Thank you Chris for this wonderful article. I have dreamt about having a clematis for some years, but still have not got one. I have seen a few here in Iceland, probably the hardiest of all not the ones with the fancy flowers. We have short summers here with temps varying from 60°- 65°F (higher in sheltered gardens) during the day from June until middle September, and we have cool winters, not really hardy. I sure would like to try growing them. Which ones do you thing would make it here ?

Glad you enjoyed the article Magga! I personally think the hardiest of all clematis are the viticella hybrids. 'Venosa Violacea' is a very popular one that should be in every garden. They do well in both cool and warm climates. The flowers aren't as large as some of the others, but they make up for it with a large number of flowers blooming over a long period of time. They come in a nice assortment of colors and flower shapes, and they aren't subject to clematis wilt! A great reason to grow them anywhere. It would also be helpful in your climate to mulch them well in the fall.

I hope you're able to find some so you can give them a try!

Thank you very much Chris, I will be on the lookout for seeds, I don´t think I will find plants in nurseries here, but I will look there anyway.

Good luck Magga! Let me know if you find some!

I just bought a Clematis Ville de Lyon. I´m not quite sure if it is hardy enough for Iceland, our weather is so different from most countries. Our winters are not very cold, seldom lower than 5°F, but usually more like 15-25°F. The summers are cool 60°-70¨F. I think it is still too cold here to plant it in my garden, but I´m very excited to see how it does here.

Wonderful - how exciting! Good luck and post pictures when it blooms!