Does it require staking? Will it flop without support?

I seem to have a brown thumb with clematis, though I like them greatly. I'll have to read up on them more.

I have a Fairy Rose bush, hmm maybe I will let my Arabelle scramble over it.

Here is a picture I took this morning in a bit of a rough, unkempt area of the garden. You can see the flowers from an Arabella poking their way through a rose bush.

I've decided that I'm going to plant mine by theFairy rose bush. Rouge, how far is yours from your rose bush.

I love how it looks, weaving in and out. Strangely, hardly any online nurseries carries it.

I got mine from Brushwood Nursery, and though they are currently out, you can ask to be notified when it is back in stock.
http://www.gardenvines.com/shop/small-flowered-clematis-4/clematis-arabella-47.html

Silver Star Vinery carries it. I am not sure if she is still shipping for spring or you will have to wait for fall.
http://www.silverstarvinery.com/vines.asp?letter=A

Hummngbird Farm carries it, and I think they may still be shipping.
http://hummingbirdfarm.net/clematis.htm

I have ordered more than one clematis from all of these nurseries and have been very pleased with the quality.

IME the nurseries that specialize in clematis are most likely to have the widest variety of plants that are something other than early, large-flowered types.

Thanks so much babs!

Rouge, how far is yours from your rose bush.

To be honest I have no idea as it is so 'jungley' in that location it would be impossible to trace back the vine to the base. Having said that you cant go wrong planting it a few feet on the shade side of the rose and it no time it will weave its way to the front looking for that elusive sun.

Oh, I love this idea! I prefer not to see any mulch in my gardens so this would be nice as a "filler". Such a pretty partner to your daisies and roses.

I'm trying Arabella out this year, we'll see what it does for me. If you like clematis scramblers and are looking for a darker color, give Sapphire Indigo a try. It's doing well this year, it's second year for me. I expect great things next year.
{{gwi:233561}}

I just noticed your picture 'funnthsun'. Wonderful colours together. I have never heard of "Sapphire Indigo". Please post updates on its progress.

Here are a couple of pictures I took today of one of our 6 "Arabella".

{{gwi:233562}}

It is one plant with it rooted in behind that Sanguisorba "Tanna".and then it branches off into two main stems.

UPDATE: Just today I noticed a couple of "Arabella" blooms in the rough unkempt grass.

Would y'all list other ramblers so I can hurry over to Brushwood and order while the spirit is on me?
Marie

rouge, i bought 2 sapphire indigo from Doug at Mixed Border in Hollis N.H.(20-30 min. No. of lowell) earlier this summer. He has the biggest clem selection of any regional nursery that I have visited. and also sells some big 3-4 gal ones.) Its a new Evipoo intro, short.

Agree w/ you on arabella; i have a few too. I may have bought a couple of them at Mahoney's Winch. or Mixed Border.
mindy

'Ida', I have "Arabella", "Inspiration" and "Blue River"...all are scramblers.

rouge, I LOVE Blue River but I didn't know it was a scrambler.I have it growing up a variegated boxwood in a large planter box by my entry door. Are you defining scrambler as any clem that is ~ 4' short? because, if so, Raymond Evison has a whole
line he calls his Boulevard collection. (Maybe you alrdy know all about this.)

Even though this is a British site, this is a great site to delight clem lovers. Fun to know about new intros and things to look for !
http://www.raymondevisonclematis.com/main/catalogue.asp?categoryID=3

evison w/ a lot of good pointers:
http://www.youtube.com/v/ZFY4yqBJQas

"â¢Posted by gardengal48 (My Page) on Thu, Dec 16, 10 at 20:12
The plants are probably not offered by mail order sources as a "collection" but rather under individual names. Evison refers to them as collection only because they share a similar compact growth and a free-flowering habit. FWIW, Joy Creek lists ALL of the various clems that comprise the "Boulevard collection" in their catalog line of clems for you."

mindy

Mindy, 'scramblers' are roughly defined as clems that do not exhibit an overt climbing tendency. IOW, the usual grasping, vining activity of the leaf petiols is missing or not very prominent. All herbaceous species clematis (like integrifolia and heracleifolia) are considered scramblers as are members of the diversifolia group, which are hybrids of C. integrifolia and C. viticella. 'Arabella' and 'Blue River' are part of this group.

IME, these can demonstrate a "semi-climbing" habit, so they can often be trained up into shrubs and on trellises, but often require a little more help to do so.

And height of the vine is really not material.......while these types of clems do not tend to get as large as some vining types, they can get big. Both 'Durandii' and 'Hendersonii' can reach 8' in length/spread. Even my 'Arabella' gets pretty good sized.

FWIW, I think most of the Evison collection are vining types, with at least the exception of 'Harlow Carr', which is definitely a scrambler. But any clematis can be grown as a scrambler or without a defined supprt structure. They will just weave their way through and around whatever other plants they are growing with. But regular vining clems like the large flowered hybrids grown in this manner will have an ability for the vining parts/petiols to be rather grasping or clutchy so with a potential to 'strangle' smaller or weaker neighbors.

gg, you continue to be the best EXPLAINER I ever knew.
really, I'm not joking. Thank you.

