I have never heard of SA Clematis to be a thug...it certainly isn't aggressive in my garden, and I've never had a problem with it seeding, but I have it mulched, which might help reduce whatever seeds it does drop. And, it might grow more aggressively in a warmer zone like yours. The nice thing about this plant is that the flowers are very small, and it grows up, rather than out, so it's perfect for a small garden. I have it growing up a trellis in a small spot that's surrounded by a garden walkway, a sidewalk, and the patio, and I really love it. It's in its glory when lots of the other perennials in the garden are beginning to decline. It's a very nice plant.

Not sure where you live, but it is a thug in my zone 7a garden and it can get huge over time. It reseeds quite aggressively for me if it is not cut back after flowering. If it were me, I would go with another clematis such as Betty Corning which is a strong grower but not invasive, has much prettier flowers, and they are fragrant. Although I have never tried it specifically on Betty Corning, other type III clematis can often be cut back by half or so after flowering and you will get a second flush of blooms.

Yes, I believe you will regret it. Was a thug for me in my DC Metro/Maryland garden. It was beautiful and the aroma intoxicating, but it ate the fences and everything in its path. Something that can put out 30 feet of growth in one season is hard to contain. And it did seed all over the place for me (and seeds will blow over the privacy fences and invade your neighbors) irrespective of any kind of barrier.

Folks who grow it in colder/cooler climates who don't have the extremely long growing season - like March thru November as we often did in MD - don't seem to experience many negatives with sweet autumn clematis.

I also agree with the last two posts. Depending on exactly how small your townhome garden is, SAC is a pretty robust, aggressive and very large vine for a smaller garden. It could easily overwhelm smaller plantings. And it will take up a great deal of real estate in return for a rather short bloom period. It is also listed on several states' invasive species listings because of its ability to seed so freely.

One pretty much killed a dogwood in my yard. Even after I chopped it down, I had to keep cutting it back at the root, because it just wouldn't die.

Thank you for saving me from grief! I think I'll choose a different clematis or climbing hydrangea instead.

I think you made the right decision. Mine showed up out of nowhere 4 years ago and I can't get rid of it. I yank off the top growth over and over, but it seems to like that. I may try Round-up but it's so vigorous and has so many shoots, I have my doubts that it will work.

One year I let it grow, and the blooms smelled so bad, I cut it all down. I know that people rave about it's fragrance, but I felt like I couldn't get away from that sickly-sweet smell. It even snuck inside the house... gag. And I personally don't think it's pretty. The fuzzy little greyish-cream flowers just looked muddy to me.

Amazing how tastes differ. But I agree that it would probably be a bad idea for a small garden.

Must be a "your zone will vary" thing. Here in Zone 5 we have no problem with it. We grow ours over a pergola to add to the shade. Other clematis will not grow fast enough to do that. The flowers all face up, though. But my daughter, whose room is over the pergola, has the view in the daytime and the scent at night (which she likes). We donÂt find the scent heavy: not like oriental lilies, for example. But the reactions to scents are so individual. Twice now it has been killed by rabbits gnawing the bark over the winter, and both times we went right out and bought another one. But itÂs not easy to find around here, and expensive too.

Maybe you who want to get rid of it should put out little bunny placements and table settings to invite them to dineÂI wonder if thereÂs rabbit attractant you could spray on it, LOL.

Have you tried growing Triternata Rubromarginata Linnea? It is every bit as vigorous as SAC and from the reports I have read, no where near as invasive. It is fragrant also.

Even if the rabbits gnawed the stems back on your SAC in the winter, that alone should not kill the plant. My plant gets cut back to ground level every winter by me and that has never killed it.

Fascinating how opinions differ. I too have a small townhouse garden, and I have a SAC that is about 17 years old. HUGE trunk. Each year, I hack it back within an inch of its life, and each year it grows probably twenty feet. IT goes up over my fence and over the roof of my garden shed, and I LOVE it. In the fall, it is covered with beautiful tiny white blossoms. It certainly is huge, but it is gorgeous and I find that if I hack it back, it keeps it in check.

If I knew how to post a photo, I would!
It is gorgeous- but that's just me. To each her own!

Amen, TOB!