I visited a private garden here in Portland several times earlier in the summer. The owner had Clems planted all through her beds and borders letting them weave wherever they wanted. I've never done it but it looked great.

I planted multiple Integrifolias this year but they are up through shrubs rather than flat on the ground.

Robin..I have several Integrifolias ( Petite Faucon,Odoriba,Hakuree) planted in my beds..they sprawl along the ground and fill in nicely and are known to scramble up some bushes...they are non clingers....they are nice to plant in front of existing clematis as well...as long as you give them room apart so the roots don't compete....Jeanne

I don't believe they do well as ground covers on their own but they do quite well over and through other ground covers.

Katie

I agree, over and through othter ground covers or other plants not alone. They aren't going to suppress weeds or cover the ground in a solid ma.

The British plant type 3's (Viticellas, not just Integrifolias) as ground covers but I've yet to see photos although I've read descriptions many times in books and on the web. Often, I've read of them planted with Heaths and Heathers.

The garden I visited, Gail Austin's had type 2's and 3's rambling around but they were interplanted with daylilies and other perennials.

Thanks everyone for the wonderful feedback. Isn't it interesting that were can read about clematis as ground covers yet no one has produced any photos. Anyone out there have photos of clematis as a ground covers???? I have lots of vinca minor which is a lovely evergreen ground cover that grows about 6-8" high, however, it is somewhat invasive. Any thoughts regarding clematis with vinca?
Robin

Robin, I would not hesitate to grow Type 3 clematis over the vinca. In the winter you would be trimming the type 3's it all the way back.

Katie

Almost all ground covers are invasive, otherwise they wouldn't do their jobs.

Thanks Katie . In the Spring I shall order a few from group 3 and see how they do.
Robin

I planted Paul Farges (Summer Snow) as a ground cover in a bed in front of my house this spring. This variety is very vigorous and I'm very pleased with how well it looked. The area is a low berm between lawn and a gravel walkway, probably 20 feet long varying in width from 3-6 feet. I planted three one gallon plants about 6 feet apart and although they did not completely fill in this year I had better that 50% coverage. I can't wait for year three because it looks fabulous. Dense coverage, pretty white flowers that bloomed most of the summer.. a few blooms still on the plants.

I have numerous other clematis, mostly Arabella and Betty Corning, sprawling as ground cover in perennial beds but this is the only area where the clematis must do all the work and the Paul Farges fills in better than the other two.

Good Luck!!

A warning about Paul Farges - it's very invasive, even in my zone. It roots very easily any time a node (where the leaves meet the stem) touches the ground. I can easily see a 20' x 6' area covered by one plant by season 2, then continue on elswhere by season 3. Be careful!

Do you think that Paul Vargas becomes more vigerous in colder climates? Michael you live in zone 5 while Nwkrys lives in zone 8. Just a thought. Thanks for the tip. I don't want anthing too invasive. I like both Betty Corning and Arabella. In fact, Arabella, so far,is numero uno on my list of prospective plants to mingle with the vinca. This vinca has small bluish purple mini flowers and I think that either of the above would be good, however, I am open to more suggestions. Thank you both.
Robin

None of my Paul Farges have had a node root during the 5 months they've been in the ground. My daughter has several planted along her driveway for two years and not had any rooting there either. Could be the cold in Chicago's winters or maybe heat in the summer. Our summer temperatures are mild too.

I have Mrs Robert Brydon growing as a ground cover. It is actually (to me) poorly sited and I plan on moving it any day now to another spot where it can sprawl to its heart's content. In its present location in a very small garden it travelled over asters,geraniums,and various other plants.I've found it to be very vigorous and it is a Group 3.
Here's a picture:
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and here's a close-up:
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Pat, I just love your photos of Robert Brydon. I will definitely buy this one next Spring. Thank you for sharing them with us.
Robin

Pat, I would like to ask you a few questions about Robert.
1. How tall does it get?
2. How wide does it get?
3. How old is your plant?
4. Is the color a lilac or a blue. Photos are very deceptive.
5. Where did you buy it?
6. How long does it bloom?

Sorry about all of the questions but Robert has me very excited. Can't wait to buy it.

Thank you again for the lovely photos.
Robin

Hi Robin
I am not sure if I planted it last summer (meaning 2005) or the summer before. I can find pictures from 2005 but not 2004. This year it really took off, with many stems extending 4-5 feet in all directions. It doesn't climb but I did tie up one of the bigger stems to a support, mainly because as I said in my earlier post, it's in the middle of a small garden and was smothering other plants. That's why I'm moving it to a location where it will be on its own and can scramble wherever it wants. So in answer to question #1, tall is relative to where you want to place it.
The photo I posted of the close-up is actually very true - the flowers are a silvery-blue.
I bought this clematis at WalMart. It starts to bloom, for me, in August and carries on into September. Also, if you're looking for it, the name is Mrs. Robert Brydon (don't forget the Mrs).Here's a link to some more info : http://www.clematis.hull.ac.uk/new-clemdetail.cfm?dbkey=335
Be sure to click on the link at the bottom of that page for another interesting article about this clematis.