7 Clematis for a Natural Garden
To grow the queens of lianas with ease
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If nature inspires you and your garden reflects the ambience of natural landscapes, clematis are the perfect guests to green your walls and various supports. They gently soften the vertical lines of façades, adorn lovely arbors or trellises, and provide shade for pergolas. For this simple yet abundant atmosphere, we have selected 7 clematis for a natural garden, chosen from our collection of single-flowered clematis and bell-flower clematis, the most suitable for this choice. Pink, white, or mauve, climbing or herbaceous, you are sure to find one that will capture the heart of any nature lover.
Trained against old walls, clematis enhance the rustic and natural charm of gardens
Clematis viticella 'I am Happy'
Of the most beautiful effect in a naturalistic scene, the Clematis viticella ‘I am Happy’ will gracefully cling with its voluble stems, climbing up to a height of 2 m on a trellis or the trunk of a tree adorned with mesh. This clematis develops a generous light green foliage, deciduous, and is covered from June to September with beautiful small single flowers measuring 6 cm in diameter. Marbled with deep pink, the 4 petals of these flowers feature a light pink marbling line that stands out at the centre. The dark red, almost black, pistils intensify the flowering. Very floriferous and hardy, ‘I am Happy’ truly lives up to its name, bringing a cheerful touch to your flower beds.
→ As clematis prefer to have their roots cool, in a sunny position shade its base with a white perennial, for example a Hardy geranium cantabrigiense ‘St Ola’. It will slowly spread to form a dense, low groundcover, and its abundant pure white flowering in May-June will beautifully highlight your clematis.
Clematis viticella ‘I am Happy’
Clematis montana 'Spring Joy'
For a natural scene where white reigns supreme, choose the stunning Clematis montana ‘Spring Joy’, remarkable for its abundance of pure white spring flowering that is delightfully fragrant. Its small, simple flowers completely cover it in May-June, later than other Clematis montana. It is a beautiful liana that is particularly vigorous and hardy, reaching up to 5 m in height within a few years, covering an area of over 10 m². It clings to supports via its tendrils.
→ Plant this beautiful, extremely hardy liana on a low, untreated wood fence to give your garden a bohemian and natural look, preferably in fertile, humus-bearing, and well-drained soil. Surround the base with clumps of hybrid shrub salvias ‘Wendy’s Wish’, with a sturdy habit and very long-lasting violet-pink flowering, blooming from summer until frost. They will take over the flowering in this soft range and provide your clematis with the essential freshness at its base.
Clematis montana ‘Spring Joy’
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Clematis viticella 'Burning Love'
Red is not always celebrated in natural-inspired gardens, as this colour is often associated with sophistication. Yet,  ‘Burning Love’ is a perfect illustration of the natural simplicity that this colour can bring to the garden. A magnificent descendant of the clematis viticella, it is a vigorous liana that is very easy to care for, capable of withstanding summer drought. Hardy, it thrives in ordinary garden soil and will brighten a natural garden for many years. It extends its sarmentous stems to heights of 3 m to 4.5 m with a spread of 1.5 m: it will therefore look wonderful on a wooden or wrought iron pergola, or naturally climbing over neighbouring bushes and trees. Its star-shaped flowers, measuring 6 to 8 cm, are a deep red punctuated by a bouquet of yellow stamens, blooming throughout the summer in full sun or partial shade.
→ Plant the clematis viticella ‘Burning Love’ alongside grasses such as Stipa pulcherrima, light and graceful, whose long silver-white inflorescences will contrast beautifully with the red of its flowers in June and July.
