Pretty Roses and Clematis Combination Ideas (Part 3)

Climbing roses and clematis are perfect companions. They happily share the same arch, trellis, pergola, doorway, or garden wall, both reaching for the sun and providing a lush vertical floral display. They also have the same natural needs, require the same growing conditions (rich soil, moist, well-drained soils), and benefit from the same fertilizers. They often are of similar sizes, so neither swamp the other.

You also benefit from this companionship in terms of floral display. If roses and clematis bloom during the same period, you get twice the flower power and enrich the color palette of one garden spot. If you select roses and clematis with different flowering periods, you will be extending their spectacular color show over a longer period. In both cases, you win!

• When pairing roses and clematis, you need to consider the size, color, fragrance, and timing of their blooms. The diverse clematis family provides you with a wide choice in terms of flower size (large, small, single, double) and shapes (cross-shaped, bell-shaped, star-shaped), color (purple, blue, pink, red, white or bicolor), fragrance, disease-resistance.
• Large-flowered clematis are rarely fragrant and may suffer from wilt, a disease specific to clematis. Small-flowered clematis usually have a profusion of smaller flowers, which may be scented and are rarely affected by wilt. Therefore, you may want to consider them over the large-flowered ones.
• Climbing roses also offer a wide array of possibilities in terms of color, flowers (single or double), fragrance, disease resistance, etc. Be sure to consider their mature size before selecting a rose variety. For instance, some climbing roses are far too tall for pillars or arches and should be grown into trees instead. Pay attention to their growth habit, too. Some climbers are too stiff to be trained, while others, like ramblers, can be easily twisted thanks to their flexible canes.
• Finally, a third criterion to consider is flowering. Generally, gardeners prefer reblooming varieties to enjoy a longer season of blossoms. However, once blooming climbing roses or ramblers often produce quantities of bloom far in excess of most repeat bloomers.

Learn how to create terrific combinations or get inspired by those presented below!