I'm in zone 5a, NW Indiana. My Pope John Paul II is doing well after surviving the winter. It died back quite a bit but the bud union is planted deep so any growth is Pope John Paul II and there's lots of growth. All it was protectedwith wee oak leaves blown in by Mom Nature.

I have John Paul 11, although the coloring is very subtle it is a very pretty clematis. Don't have a picture of mine but the color in the pictures in the link below is the same as mine. Annette Here is a link that might be useful: Clematis on the Web

Well..if you trim the huge ones they will be shrubbyier.If were planted close I imagine could grow as hedge if that was an a idea.They all grow a lil different and also depends on the soil.the richer& moisture the better it is. I don't have any grown together,but have thought about it.I have a few stand alones,but most are like a backbone stuck here& here& there.I had one grow 10 ft this year....and next year I'll keep that one shrubby.The 1st yr hubby "accidently" topped it in half when it was just reaching 2 ft.I actually liked the way it grew that way better.It had alot more flowers,but we were dryer this year also.

John F Kennedy looked great but it just never flowered for me. When it did, it had a lot of trouble opening. The repeat was horrible and also very powdery mildew prone. When it was at its best the blooms were huge, lasted forever and had an almost sparkling white color. Lots of substance to their petals and the stems were very long and thick. Pope John Paul II however is a bloom machine and I get beautiful blooms continually. Never had a problem with the blooms not opening up yet. My only complaint is that often the blooms are so heavy that the thin stems can't hold them up straight.