A happy surprise revealed itself as I was pulling out of the driveway and heading to work the other morning – a white blanket of flowers caught the corner of my eye on the side of our garage, and I realized that a sweet autumn clematis had seeded itself and grown up over our fringe tree over the last season. My mind and attention had been elsewhere, and I had no idea it was making such progress. Like much of our yard, it snuck by me this season, joining the overgrown and unchecked wilderness that is ever-encroaching on the more manicured spaces I’m struggling to maintain. Time marches on and this summer has passed largely in a haze.
This clematis is the most fragrant of the genus – which isn’t a heavy lift as the typical clematis varieties are not known for their perfume. The large swath of blooms (which are individually small) blanket their surroundings with a sweet scent, unexpected at this time of the year when dried leaves and resinous pine tend to lend the land a more earthy slant. These blooms are an echo of the seven sons flower, still in full and spectacular show (to Andy’s slight chagrin as they’ve been landing in the pool and filling up the skimmer).
