Almond, pairing a type II with a III can work if you can treat both as a type III and prune them back in the winter. Or if you can treat both as a type II--which means on the type III your plant will have flowers higher up on the vines than if you trimmed it back. One other thing to consider is that in your zone, Mother Nature may kill both back down to the ground so they will be treated as type IIIs regardless of what you want them to be treated as. Whether this will happen will depend on your exposure, how severe the winters get, etc.--things totally out of your control.

As for number of plants for your trellis, I think you could put many more than two on it! Of course realize that I am a crammer and put way more clematis together on everything than most. I have a trellis that is 10 feet long and have 10 clematis planted on it. Which ones you choose will entirely depend on what you like colorwise and formwise. I got clematis viticella (the species) from Dan this spring. It does have bell shaped flowers and is supposed to be vigorous. I also have John Treasure and Brocade from Silver Star Vinery which are both great plants and I am eyeing Radiance for fall purchase. The world is wide open to you as far as choice. You have to decide which color and forms you like best.

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Wow, thanks for the inspiring pictures! I guess I am probably over thinking it, because of all the clematis photos I've seen I've not seen any combos that didn't look pretty together. Is that crispa I see just to the left of center in the first picture? I have been eying that one too :)

In addition to the trellis, we also have lots and lots of plain old privacy fence surrounding our backyard that I'd like to cover with clematis and other vines... once I gain some confidence that I won't kill the ones I plant this year. That's a great idea to plant more than 2 along the trellis.

When you plant them close together do you have to be really careful not to disturb the roots of the surrounding clematis as you plant new ones?

Excellent point about the weather here likely doing the hard pruning for me. So I won't worry too much about planting type IIs with type IIIs. Thanks again for your help!!

I visited a private garden on Saturday that was open and the entire back yard was surrounded by a solid cedar fence which was covered with wire livestock fencing. There were mixed Clematis planted every three feet or so. She had Alpinas, Viticellas, Early and Late Large Flowered Hybrids all mixed up. It was spectacular, even though many had just been transplanted. Some were blooming some were not.

Miguel, your fence is spectacular too!

Thanks almond. The one you think is crispa is actually a pitcheri hybrid that Dan sells at Brushwood Nursery. As for disturbing roots, I planted all of mine at essentially the same time so I didn't have to worry about that.

BorS, glad you liked it. Like I said previously, had I known I was going to get so into clematis, I would have had less bush borders in the yard and more post and fencing trellises so I could have even more clematis. Keeping them watered when they are grown in this fashion isn't difficult since you just run soaker hoses along the plants in the area under the mulch and attach the garden hose!

Clematis is an addiction I got into fairly recently myself. Adding them to mature mixed borders requires creativity!

I can't afford to buy all the obelisks and pyramids that I would like to have.

Buyorsell - Over on the rose forum, there's a member who makes cheap pyramids with 3 lengths of rebar pushed into the ground, and held together with a hose clamp at the top. I've been wanting to try it because I think it would be very inexpensive and wouldn't show once the plants got going. My problem will be how to get 10' lengths of rebar home in my car.

I've made those rebar pyramids. Took about 10 minutes and cost around $11.00. That price is for the 10ft rebar. Rebar comes in all sorts of sizes. You wouldn't necessarily have to use the 10ft. I planted a rose on mine along with two clematis.

I love all colors together. I think for the most part that all colors, shapes and forms look good together. Sometimes I use colors that blend and sometimes I plant totally different colors together. Plant what pleases your eye and makes you happy. It's your garden.:-) Look at Miguel's garden. Lots of different things planted together and it is just stunning!

Carol

Carol, as you can tell I am like you. I figure Mother Nature doesn't discriminate with what colors grow together naturally so why should I. I do love all colors though am partial to all shades of purple, orange, and chartreuse. Now if they would only develop some orange and chartreuse colored clematis!!!

DH can weld and works with copper but I've never managed to get him to build me anything. I'd love copper pipe obelisks. I broke down and bought a couple rusty wire ones last week at a farmer's market. They were cheap. Durandii and Pangbourne Pink look better to me restrained in a cage than scrambling on the ground. They both have really stiff stems. They didn't look happy wandering around on shrubs and the ground.

I'll have to look for the rebar teepees on the rose forum. I don't mind the look of rebar at all. I saw Clems on welded rebar trellises on Monday. They were about 10' high with 1' pieces welded on like crossing a "t" some running north south, some east west if that makes any sense. I tried to take photos but they don't really show what I am trying to explain.

I am anal about color combinations. It is the former florist in me. I don't think Clematis can really clash as they but I do think some combinations are more attractive than others.

