Meet TS and Come See the Rest of the Garden...

▼

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Almost Wordless Wednesday: Going Native

 Clematis crispa is native to the southeastern United States. It dies to the ground every winter, which is awesome because you don't have to worry about how to prune it.

 The pointed buds open slowly, the thick petals curling back towards the stem

 until the new blossom resembles an octopus!

 When they are fully open, you can see their purple edging, the octopus having morphed into a frilly top hat!

The blossoms hang down towards the ground so you have to bend over to view their beautful interiors.

 I bought my clematis crispa from Brushwood Gardens. I've never seen them locally.

14 comments:

  1. MashaMay 17, 2011 at 10:11 PM

    Very pretty! I love the octopus bloom, so unusual. Thank you for showing me the pictures of this clematis.

    ReplyDelete
  2. sweetbayMay 17, 2011 at 10:28 PM

    A beautiful and unusual wildflower. That one has been on my list (along with several hundred others) for a while. Will have to check out Brushwood Gardens.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Beth at PlantPostingsMay 17, 2011 at 11:45 PM

    How fun! I've never seen that variety before! Clematis are wonderful!

    ReplyDelete
  4. UnknownMay 18, 2011 at 7:56 AM

    I love the nickname. Makes me think of our native Clematis texensis is red and is called "Leatherflower". http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=CLTE2

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousMay 18, 2011 at 8:51 AM

    It's pretty. I love the shape of the blossom. I guess it's kind of like the hellebore of clematis if you have to crawl on your knees to see the inside of the flower.

    ReplyDelete
  6. The Sage ButterflyMay 18, 2011 at 9:34 AM

    I have not seen that variety...it is splendid! How unique it is! I think that one is going on my plant list.

    ReplyDelete
  7. CatMay 18, 2011 at 10:05 AM

    Such a sweet flower. I love the visual of you hanging upside down to capture that last shot! The things we do, right? I know my neighbor thinks I'm crazy...their deck sits above the fence line and they can watch me taking pictures...I'm sure they talk about their goofy neighbor!

    ReplyDelete
  8. DianeMay 18, 2011 at 10:17 AM

    So pretty! It almost looks like the bloom of an eggplant! Such a beautiful blossom. Thanks for the lovely images, TS!

    ReplyDelete
  9. JesterMay 18, 2011 at 1:21 PM

    Oh I LOVE IT! and such great pics to! of course now I want one of those to!!!!AND I LOVE LOVE LOVE that rose!!! what a pretty color!!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Karin / Southern MeadowsMay 18, 2011 at 10:47 PM

    I love how it looks like an octopus! Do you get hummingbirds at it? The color is stunning too!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Rosie GanMay 19, 2011 at 1:22 AM

    Thanks so much for submitting this strange clematis to MISSION QUITE POSSIBLE. This sure is a mission well-accomloished!
    Rosie

    ReplyDelete
  12. greggoMay 19, 2011 at 5:45 AM

    Have not caught the wabbit yet. Elmer Fudd.

    ReplyDelete
  13. MargueriteMay 19, 2011 at 8:44 AM

    Beautiful flowers! I've never seen anything like that. The octupus description fits perfectly.

    ReplyDelete
  14. JenniferMay 20, 2011 at 7:10 AM

    Jennifer@threedogsinagarden
    I think that it is great that you have gone "native" with this little clematis. I would like to add more native plants like trilliums to my garden( Ontario's provincial flower). This little purple octopus is very pretty.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for visiting my blog! Feel free to comment on the posts or photos.

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.