This classic clematis was planted soon after we moved into our home, which makes it a decade and a half old. It’s trained, rather loosely, to climb the lamp-post in the front yard, but I’m afraid I tend to let it flop and run rather than tying it up so it climbs higher. Still, it performs, even when it gets mown down (as it did a few times before a spreading sedum was put at its base to shade the roots and offer a buffer to the wrath of Andy’s mower). This year it’s especially floriferous, so I may coddle it a bit for next year’s show. Preparation for a comeback always starts early.
