Thanks! sbrow - down here they sell the seedlings for $15 and the grafted plants for $25 typically when they are small plants. Larger plants cost more. I can buy the smaller plants since in this climate they grow fast. irun5k - the oleander caterpillars are orange and have black hairs sticking out of them. Very characteristic. See the link. When they are younger, they don't have the black hairs but they are definitely orange. Here is a link that might be useful:

A lot of my clematis are too recent to add to my list of favorites, but here is my current list of clematis I would buy again! I have taken pictures of many of these clematis and posted in the gallery. ANNA-LOUISE ABILENE ABUNDANCE AMETHYST BEAUTY ARCTIC QUEEN ASHVA BARBARA HERRINGTON BETTY CORNING, viticella BLUE ANGEL CARNABY CHANTILY CICCIOLINA CLAIR DE LUNE (Blue Moon) COMTESSE de BOUCHAUD DANIEL DERONDA DOCTOR RUPPEL EMILA PLATER ETOILE VIOLETTE FOREVER FRIENDS FRANZISKA MARIA HAPPY BIRTHDAY (Zohapbi) HULDINE JOHN HOWELLS KARDINAL WYSZYNSKI KINGFISHER MADAME JULIA CORREVON MARKHAM'S PINK MATKA URSULA LEDOCHOWSKA MULTI-BLUE PINK CHAMPAGNE (Kakio) POHJANAEL 'North Star' POLISH SPIRIT PRINCE CHARLES PRINCESS ALEXANDRA PURPUREA PLENA ELEGANS REBECCA REFLECTIONS ROGUCHI ROMANTIKA ROYAL VELOURS, viticella SILMAKIVI SILVER MOON SIR TREVOR LAWRENCE STAR OF INDIA THE FIRST LADY TIE DYE VENOSA VIOLACEA, viticella VILLE de LYON WADA'S PRIMROSE

Ah, c'mon! Nobody can pick just one!

Daisy - Thank you for the color observation. Clematis 'Hagley Hybrid' looked muddy here mid coastal Calif. despite being a lovely clear color in some northern garden pictures. Lily - first I should qualify as a pastel lover. No strong contrasts in my garden. My rescued 'Comtesse de Bouchard' hasn't bloomed yet. Do you know the names of the 2 in your 2nd pic? 'Ville de Lyon' has opened its first bloom. YAY! A winner. It's much closer to a pretty rosy color than I expected. I like it better than 'Asao' which was a favorite with my garden friends. 'Rouge Cardinal' was just plain drab wine here. I loved 'Cezanne', a short one for pots. 'HF Young' (big flowers) is an eye catcher and excellent with pale pink roses. I will replace 'Ramona'. Just about the lovliest clematis ever. Ville de Lyon - first year, first bloom with petals still undercurled. love it. Asao Rouge Cardinal - just not a fit with my colors. Cezanne - suitable for pot culture. I think it drowned over our enormous rainfall this winter. Worth replacing. HF Young also may have drowned this winter. Very attractive for pastel lovers. Debating whether to replace or try Mrs. Cholmondeley with less overlapping petals and a pink bar? Look forward to pics of yours.