Hi Annie,
I say mix it up, but keep in mind that some of these will get pretty big like Duchess of Albany and Venosa Violacea (I love this one).

By the way, which garden center do you go to? My favorite clematis find was at Walmart. I have never bought plants there and I found 2 Ramonas for $2 each! I bought them both. I planted them in late August and they bloomed right away for me. I can't wait to see what they do next year!

I agree with Bellarosa about mixing it up. Why plant one when you can have so many different colors and forms? One thing you didn't mention was how big your viburnum are now and what their eventual height will be. That will decide which ones to choose. Whatever you choose, I personally think that type IIIs work best for growing through plants that might require trimming since type IIIs bloom on new wood and type IIs typically, but not always, bloom on old wood.

My Venosa Violacea must be a wimp compared to Bellarosa's because it has not gotten huge after three years in the ground. Maybe it likes the northern climates better than further south or else Bellarosa has a special fertilizer mix! :)

My Duchess of Albany has gotten rather large but maybe you can plant it to grow over several of your viburnums.

Thanks for the replies!
BellaRosa- the nursery is Prairie Gardens in Champaign. I can't remember where you are from, if that is within driving distance for you or not. I got some Clematis a couple of years ago at WalMart for $2, too! Wasn't sure they'd survive, but they have- still small though. I looked for WalMart to mark them down this year, but no luck. These at Prairie Gardens are in much bigger pots, so hopefully their roots are developed better.
The Shrubs are still young and are only 4 feet high, but their maximum size is 10 feet high by 8 feet wide. Would the Duchess of Albany go over more than one of them? That would be amazing! The only monster clematis that I currently have is the Sweet Autumn clematis, which I love.

Miguel,

My Venosa Violacea was a wimp too for the first year or two, but then I realized that I was the problem - not the plant! You see, I kept cutting it down to the around 5 inches every year thinking that's what I was supposed to do. Well, one year, I cut it down just a little and wouldn't you know it, she bloomed like crazy that year.

Annie,
Prairie Gardens is kinda far. I'm in NW IL. I have found a few really good late season plant sales including Huldine, Will Kennett and Belle of Woking for $5 each - this was last year. I love end of season sales! As for Duchess of Albany, its a perfect clematis to pair with shrubs. I have mine growing with a rose, John Cabot, another monster of a plant. JC got up to 8-9 feet in one season. Anyway, I think DA should do fine paired with Viburnums. I've done this as well with my five Rose of Sharons. I've paired my Ramonas with them and like I said, I can't wait to see them next year.

Bellarosa, my VV has never had a problem with blooming. It is just that in the three years I have had it, it hasn't really gotten very tall and turned into a monster as far as overall size. Most of the type III viticella clematis that you purchase can become a monster in size if you don't prune it down each year ( also provided it doesn't get killed back by mother nature during the winter). In Linda Buetler's book, she shows a picture of Polish Spirit that had never been pruned back and is climbing a tall evergreen tree of some sort. The only problem with doing that is that the plant flowers on new wood so any old wood shouldn't have any flowers and the older woody growth may loose its foilage and become leggy. I may have to try not pruning my VV this year and see what happens to it though! I love a good experiment!

Annie, it sounds as if your viburnums would work wonderfully for D of A. The plant will take a few years to get established and really get going and if you keep it pruned back the first year or so to establish a good root system, it shouldn't overwhelm your plants and give them a chance to get growing. As far as how big D of A might get, I will leave that to be answered by someone who has had theirs longer. Mine has been in the ground for only three years and is on the north side of the house. Good luck!

I do a lot of tree/shrub combos with clematis, and am in your zone as well. I agree that the type 3's are easier to deal with in general since they bloom on new wood, and are more vigorous. As well, if it takes a clematis three years to get going, it takes one in competitions with a shrub's roots more like 4 or so years to get going. Just be patient!

Ernest M., VV and Warsaw N. have been the most vigorous for me from that list. And though it's a type II and others have issues with it, Will G. is also a strong grower for me.

Thank you for your advice. I got one each of Ernest Markham, Niobe, Warsaw Nike, Fireworks, Dr. Ruppel, General Sikorski and Ramona. Two each of Hagley Hybrid, Duchess of Edinburgh, and Victor Hugo. Three each of Venosa Violacea and Duchess of Albany that I'm going to try to grow into some smaller trees.

Luckily, we've been having unusally warm weather, so they are getting a few weeks extra time to settle in. The roots were growing out of the pots, so I just couldn't pass such a deal up. I've paid twice as much before for plants 1/4 of the size. I'm very excited to see these bloom next year.

Annie,

What a great deal!

Katie