Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Scarlet leatherflower
Since it feels like we’re living in Texas, I thought I’d bring up clematis texensis, also called Scarlet Leatherflower.
While a Texas native, it offers a possibility for those of us in zone 4b. Different from the clematis we’re used to, which prefer shade on their roots, this little beauty loves a southern or southwestern exposure and at least 6 hours of full sun.
It’s also drought tolerant and blooms only on new wood. That means you prune it every late winter down to 8 to 12 inches tall and then in the spring watch Scarlet Leatherflower climb your trellis, your rose bush, your fence to 9 to 12 feet! See more photos at wildflower.org.
It’s flowers are 1 to 2 inches long and are outward facing rather than hanging down like most clematis. Good drainage is important for Scarlet Leatherflower. If you have clay soil, add plenty of peat moss and compost to a depth of 8 to 12 inches. Add a mild fertilizer in March and water weekly the first year.
Once this plant is established, the roots will dive deep for moisture making it drought tolerant. The flowers are very attractive to hummingbirds! The flowers’ beautiful colors make up for it’s smaller size blooms. There are several choices. ‘Dutchess of Albany’ is a cotton candy pink.
‘Princess Diana’ is a deeper pink and more forgiving of some afternoon shade.
For a deep cherry pink, ‘Sir Trevor Lawrence’ looks great rambling over your shrubs.
And then there’s ‘Gravetye Beauty’, one of the truest red clematis.
