Clematis – Sweet Summer Love’
When the world-renown clematis breeder Szczepan Marczynski of Poland told us he had what amounts to a sweet autumn clematis with red flowers that change to purple and that blooms months earlier, we were all in. The fragrance of sweet autumn clematis is as good as any plant in existence, and the same goes this beauty. Most Clematis can be tricky to grow, with brittle stems that break if you so much as look at them, but this plant is super sturdy and grows like a dream. Anyone can be successful growing this variety. It's as close to perfection as a plant can be.
'Sweet Summer Love' gives you everything you want: the flowers, the fragrance, the ease of growth and cranberry-violet blooms that start over a month earlier than others - starting in July in the midwest and northeast, and lasting until mid-September. It will add lots of drama to gardens when trained up a trellis or other support.
The first year you plant it, it does not do much besides grow roots. The next year it takes off, however, it is much more restrained than sweet autumn clematis and does not litter the garden with unwanted seedlings. This plant has what it takes to be the best-selling clematis of all time. It won a DGA Green Thumb award for the best new plant of 2014 and we expect it to earn many more awards and accolades as people get to know it.
Features
When the world-renown clematis breeder Szczepan Marczynski of Poland told us he had what amounts to a sweet autumn clematis with red flowers that change to purple and that blooms months earlier, we were all in. The fragrance of sweet autumn clematis is as good as any plant in existence, and the same goes this beauty. Most Clematis can be tricky to grow, with brittle stems that break if you so much as look at them, but this plant is super sturdy and grows like a dream. Anyone can be successful growing this variety. It's as close to perfection as a plant can be.
'Sweet Summer Love' gives you everything you want: the flowers, the fragrance, the ease of growth and cranberry-violet blooms that start over a month earlier than others - starting in July in the midwest and northeast, and lasting until mid-September. It will add lots of drama to gardens when trained up a trellis or other support.
The first year you plant it, it does not do much besides grow roots. The next year it takes off, however, it is much more restrained than sweet autumn clematis and does not litter the garden with unwanted seedlings. This plant has what it takes to be the best-selling clematis of all time. It won a DGA Green Thumb award for the best new plant of 2014 and we expect it to earn many more awards and accolades as people get to know it.
Fragrant Flower
Long Blooming
Vine
Maintenance Notes
Prefers average, well-drained but moist soil. Keep the roots cool. May benefit from a hard pruning in late winter. Leave at least two pairs of buds on each stem.
Uses Notes
Landcapes. May also be grown on a trellis in a large patio container.
Maintenance Category Easy
Water Category Average
Blooms On New Wood
Bloom Time
Flower Form Landscape
Soil Fertility Average Soil
Soil PH Category Neutral Soil
pH B - pH 5.8 - 6.2
EC (2:1 Extraction Method) 0.6 - 0.9
Fertilization 100 - 150
Light Requirements High
Water Requirements Moderate to Moist
Rooting Out Temperature 62 - 66° Fahrenheit
Growing On Temperature 58 - 62° Fahrenheit
Holding Temperature 40 - 50° Fahrenheit
Planting and Timing Information
2 1/4" finishes to 1 gallon in 10-12 weeks, Quick Turn finishes to 2-3 gallon in 14-18 weeks.
Grower Tips
Grow plants cool early in the season to prevent top growth from outpacing root development, which complicates maintenance later. Lower fertility also helps with this issue.
Should be grown in larger, rather than smaller, pots, with a bamboo trellis or similar structure placed in the soil. Use a light, fast-draining growing media. Pinch/prune 2-3 times to encourage branching and minimize plants growing into each other.
Plants benefit from manual training of vines onto support structure, which results is less maintenance and a more appealing plant at retail.
Once flower buds have set, grow plants drier to prevent clematis wilt. Spray with thiophanate-methyl fungicide as a preventative.
Top-dress with rice hulls or something similar to minimize weeds, algae, liverwort, etc., since leaf coverage of soil is minimal.
Should be last plants to be moved outdoors.
Potting a 2 ¼” liner directly to a 3 gallon can is not recommended.
Additional notes on Happy Jack® Purple and 'Diamond Ball': One of the easiest varieties to ship in bud and bloom.
Additional notes on 'Sweet Summer Love': Late bloom makes shipping flowering plants tricky. Being pot-bound seems to encourage blooming on this variety.
