deereyebrow, my zone 3 summers generally are not overly hot, though there are exceptions. In my experience, if kept well watered, the large flowered types take the heat in stride and I believe it's no different for the sieboldii's As for other top favorites of mine, here's some in no particular order: Perle d'Azur Marie Cornelia ... a very nice small flowered white, though blooms on this one can be rather easily damaged Romantika ... a beautiful variety, though mildew prone Viola Barbara Harrington Prince Charles Victoria Jackmanii Superba Semu Princess Diana nhbabs ... snowfall in my region is rather reliable with constant coverage being commonplace, this is very beneficial when bitter cold descends. Other than being deeply planted (4 inches down and about 8 inches away from the cement foundation) the plants are not given any extra winter protection other than what snow might fall upon them. I do not hill them up with soil for winter, as the root zone is warm and this would cause tender new growth to push up through the mound of soil. As a side note, I've been growing clematis for nearly 35 years and have never noticed any problem associated with being planting near to a cement foundation, at least that's been my experience. Terrance

Yes, if you read the literature, most clematis authorities consider this to be a rather tender species: "needs a very sheltered spot in the garden or grow in large pots or tubs in a cold greenhouse or conservatory" "tender to a degree, this climber needs a choice warm wall but in favored areas only" (Both of these from British authors referring to growing it in the UK, which is zone 7 and higher). And from a more local authority, LInda Beutler: " it is slow to establish and somewhat tender. The best plants of this that I have seen are container grown indoors and rolled outside when the plant blooms." I live in a very mild zone and have been trying florida seiboldii for years. 3 times it bit the dust - never made it through winter. Trying once more (found it at Costco last spring and too cheap to pass up) and so far, so good. But it IS in a container, so just in case of one of our rare Arctic blasts hits, I can haul it inside.

What plumtree said. If it's that color and blooming this time of year, it's likely to be HF Young. I've also found HF Young to be a tough plant that is willing to overcome adversity, as you have described with yourse. But there are so many varieties these days, and it's so hard to capture clem color accurately, that it may be something else instead!

Hi Rebecca! I love Scabiosa as well, they really add to the cottage garden look! I was going to buy a few the beginning of July, but decided to pass until I see how the current residents fill out next year. The corner I'm trying to fill in is all wild bush at the moment! It's the very corner of my lot, and my little ones use the path that goes through it to get to the bus. It's backed by a tree line, and has a lot of shade except one corner, which gets full sun. I'll put a picture in, of the area :) I have a post on here somewhere asking about larger rose bushes that will do in that specific spot (lots of wind, very cold etc) ...I've been given so many wonderful ideas from members I'm having a hard time choosing now! This is the area :) it goes further along to the left, about 15-20ft Where the small sapling is on the right, is where the single rose bush will go. There's a path in there somewhere as well, although it's not visible from this angle :) The lower hanging branches and smaller saplings along the tree line will be removed in fall, along with all the weeds! (Hahaha) To the back, we're planting Annabelle Hydrangeas, Hosta, Astilbe & Ostrich Fern (there's about 4 hours of light there) Next layer in more light (5hrs) will be low growing catmint, lupine, allium, tulips, daffodils, etc. We're trying to fit in a clematis or two, but I'm not sure where yet :) I need some pinks and reds in there.