It is all personal preference BorS. What one likes another doesn't. Just try to satisfy yourself and don't worry what anyone else thinks!! This coming from someone who at one time had an orange Mrs. Bradshaw's geum planted next to a pink perennial geranium! LOL

I certainly don't worry about what anyone else thinks. It is all for me. :) I really like to mix colors and textures in the garden.

orange and pink can be fabulous together if they are the right orange and pink!

I don't have much orange, red or yellow. My yard is mostly colored like your Clematis fence. Hot pinks and blues and purples with some white.

I have too many small leaved and grassy plants right now and not enough bigger leaves. Hostas haven't done well in the ground but I'm going to try sinking pots. My shade is all very, very rooty from neighbor's mature Douglas Firs and 20' Arborvitae hedge and while some shade perennials don't mind, Hostas all get smaller every year and then fade away. Even huge ones like Sum and Substance. I know this is the Clematis forum. LOL. They all have small leaves though and are adding to the chaos.

Well, I learned interesting things here, and since my Ramona is blooming right now, I can tell you what is blooming at the same time.

You have 2 choices: pick one (or more) clematis to bloom at the same time as a nice contrast, or one that blooms later to keep the interest going. My Ramona died back to about 20" this winter, so it's close to being a type 3 this year, and it's currently taller than the 6' fence it's on.

Blooming in the garden at the same time: Pink Fantasy 3, Viola 3, Odoriba 3, William Kennet 2, Josephine 2 (died to the ground as well this winter), Konigskind 2 (a short one, though), The President 2, Roogochi 3, Asao 2 (tail end of its first flush), Kacper 2, Elsa Spath 2.

I confess to obsessing endlessly about matching up colors for a pleasing effect. I'm gonna stand by that approach even though it's not a hard and fast thing. I just really love it when a plan comes together.

I just acquired Ramona myself a few weeks ago (from Brushwood - AWESOME plant!) - and agonized a long time whether to put it with Niobe or Warsaw Nike. Finally settled on Warsaw Nike, and put Mrs. Cholmondeley with Niobe. I have yet to see a bloom on either Ramona or Mrs. C, but I'm conceptually pleased with the effect. I just like to see a "glow" that only comes from certain color combos - not a "pop," but an ethereal "glow.

If you're looking for a small-flowered, nodding type, I think Princess Diana would look just excellent. First of all because it's just a great performer, and stunning all by itself. But I have mine with another "blue," H.F. Young, and I love how those look together. It's just all so bright and clear and pure. With Ramona's red anthers, that might look really cool. As far as blooming times, Princess Diana is never out of bloom once it gets going, so you can put it with anything to overlap.
Another cool thought is Roguchi, even though it's kind of shy (at least in my garden). The satiny purple tones of Ramona would be so intense with the black swan buds and silky, inky bells of Roguchi.

Good luck. For what it's worth, nckvilledude and my husband are right - chances are you can't really go wrong with any two pretty plants.

Thanks so much for the suggestions! I also tend to obsess about matching colors for a pleasing affect. I can't help myself. Does anyone know where I might purchase a Ruguchi clematis? I love that suggestion, but it seems everyone is out of them this time of year :( I have also been looking for a Betty Corning for another area with no luck so far. I guess that's what I get for being so indecisive ;) Thanks again for all the great suggestions!

I think Klemms still has Rooguchi
http://www.songsparrow.com/2007new/plantlist.cfm?type=Clematis&startrow=1&pageType=plantlist

Joy Creek still has it on their website.

Here is a link that might be useful: Roguchi

Garden Crossings looks like they sitll have Roguchi too...

Here is a link that might be useful: Garden Crossings Roguchi

I have a large Ramona and the companions I have planted with her are:

Dark purple spiderwort
pale blue Forget Me Nots
Graham Thomas (yellow) rose

They are quite the striking combination since they are all in bloom at the same time for me. All the blues work well and the yellow just shines!

Alexa

Miguel,

WOW! Your clemmies are gorgeous. I was wondering, how MANY clematis do you have and how much spacing do you have between each clematis?

Cameragirl, as I have said many times, I tend to cram things close together--makes it much easier to water them all with the soaker hoses in the bed. In that picture there about 10 different clematis including (let's see if I can remember them all) Alba Luxurians, Fascination, Minuet, pitcheri hybrid, Black Prince, Romantika, John Treasure, Brocade, one whose identity escapes me, and Zoin. The structure is either 10 or 12 feet long--would have to go back out and measure it to be certain so they are planted about a foot apart.

Wow Miguel, I can't wait for my clematis fences to look as full as yours. What a show.

Thanks Joan. That fence was just planted last spring so who knows what a jungle I might have in a few years.