Clematis 'Stand by Me Lavender'

Clematis 'Stand by Me Lavender': Lavender Bells That Stay Grounded

Nodding lavender bells open from dark purple buds and swing on upright stems like they're humming along to an oldie on the radio. Then come frilly seed heads that look like a perm gone right. SING IT, DARLING.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Clematis hybrid
• Common Name: Bush Clematis
• Series: Stand by Me, a Proven Winners® perennial
• Height: 86–97 cm (34–38 in)
• Spread: 60–90 cm (2–3 ft)
• Flowers: Nodding, bell-shaped lavender flowers that open from dark purple buds, followed by creamy, frilly seed heads
• Bloom Time: Late spring through summer (June to August), with rebloom
• Foliage: Green, on upright, non-vining stems
• Features: Non-vining, rabbit resistant, good for cutting

Where to Plant: Use it in the middle of a sunny border, in a cottage garden or as a soft focal point in a large container. The stems get tall and can lean, so give it a plant ring, a short cage or sturdy neighbours to rest on. It's hardy enough to shrug off a cold Ottawa or Montreal winter.

Companion Plants: Let this bush clematis lean on its neighbours in a sunny or lightly shaded bed with pink and lavender. Monarda bradburiana opens pale pink, purple-spotted bee balm at 30 to 60 cm in May and June. Paeonia 'Cora Louise' adds white and lavender Itoh peonies at 60 to 70 cm in June and July. Hemerocallis 'Final Touch' brings lavender-pink daylilies at 75 to 80 cm in August and September. Miscanthus × giganteus makes a towering green screen at the back, 250 to 350 cm tall.

Plant Care: Plant in full sun to part sun in average, well-drained soil that is neutral to slightly alkaline. Like most clematis, it likes its head in the sun and its feet in the shade, so mulch the root zone or let low plants shade it. Water regularly through the first season and during dry spells. Put the support in place in spring, before the plant needs it. This is a herbaceous clematis that dies back to the ground each winter. In spring, cut the old stems down to 8–10 cm (3–4 in). New shoots come up from the crown below the soil.

History: 'Stand by Me Lavender' was bred by Hans A. Hansen in Zeeland, Michigan, from the original 'Stand by Me' bush clematis crossed with the clematis 'Rose Colored Glasses'. Bush clematis like this descend from Clematis integrifolia and its relatives, herbaceous species that never learned to climb.

Final Thoughts: Deer and rabbits pass, bees and butterflies stop in, and it reblooms. Plant it at the front of the border. THE CHORUS COMES BACK AROUND.