Rhapsody Clematis

Light Needs

Partial Shade to Full Sun

(At Least 3 Hours of Direct Sunlight)

Mature Height

8-10 Feet

Mature Spread

2-3 Feet

Growing Zones

4 to 9

Bright azure blue blooms will completely blanket the vines and apple green leaves of this lovely climbing perennial and will knock your socks off with its fast growth and beauty. Growing quickly up a trellis, terrace wall or fence, or perhaps even when planted on a mailbox post, Rhapsody will quickly win a place in your heart with its beautiful color and vigorous habits. Slightly ruffled, veined cobalt blue flowers with bright white/green anthers, sporting seven petals in a star shaped pattern, this perennial will put on a show for you year after year.

Native to China and Japan, and hardy to Zones 4 to 9, clematis has been the sweetheart of gardens across the country for centuries. Numerous cultivars give gardeners many shapes, colors and sizes to choose from. Known for their prolific vining and spreading habits, clematis provides a valuable service to homeowners as a summer to fall cover for gazebos and trellises while looking gorgeous. What is not to love about a cascade of blue flowers? With so many colors to choose from, you may find yourself pairing Rhapsody with a beautiful white, pink or dark purple clematis! Who knows, this may be the start of a love affair of everything clematis for you!

Rhapsody Clematis Care

Clematis prefer to have their heads in the sun and their feet shaded, and pair well with ground hugging perennials and annuals for an even showier presentation. Plant them in full sun for best flowering, remember, sun equals energy and energy creates flowers! Keep the soil evenly moist but not wet. Water regularly, especially when first establishing your new plant. They will grow in about any good draining soil, whether it be loam, clay or sand with an acidic to neutral pH range. Feed by applying a well composted organic material in the springtime, or apply a slow release fertilizer once a year for best results. Clematis prefer a low nitrogen fertilizer like a 5-10-10 to keep from producing all foliage and no flowers.

Pruning group 3. This vine blooms on new growth (new wood), each year. Deadheading after the first summer flowers will help to produce subsequent blooms. Clip spent flowers down to the first set of leaves and discard all plant debris. In late winter before new growth appears, cut the plant down to about three feet above soil level, or down to a new leaf bud, and it will quickly climb back up to its preferred height of about ten feet when mature. Mulch in winter for root zone protection. Apply 2 to 3 inches of good quality mulch.

Clematis has few pests that bother it, and is generally healthy, but if part of your vine wilts, quickly remove that portion and destroy the debris as they are susceptible to clematis wilt. If the entire plant is affected, cut it down to the roots and it will reappear on those roots the next spring.

Rhapsody Clematis Spacing

Space your plants about 24 inches apart for best results. This is a climbing vine and will tangle up with most anything in its path. Allow room to grow and spread out. Climbing to about 10 feet tall and spreading out about 2 feet wide, you will enjoy how quickly it fills in your designated location. Clematis are a perennial favorite to gardeners across the country and you will find yourself intrigued by them when you plant Rhapsody in your perennial garden, patio or deck garden or massed out along a terrace wall this spring.