Also, rouge et al, apologies to Barry Fretwell (genuflect, genuflect) who was the (correct) breeder of Arabella ( not Evison.)
mindy

I have had BR for 3 seasons and when I ordered it I didn't realize that it wasnt a climber. But due to its floriferousness I put up with it in this first location...keeping it under its metal obelisk, securing it so that it would stay upright, more or less within the confines of the obelisk.

But this past August I dug it up and moved it to a place where it can roam free (sounds like Elsa in "Born Free" ;)).

BR is a bloom machine from early June and into October.

I will try to dig out a picture.

This post was edited by rouge21 on Fri, Oct 3, 14 at 5:47

Gardengal48, let me add my thanks to arbo_retum's. I see your posts on many of the Gardenweb forums, and you're always very clear and extremely helpful. I'm amazed at the depth and breadth of your knowledge and your willingness to share it.

Thank you for that very kind remark :-)

Ophelia, I was thrilled to have a back up on this! (How fitting that it come from VT, one of my fav places.) Let's initiate a GG Appreciation Day!
mindy

You're on!

Rouge, I am curious to what Arabella seed heads look like and if you deadhead throughout the summer. I have an integrafolia that grows through a cross hatched peony hoop that blooms all summer which I deadhead regularly as don't like the looks of the seed heads. Also have another growing through a small obiliske that I also deadhead. Thinking about picking up Arabella to scramble in the front bed.

I also have Inspiration which I help climb through a 6' trellis. Got it as a NOID clematis and established it on the trellis before learning it is a scrambler. May move it to scramble in another bed but it completely fills the trellis so wonder if it would overwhelm other plants in the bed. Your experience?

For GW New Englanders: I did find the tag for my arabellas- and I did get them from Mixed Border in Hollis NH this yr so I bet he'll get it in next yr too.
mindy

Mnwsgal - I seldom deadhead my Arabellas, and they bloom all summer, but I don't mind the look of the seedheads. I'll have to take a look at them now, but I think they look like most other clematis seeds. For what it's worth, mine tend to stay pretty close to each other, not scramble all over the garden. I think mine would be pretty easy to deadhead. YMMV

Thanks for the info, rouge.

UPDATE:

Arabella in an obelisk

I have Arabella, but Juuli out performs her in my garden. They are very similarly colored.

Rouge, how tall is that obelisk? I purchased one of these a couple years ago on your advice, but I think a need a taller support, but don't want anything too big. Yours looks like a perfect height. I like the way you have it planted with that astrantia and the aralia. Nice colors together.

T2d, the obelisk in the photo is 6 feet tall (so about 5.5 feet when in the ground). (It is quite narrow).

give Sapphire Indigo a try. It's doing well this year, it's second year for me.

By chance I saw one today and being a healthy looking specimen I did seal the deal. Thanks again for the recommendation.

UPDATE 2017:

One of our several arabella weaving its way through a now finished blooming peony:

I WANT one or two. I'm going to swing by HD, CT and Lowes tonight to see if I can find this plant.

'Jen', if you just let it scramble on the ground you can always fit in another.

(I would be a bit surprised if you find it at one of the big box stores)

Just bookmarked this - I have space for an Arabella or two! Thanks for the update

You are probably right 'rouge' about my chances of finding it at those places. I've been searching online to see if there is a nursery close by or will ship that might still have it in stock but no luck so far. Do you mind sharing the place you got yours?

Nice rouge, mine are in their second year and not doing well. Something has been snacking on them :(

Been reading this with great interest. Beautiful! All the while thinking I've read that "crawling" clems will be devoured by snails if they are around. And, boy, do I have snails! Rouge and others who grow these - do you not have snails or are you able to keep them away from the plants somehow?

rabbits, rabbits, rabbits

We also are over run with those wascally wabbits but arabella seems to do just fine.

'roses', we do have snails and slugs as evidenced by some holey hostas ;) but so far I haven't noticed a problem with the leaves on "Arabella". (But given that it weaves it's way all around amongst the other perennials I might not notice leaf damage).

Still blooming:

UPDATE (2018):

I dug up this Arabella sometime last season (I forget why) and threw it in a yucky plastic nursery pot where it got ignored. It remained in this not very nice exile all winter and still it easily survived (clearly this clemtis is extra hardy). Still not knowing where to put it in the ground in the spring I instead planted in an extra container. It looks straggly in a pot with the blooms more often than not mostly at the end of a stem but least it has a home.

Love my Arabella! She's particularly floriferous this year but my photo does not do it justice.

Wow Debbie yours looks great!

Mine is still getting established looking pretty scraggly. I’m sure it doesn’t help being on my dry slope...

Thankyou GardenHo. I'm sure yours will do great once it gets established; its a wonderful plant. I picked up another solitary clem this year called 'Stand By Me'; it has very pretty blue bell-shaped blooms and when I saw it I just had to have it lol. It's still in the pot waiting for me to choose a spot for it. It's a Proven Winners intro.