sun and their feet in the shade. Fertilize each spring with a slow-release fertilizer. Deadhead as desired to remove spent blooms. It prolongs flowering but will prevent the formation of the lovely whirly seedpods.Pruning depends on the clematis' blooming pattern; observe yours to determine which of two categories it falls into. One type is the so-called "everblooming" clematis. It blooms nonstop from early summer to fall on new wood it produced during the current year. This type should be pruned once a year in early spring to 12 to 18 inches, just above an emerging leaf bud so that it will branch well.The other type has two flushes of bloom. It blooms first on old wood from the previous year and then again on new growth. With this type, in spring, remove only old dead vines. (If in doubt, leave them.) Then, after the vine's second flush is done, cut back the whole plant hard, by one- to two-thirds.

Planting
Choose only healthy-looking plants. Dried-out or sickly-looking plants will not do well. Provide a sturdy support as tall as the mature height of the clematis for it to weave through, such as latticework or wire.Plant well-rooted container or bareroot plants in spring, working plenty of compost into the soil. Position crown an inch or two deeper than it was in any container to promote better branching. Then trim a few inches off the ends of the stems to further promote all-important branching.As it grows, loosely tie the clematis to its support. Strips of pantyhose are ideal for this. Mulch to conserve moisture and keep roots cool, also important.

Pests and Diseases
Japanese beetles as well as rabbits and deer, which like tender young plants. Wrap vines in spring with chicken wire to discourage nibbling.