One of my garden magazines had a article about clematis..this is the rule of thumb they listed...I think it is handy and much easier to remember than trying to recall each variety... If it blooms before the 4rth...or in otherwards a early bloomer..it blooms on last years growth and should NOT be trimmed...late bloomers (those after July 1...bloom on new growth and can be trimmed.

If you think about it this way it is easy to remember...

I have sweet autumn. It is a vigorious growing clematis..don't trim it this year..it will put on quite a show for its first year already. Mine is just three years old and covers the side of the building. It was recommended to me at the local nursery. They said they sell it as fast as it comes in because it fills an area so quickly..it will have millions..and I mean millions of flowers in the fall. They are much smaller but there are soooooo many of them it makes up for it quickly...very nice clematis..I highly recommend it to anyone who wants expansive coverage quickly. Good Luck, I am sure you will love it!

Trim it in the early spring time.

I agree, trim in early spring. Mine stays green all year. I have not trimmed it in several years and it is in the top of live oak trees. It looks strange to see white flowers in the top of those trees. It can really get out of bounds. Because I have not trimmed, it is now on a second fence I have around the garden.

Watch the patio furniture though...you look away and that clematis will eat it!

Sweet Autumn puts on a wonderful show and has a lovely fragrance too. This plant DOES get HUGE (and heavy) in a hurry and can be invasive in warmer zones (7 and up).

I highly recommend a visit to the Clematis Forum. A search there will usually provide good information.
Below is a link to a FAQ on that forum about when to prune clems, including Sweet Autumn, which is in Group 3.

Looking forward to seeing some photos of your white bed, Rene!

Patti

Here is a link that might be useful: How to Prune Clematis

I have SAC and it gets HUGE! I trim it every Spring to around 6-8 inches and it grows up to 10 feet in one season. Here's a pic from last year. The first pic is from June and last pic is from August. The middle pic is from September.

CLICK TO ENLARGE PICTURES:
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i want one of these soooo badly and haven't been able to find one yet at a local nursery!
If you look it up, or ask on the clematis forum, you should be able to get very definate instructions, although I think you've probably already gotten an answer here on CG!!!

My SAC is getting ready to take over the house. I hacked it WAY back in the spring, and it has grown easily ten feet, heading into a tree nearby, overtaking the fence, etc. Mine is about 18 years old with a big trunk. If it gets any bigger, I am going to have to start keeping the cats indoors as it may eat them.
To answer your question, I always prune it in the spring when I can see the new growth.

what do you use to support SAC? in the pictures it does not appear to be using the trellis. i have a teeny tiny one...and need to know what to put in place. i have cedar planks on the outside of my house. SAC is planted next to a downspout. any ideas what i might use to let it climb?

I bought mine locally, and yes, it is hard to find. I'm not sure why 'cause it is a beauty! Anyway, your best best is to buy it via mailorder. My sister just bought hers through White Flower Farm. Check out their website - www.whiteflowerfarm.com.

As for how I support SAC, well, it grows up through most of the trellis and the rest of it climbs up the downspout and over our deck. Its a great clematis, and like I've said, you really need to place this on a strong support, i.e. trellis, arbor, etc. Anything flimsy will not do.

How would one be to disguise a 4 ft., very long chainlink fence?

If conditions are right, that fence would be invisible, especially at the end of the growing season. After they lose their leaves, they are covered with fluffy seed heads (?) and I think you could leave that on to hide the fence all winter. Mine consumes my deck, and if I don't cut it back it just gets things really dirty. The cat nests in it and tracks in all sorts of seeds and dirt...no problem on a fence though!

My brother just bought a new home in a lovely, quiet neighborhood but with no landscaping other than an ugly, bare chainlink fence all around the back yard (the former owners had a dog). We were wondering what all we could do with the fence to make it look nicer--I think I will call him right now and suggest that he invest in several SAC!!

I hate to tell you this, but my hubby and I were at Lowe's last night and the saleswoman was watering. I was just wandering around, looking!! She said "I have a good deal on some clematis." I walked over and there on the end were sweet autumn clematis marked $24.95 .... but she had just marked them down to $1.00!!!!!!!!! She said (we live in Texas outside of Dallas and not much rain) that "Lowe's is on water restriction" and she can't water it all so she is selling it before it dies. ""I"" nearly died and grabbed up two of them. She had 12.00 mandavilla for $1.00 and big big big pots of daylilly ( I have no idea what kind) for $2.00. All in all... I bought $85.00 and had to pay $7.00. I was soooo happy!!!

wantoretire_did: You could hide the entire fence with a group of this clematis. SWC can also be used as a ground cover. After 2-3 years, cut back to about 12" in early spring, and then cut back every spring.

It works great on a picket fence if you train it to the top and make it grow across the top instead of between all the pickets. Each year I just cut it about 24" above ground and lift the thing off like a big wig, all in one piece (it takes two people). Only problem I could see with a chain link fence would be trying to cut and pull it out of all that chain link, unless you plan to just let it go. Does it stay good looking if you don't cut it back?

Here is a link that might be useful:

Hi SAC aficionados - Many thanks for all the info above, I hope to learn more from all of you, with experience.

I had to erect an arbor to protect my 16y/o Nikko H from full sun (she lost the dappled shade when our 26+y/o Locust tree had to come down). My search for a fast growing climber took me to this forum & fell in love! (Bellarosa's & Pianolady's pics got me) I planted 1 on each leg of the arbor last June - got them from 2 different nurseries) The one from Earl May was a younger SAC grown in Iowa and bloomed beautifully in Aug and has a lot of seed pods. The other was an older plant and was stressed out when I got her on sale - my heart broke when the only surviving vine broke to the base, in planting. True to her nature, she did sprout new limbs and climb happily on the arbor ( about 7ft, but didn't flower).

My ??? - do I need to do any kind of overwintering measures? Will the seeds grow in the area, should I snip them to avoid spreading? Did I need to plant 2 to cover a 10 ft tall arbor? Will I end up with a big pruning job in the future?

Would appreciate feedback from similar zone, devotees.

ditas

I saved some seeds and was wondering if I could winter sow the seeds from a SAC. Anone have luck with winter sowing them?

ghoghunter - I tried wintersowing SAC last winter. Not one seed sprouted! I have no idea why. I'd love to know what I did wrong too.

Estelle

Estelle---thank you for the feedback. I think I'll go on over to the winter sowing forum and ask over there for some tips. Maybe someone over there has had more luck and can give me some advice. You'd think something that blooms so prolifically would sprout up without too much trouble wouldn't you...hmmm. Well I'll just go ask over there too!