Martha Just Gave Us a Glimpse of the Many Clematis Varieties Growing at Bedford Farm
Ryan Mesina via The Martha Blog
We all know that Martha has the ultimate green thumb. From her colorful perennial beds filled with romantic blooms to her vast vegetable garden that has rows and rows of seasonal delights, our founder knows what it takes to help all kinds of plants prosper. But this year, there's one flower type that's notably flourishing at Bedford Farm, her residence in New York: clematis.
An idyllic climbing perennial, clematis can be implemented in landscapes in a variety of ways. You can plant them along a tree, up a fence, or around a pergola—which is what Martha chose to do with the stunning flower. "I have always loved these flowering vines and over the years, I have grown many varieties of this exquisite plant," our founder writes in her latest post on the Martha Blog. "When I moved to this property, I knew I wanted to build a long, winding pergola and have clematis growing all over it."
After the pergola was built, Martha started bringing her vision to life with a palette of blue-flowering clematis cultivars. Since she began growing the blooms, they have only gotten more beautiful over time. "Each year, the floral display gets better and better—stunning lavender, blue, and purple clematis. I also have some growing across the carriage road on the trunks of the majestic bald cypress trees," she writes.
Ryan Mesina via The Martha Blog
Typically, the clematis flower has four to six or seven petals and can range in color, from lavender to dark purple and white to deep red; some even bloom in yellow hues. For the pergola in Martha's garden, she chose various shades of purple, blue, and lavender. "Some of the flowers are very light colored—almost white—with interesting centers," she writes.
She also has several different cultivars growing on her residence in Bedford, including "parisienne," "blue angel," "jackmanii," and "eyers gift." She says that understanding how each variety blooms will guide you when it comes time to prune the clematis. "They should be cut back to about four or five-inches from the ground in late winter or early spring the first year after it is planted to promote a bushier, stronger, tighter growth habit," Martha writes.
Across the carriage road from her pergola, our founder is also growing some clematis vines at the base of several bald cypress trees—but these stunning blooms are just one of many perennials growing in Martha's garden. Soon her gorgeous orange tiger lilies will begin to flower during later summer. "It's another dramatic transformation in this pergola garden and I can't wait to see all the many orange blooms," she writes.