Clematis viticella ‘Burning Love’
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Clematis: which variety to choose?Clematis texensis 'Odoriba'
As it is rarely offered for sale yet boasts numerous qualities, the Clematis texensis ‘Odoriba’ is a particularly floriferous small liana. From June to September, it produces delightful small flowers, initially in the form of bell-shaped blooms that open into stars at maturity. Bright pink on the outside, they reveal a broad white inner median and a heart punctuated with light yellow stamens. The flowering is followed by decorative feathery silver fruits, and the deciduous leaves are small and rounded, with a lovely soft green hue. Climbing up to 2.50 m, it is perfect for pot cultivation on a charming country house terrace, or to cover a trellis or fence in a naturalistic garden, where it will cling thanks to its petioles transformed into tendrils. To bloom well, it requires a sheltered, sunny position and well-drained soil.
→ Plant your clematis alongside a rambling rose such as the rose ‘Pierre de Ronsard’ in similar shades of pink and white, or the rose ‘Sourire d’Orchidée’, graceful and light with its small simple flowers of a pearly white tinged with pink to extend the flowering throughout the beautiful season.
Clematis texensis ‘Odoriba’
Clematis alpina 'Francis Rivis'
Robust and early-flowering, the Clematis alpina ‘Francis Rivis’ is a medium-sized liana (2.5 m to 3 m in height with a spread of 1 m) perfectly suited for natural and lush garden designs. In a palette of blues and whites, it will effortlessly adorn old walls, trellises, or nearby bushes. In March-April, and then repeat flowering in September, its lovely small flowers with 4 blue-violet sepals dangle like little bells. They bloom to reveal a white heart. It should be planted in full sun or partial shade, in cool but well-drained soil, even calcareous. Originating from the Alpine clematis, which grows spontaneously in France, it has inherited its hardiness.
→ The Clematis alpina ‘Francis Rivis’ develops numerous tendrils allowing it to climb anywhere. It is ideal when paired with a white rose such as the David Austin rose ‘Snow Goose’ with its charming small double and frilled white roses.
Clematis alpina ‘Francis Rivis’
Clematis integrifolia 'Durandii'
The Clematis integrifolia ‘Durandii’ is part of the herbaceous clematis. Unlike woody clematis, these are perennial plants that are non-climbing or only slightly so, featuring compact foliage that is deciduous in winter. They rarely exceed 1.20 m in height and are often very floriferous. The Clematis integrifolia ‘Durandii’, semi-woody, forms a bushy clump reaching about 1.50 m in height, with a spread of at least 1 m². It can be trained on a support or left to grow freely. Too little known and planted, this clematis develops a multitude of dark green leafy stems and a long summer flowering of intense indigo blue, with a heart of white stamens at the centre of each flower. Modestly sized and very easy to grow, it will naturally find its place in a sunny border or on a slope, where it will gradually form a generous clump. It can also be placed in a pot on the terrace or near the house.
→ In a natural setting, pair the ‘Durandii’ clematis with the white flowers of the Gaura lindheimeri ‘Snowbird’, light and countless, equally easy to grow.
Clematis integrifolia ‘Durandii’
Clematis integrifolia 'Rosea'
And to finish, yet another herbaceous clematis! How can we not mention this little marvel that is Clematis integrifolia ‘Rosea’? This hybrid of Clematis integrifolia, rare and awarded in England by the R.H.S for its ornamental qualities, stands out from the species due to the colour of its summer flowers, a lovely mauve-pink, as well as the abundance of its flowering. Its bell-shaped flowers, delicate and graceful, drooping downwards, bloom abundantly throughout the summer, dotting its multitude of dark green leafy stems with colour. Its modest size (about 75 cm in height, with a spread of 80 cm to 1 m) and its lovely flowering make this original clematis an ideal variety for pot cultivation, but also an excellent hardy and low-maintenance perennial for sunny borders and slopes in natural gardens. Deciduous in winter, it forms a somewhat bushy clump each spring that may need staking.
→ Sometimes a bit slow to establish, Clematis integrifolia ‘Rosea’ prefers soils rich in humus, cool and well-drained, and tolerates lime well. It also withstands moderate drought once well-rooted, prefers partial shade, and requires plenty of light to flower generously. Pair it with summer-flowering bushes such as Abelia grandiflora ‘Edward Goucher’.
Clematis integrifolia ‘Rosea’
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