10 Best Clematis Vines to Plant in March for Stunning Summer Flowers – There’s One That’s Perfect For Every Garden Spot

Clematis are fabulous plants to have in your garden, adding vibrant vertical accents and another layer of color. There are so many fun ways to use these vining clematis beauties, too, aside from growing them up a trellis or wall. Pick the best clematis vine and you can let the stems scramble through a shrub, tree or hedge, adding petals to foliage or another season of blooms to a winter flowerer. Some clever cultivars can be grown horizontally as well, so you can allow their stems to potter through a border for a wonderfully whimsical vibe.

There are scented clematis that will add beautiful fragrance to a backyard, clematis vines that attract hummingbirds, and clematis that bring amazing fall color, too.

While it’s true that some clematis are invasive, there are plenty more that are perfectly well-behaved. You simply have to choose the right variety for the job you want it to do, whether that’s to deliver an abundant but compact display of show-off flowers in a patio pot or a quickly disguise an ugly shed with a riot of ruffled petals.

Don’t worry about pruning, either. All these varieties are very easy to prune, and some don’t even need pruning much at all! Which clematis vine is right for your garden?

1. Best Clematis For a Pot

A fairly recent introduction, Clematis Diamantina is simply fabulous in a patio pot. For a start, its violet-blue blooms grow up to 6 inches across in a glorious pompom of petals, and each flower lasts for an incredible four weeks. It flowers prolifically in May–June, then has a second flush in September–October. The plant is compact, growing to around six feet, and – highly unusual for a clematis – extremely happy in a pot. Just give it a container that’s at least 16 inches wide and deep. It only needs light pruning, too, with a tidy-up in early spring and again after its first flush of flowers. Zones 4–9.

2. Best Clematis for Months of Fragrance

Flowering for longer than most other clematis cultivars, Clematis ‘Sweet Summer Love’ brings hundreds of small, red-purple sweetly-scented flowers through summer and fall. The floral perfume is wonderfully layered with spicy clove-like hints and warm vanilla undertones, so this vine is a lovely addition to a patio. It’s vigorous and easy to grow, capable of reaching 10 feet high and wide, but as this clematis flowers on new growth, it’s best to cut stems back to a foot above the ground in early spring each year, which also controls its size. Zones 4–9.

3. Best Clematis for Red Color That Attracts Hummingbirds

True red clematis are very rare, but fairly recently bred cultivar Clematis 'Rebecca' boasts fabulous crimson tones. The color of its rich hue varies, usually opening in velvety plum-red tones then turning a punchier crimson. The more sun it gets, the brighter the red is, too, so depending on what weather we get, the color can change from year to year. It blooms from June to September, when hummingbirds and pollinators won’t fail to notice its spectacular color. Clematis 'Rebecca' only reaches 6–8 feet high and 3–4 feet wide so all it needs is a light trim in early spring. Zones 4–8.

4. Best Clematis to Plant in a Border

Clematis ‘Rooguchi’ is an exciting clematis introduced from Japan and it’s not a climber! This non-clinging vine – technically a subshrub – doesn’t have tendrils so rather than grow it upwards, you can leave it to scamper around other plants in a border for a beautiful, whimsical effect. Its violet-blue bell-shaped flowers grow on sturdy stems (this cultivar was originally bred for the cut flower industry) from midsummer to fall. The plant can reach around 6 feet by 3 feet, which is about the right size for an average border, and you simply cut it back to 8 inches in spring. Zones 4–8.

5. Best Clematis for a Beginner Gardener

Proven Winners call this Clematis 'Zojapur' cultivar ‘Happy Jack’ and it certainly lives up to its name, flowering abundantly all through summer with minimal care, bringing big, velvety purple flowers that fade to blue and deciduous dark green foliage. The plant is quick to establish and robust, and although it grows quickly, the stems only reach an ultimate size of 8 feet high and 3 feet wide. Apart from tying in the stems, your only job is to chop the lot down to 8 inches from the ground in early spring and sprinkle on some slow-release fertilizer to enjoy another year of blooms. Zones 5–9.

