I love that clematis 'Freckles'...great how it sort of picks up the color/pattern of the hellebores. On my 2016 list is to begin to really explore clematis. I'm only just now learning about how many types there are...I'm only familiar with the big-flowered varieties. Really taken with the Viticellas now...

There are so many varieties its hard to choose,..viewing the bloom on the plant tag is really only good for seeing the color as one can not appreciate the size of the bloom however 'Freckles' is a small bloom but never really stops blooming throughout the year,..though in my case it blooms better from Autumn.

Small blooms that produce masses of blooms are just as good as a Clematis with not so many blooms but huge flowers,..i also have a Clematis 'Dorothy Walton',..the flowers are almost of side plate size,..it bloomed great near my back door but the bloom period was affected because it developed a Mildew,..it didn't like the location,..now its in the middle of the garden and loves it there .

Clematis 'Dorothy Walton'.

I "snagged" clematis 'H.F. Young' as a real bargain in a going-out-of-business sale at a local nursery. Wasn't sure of the color until I got home and looked it up...huge pale blue flowers up to 8 inches across. I can't wait to get this in the ground.

Oh nice choice that Clematis 'H.F.Young' i looked it up and isn't it very similar to the shots of Clematis 'Dorothy Walton',..you will be over the moon when yours blooms,..remember the saying about Clematis,..Blooms in the Sun,..Roots in the Shade,..by coincidence this was brought up last night in my garden thread,..Untitled,..vibes being picked up

"Feet in the shade, heads in the sun"...yes, that's what clematis love. I am always eager to learn how the original species grows...sometimes that sort of information gets lost over the centuries. Clematis are woodland edge plants....in the wild, they live at the margins of forests, so they like compost soil, something to climb up, and shade around them so they can reach up for the sun. I was actually surprised to learn that lilies are woodland plants...I've always just been told "plant in full sun" and its really better for them to get some dappled shade. Live and learn.

I agree with you about information getting lost over the centuries about how the original species grow,..yes many people plant Lilies in full sun though mine are in dappled shade this wasn't what i set out to do but did notice the abundance of blooms in dappled shade compared to the full sun area so mine are between a high fence and in the shade of my Fuchsia Tree,..now its become a habit to plant a species in various parts of the garden and if it thrives there,..that's where they all go,..of course i really should read up on each plant it would be quicker and be more informative and less work,..i just have the bad habit of forgetting i can check by internet