Creating A Vertical Garden With A Clematis Trellis

There is a lot to consider when designing a flowerbed. Flower color, bloom time and leaf texture are all important, but I find a flower garden which includes both short and tall plants has more eye appeal. When it comes to vertical flower garden ideas, I really like the pizzazz that a trellised clematis plant provides.

Creating A Vertical Garden

Years ago when we purchased our home, I looked at the bland exterior of the cinder block outbuilding in our backyard and knew a little landscaping could turn this eyesore into something beautiful. I gave the exterior a fresh coat of white paint, then stepped back to contemplate the landscaping possibilities.

On the front exterior wall, a double set of doors occupied the right side of the building and two evenly spaced windows were to the left. I envisioned a capitata yew on each side of the doorframe and one on the far left side of the building. These pyramid-shaped shrubs would give vertical structure to the bed.

I then decided on two globe-shaped yews and two azaleas for under the windows. My design also included spring bulbs in between the shrubs and a border of colorful annual flowers to accent the front curve of the bed. However, this left a large portion of blank space on the wall between the two windows.

I knew I needed another plant to fill that spot and wanted something with a splash of color. I realized that adding atrellis^[1]withsummer-blooming flowers^[2]was the perfect solution.

Adding A Garden Flower Trellis

It didn’t take long for me to decide on aflowering clematis vine^[3]for this area. These woody perennials requirevery little care^[3], have beautiful blooms and do well when their roots are kept cool. The shrubs and annual flowers would provide plenty of shade for that purpose.

As I did my research, I found one particular variety of clematis seemed perfect for the location. Nelly Moser produces huge 8 inch (20 cm.) flowers which are light pink with a wide stripe of darker pink down the centerline of the petals. The center of the flower and the anthers are a dark maroon.

More importantly, Nelly Moser flowers are prone to fading in bright sunlight. With a silver maple shading the front of the building, direct light would reach the front wall in the morning and provide the needed shade in the afternoon.

Another reason I chose Nelly Moser was this variety of clematis blooms in early summer and again in late summer. As the clematis would be the tallest flower in front of the building, I liked the idea of having as much bloom time as possible.

Now, this may seems like a lot of tedious overthinking. Even I have to admit, I’m usually much more impulsive when it comes to plant selection. But being tedious paid off. My Nelly Moserclematis trellis^[4]has bloomed happily for years, plus it provides the exact amount of pizzazz I wanted in this landscaped garden bed.