Thanks for the kind words Carol. I anxiously await the plant that Dan at Brushwood was able to grow from the cuttings you kindly donated of the pitcheri hybrid. It is quite a striking plant and I can't wait until it gets as large as the plant you posted pictures of. Marie, I am no expert either but your friend's plant looks more like a viorna to me also from what I can see in the picture. Your description of it reaching a decent height also tends to confirm that it isn't an addisoni. Everything I have ever seen written about addisonii is that it is not a climber at all. It is described as a bushy subshrub with nonclinging leaves. My viornas and the wild colony of viornas in my area are clingers and the vines can get quite long. The plant at Plant Delights Nursery best fits the description of addisonii that I have ever seen--a self supporting bushy growing plant with non-clinging leaves. The knockout color of the tepals is just overwhelming to me!

The Horticultural Society has some wonderful pocket-sized books on clematis, I thought I would share some of their info. I bought this 10 years ago, so the names are from what was available then. I'll post for each group. I hope your lovely vines benefit from the info. I learn something new each time I pick up the book and apply it to one of my pretties. Pruning Group 1 Flowers on the Previous Year's Wood. Dense Growth. 1 Cut stems back to a pair of buds or to the point of origin. 2 Cut back any weak or damaged growth to strong buds or to its base. Not essential to prune, but thinning can invigorate. Montanas dislike hard pruning into old wood, can cut away twiggy old but always leave some strong stems. LIST Clematis alpina Columbine - Constance - Frances Rivis - Frankie Helsingborg - Pink Flamingo - Rosy Pagoda - Ruby Subsp. sibrica White Moth - Tage Lundell - Willy Clematis armandii Apple Blossum - Snowdrift Clematis x carmanii Joe Clematis chrysocoma Clematis cirrhosa var. balearica Freckles - Wisley Cream Clematis gracilifolia Clematis indivisa Cleamtis koreana f. lutea Clematis macropetala Blue Bird - Jan Lindmark - Lagoon (Blue Lagoon) Maidwell Hall - Markham's Pink Clematis montana Broughton Star - Elizabeth - Fragrant Spring - Freda f. grandiflora Marjorie - Mayleen - Picton's Variety var. rubens var. sericea Tetrarose - Warwickshire Rose var. wilsonii Pruinina - Rosie O'Grady - White Swan next post contains Pruning Group 2 I haven't seen half these listed, if you have pics, would love to see them.

The Horticultural Society has some wonderful pocket-sized books on clematis, I thought I would share some of their info. I bought this 10 years ago, so the names are from what was available then. I'll post for each group. I hope your lovely vines benefit from the info. I learn something new each time I pick up the book and apply it to one of my pretties. Pruning Group 2 Group composed entirely of early, large-flowered hybrids, including double flowers, whose second flush later in summer produces only single blooms. Can be left unpruned, flowers are larger and foliage healthier on well-pruned plants. Require light pruning in late winter or early spring to thin and create framework of well-spaced one or two year old stems. Fat Leaf axil buds appear in early spring produce first batch of flowers. You can prolong the flowering season if you stagger the pruning by cutting back some shoots to healthy buds later than others. Less flowering on main flush, but flowering period will be longer overall. Alternatively, Group 2 clematis can be grown with minimal pruning and cut back hard every three or four years. The first flush of flowers is lost after hard pruning, but second flush has larger, more plentiful blooms. 1 Cut any weak or damaged growth back to it's point of origin or down to ground. 2 Cut back remaining stems to a pair of healthy buds, leaving an evenly spaced framework of strong growth. The pruned stems will produce flowering shoots. Clematis patens Andromeda - Arctic Queen - Asao - Barbara Dibley - Barbara Jackman - Beauty of Worcester - Bees' Jubilee - Belle Nantaise - Belle of Woking - Blue Ravine - Bracebridge Star - Burma Star - Chalcedony - Cardinal Wyszynski - Carnaby - Carnival Queen - Charissima - Corona - Countess of Lovelace - Crimson King Daniel Deronda - Dawn - Doctor Ruppel - Duchess of Edinburgh - Duchess of Sutherland Edith - Edouard Desfosse - Elsa Spath - Empress of India Etoile de Malicorne - Etoile de Paris - Fair Rosamond - Fair Queen - Fireworks - Fuji musume - Gernal Sikorski Gillian Blades - Glynderek - Guernsey Cream - Haku okan - H.F. Young Henryi - Horn of Plenty - Jackmanii Alba - Jackmanii Rubra James Mason - Joan Picton - John Paul II (Jan Pawell II) John Warren - Kathleen Dunford - Kathleen Wheeler - Keith Richardson Kiri Te Kanawa - Lady Caroline Nevill - Lady Londesborough Lady Northcliffe - Lasurstern - Liberation - Lincoln Star Lord Nevill - Louise Rowe - Marcell Moser - Marie Boisselot - Masquerade (Maskarad) - Maureen - Miss Bateman Miss Crawshay - Monte Cassino - Moonlight - Mrs. Bush - Mrs. Cholmondeley Mrs. George Jackman - Mrs. Hope - Mrs. James Mason - Mrs. N. Thompson Mrs. P. B. Truax, Mrs. Spencer Castle - Multi Blue - Myojo Nelly Moser - Niobe - Peveril Pearl - Pink Fantasy - Pohjanael Prins Hendrik - Proteus - Ramona - Richard Pennell - Rouge Cardinal Royal Velvet - Royalty - Ruby Glow - Scartho Gem - Sealand Gem Serenata - Silver Moon - Snow Queen - Sugar Candy - Sunset Sylvia Denny - The President - The Vagabond - Twilight Wada's Primrose - Warszawaska Nike - W.E. Gladstone - Will Goodwin William Kennett - Victoria - Vino - Violet Elizabeth - Vyvyan Pennell

In my zone just about all of the larger flowering hybrids old wood is wintered killed. That's why I grow mostly group 3's. Some group 2 b's grow fast enough and set bud soon enough I get a nice bloom in early fall. I've been able to keep my small collection alive for the past 17 years because I heavily mulch the base. Don't uncover to early and cut them back in the spring not in the fall. Some of the small flowering species like Tangutica will survive our winters, regrow and bloom from the old wood. Not my cup of tea. Later Gianty.