The sweetly-scented, daintily-flowered pretty little vine of the sweet autumn clematis is an attractive, if slightly unwelcome, harbinger of fall. If you see it in bloom, you know the darker seasons are right around the corner. Still, better to go out in a blaze of bright beauty than a dried mess of faded form and long-ago-withered flowers to which so much of the garden is quickly reverting. Though there is the risk of being less noticed than those backyard attention-getters (which stun at the height of summer when everyone is there to witness the show), there is something to be said for waiting until the end to shine. I appreciate such studied patience, and I enjoy saving the best for last.
