EFG Most Wanted: Clematis ‘Madame Julia Correvon’

Lordy. I had a terrible work week this past week and haven’t blogged in 10 days! I know you missed me. 🙂

Today I’m introducing a semi-regular feature called EFG Most Wanted. We here at Earth Friendly Gardening see plants that we want but can’t have all the time. I have scribbled post-it notes strewn about my desk and lists in various notebooks with cryptic Latin and common names and I can’t even remember what they are or where I saw them.

EFG Most Wanted puts an end to that. Everytime I see a plant, tree, or shrub that I’m going to get one day come hell or high water, it goes here.

Clematis viticella ‘Madame Julia Correvon’ has certainly earned the first position on EFG’s Most Wanted list. I’ve been pining over her for many years now.

This particular beauty was snapped early last fall at Blithewold Mansion, Gardens & Arboretum. She looks a little purply in this photo but she is really kind of a crimson. Madame Julia is a deciduous, twining, woody vine–a trellis such as the one seen here will help guide her growth, but she will also look lovely covering a rock wall or anything, really.

Like most Clematis, Madame Julia grows best in fertile, well-drained soil and full sun. It’s always good if her feet are shaded but the vine itself should be grown in as much sun as possible. I am told she will also do well in containers. Once she’s established, she won’t required a lot of watering in the summer–only once every couple of weeks.

She’ll grow to about 20 feet tall unless pruned. Pruning Clematis seems mysterious as different varieties require pruning at different times or not at all. It’s not that difficult though…it depends on whether it blooms in the spring, summer or fall, or if it’s a repeat bloomer. Since Madame Julia is a summer bloomer, she blooms on new growth. Prune her early in the season, around March, before blooming. Cut her back to 18-24″ above the ground and she will reach 8-12 feet by the end of the season.

Look out Madame Julia….One day, you will be mine!

More details about pruning Clematis can be found here.