6. Best Clematis for a Plantsperson

The handsome creamy white flowers of Clematis ‘Henryi’ can grow to 8 inches across, and the anthers are a warm chocolate brown, making this one of the most elegant clematis to grow in your garden. Dark green deciduous foliage makes the light blooms seem almost luminous, too. It flowers from May to June on old wood so only needs a tidy-up in early spring, snipping stem tips to the uppermost pair of strong buds. It can grow to 15 feet high and 3 feet wide though, so to control its size, give stems a second prune to 3–5 feet high once flowers have faded – this also encourages a second flush of blooms in late summer. If you’re looking for a present for a gardener friend, this is a perfect choice. Zones 4–9.

7. Best Clematis to Scramble up a Tree or Shrub

Clematis ‘Sarah Elizabeth’ is part of the recently introduced Boulevard series and has been bred to stay a manageable size, growing to around 5 feet. This makes it a fabulous option to grow up through a shrub or small tree as it won’t overwhelm the supporting plant, unlike more vigorous varieties. Its pruning requirements are perfect, too, as it's cut to 8 inches from the ground in early spring, so its host plant never gets tangled in old stems. Clematis 'Sarah Elizabeth' blooms from late spring to early fall so you can use it to give winter-flowering shrubs a second season of interest with these pretty soft pink petals. Just plant it 1½ feet from the shrub or tree base so it doesn’t have to compete for nutrients, and guide stems towards the host plant. Zones 4–9.

8. Best Clematis for a North-Facing Wall

Most clematis vines prefer plenty of sunshine and are best suited to south- or west-facing spots but Clematis ‘Nelly Moser’ is far happier in partial shade so it’s a great choice for a north-facing wall. Indeed, its fabulous pyjama-stripe pink and white flowers can fade in strong sunshine. It still needs a little sun but as long as your wall isn’t in deep shade throughout the day, ‘Nelly Moser’ will be fine, and it can reach 12 feet high and 4 feet wide. Tidy up in spring, trimming the stem tips to a pair of healthy buds, then reduce some stems directly after flowering to control size.

9. Best Clematis for Fall Color

We often think of clematis as summer bloomers but there are varieties that will bring flowers to your backyard in every month of the year. Clematis ‘Ernest Markham’ does flower in summer, but it carries on blooming into October, when its magenta-pink tones are a vibrant addition to orange fall color. The flowers are big, too, growing up to 6 inches across, and the vine can grow to 15 feet high, so you get plenty of them. Chop the lot back to 8 inches above the ground in early spring for a repeat performance every year. Zones 4–8.

10. Best Clematis for a Lazy Gardener

If you can’t be bothered with the faff of hard-pruning clematis then tying in new shoots each year, Clematis ‘Piilu’ is for you. It doesn’t need much pruning at all – just snip off faded blooms, and give it a tidy-up in spring to get rid of any dead stems. Your minimal efforts will be richly rewarded with two flushes of 3-inch flowers. The first burst, in late spring, typically brings double flowers with lots of petals, while the second in late summer has single blooms with fewer petals. Zones 4–9.

The Tricks to Growing Clematis Successfully

Clematis evolved in open woodland where they scrambled up through the tree canopy to get to the sunshine. So the secret to success with clematis care is simply to replicate the plant's natural needs.

While most clematis need a sunny spot with at least six hours of sunshine a day, they like to have cool roots as if they were shaded beneath a layer of woodland shrubs. That’s easy to achieve: put a layer of pebbles on the ground around your plant, or push a slate at an angle into the soil to create a patch of shade.

Another option is to position your clematis where its base will be shaded by another shrub.

Because of the rich conditions created by all the leaf fall in a woodland, clematis like a fairly rich, moist but well-drained soil. So, when you plant, mix soil improver or well-rotted manure into the soil. A good trick is to mix this organic matter into the soil beneath the spot your clematis will grow, rather than in the area all around it, to encourage the roots to grow downwards, further helping to keep them cool.

While many folk grow clematis up a wall or fence, it’s important to plant it at least a foot away – preferably two – from that structure. That’s because the soil up against that boundary is often very dry as it’s sheltered from rainfall.

One last tip for lots more flowers is to plant your new clematis 2–3 inches deeper than the soil surface in the pot. That will encourage the plant to throw out plenty of new stems from the base, for triple the blooms.