Some say âtomaytoâ and some say âtomahtoâ, some say âCLEMatisâ and some say âCleMAtisâ. I say, who cares! No matter how you pronounce it, Clematis are the absolute queen of all vines and everyone that gardens should find a way to work in as many varieties as possible into their yards. Between the early blooming âArmandiiâ and the late blooming âSweet Autumnâ, there are literally hundreds of varieties that boast anywhere from small 1-inch bell shaped flowers to the grandiose 6-inch across ones that come in all colors of the rainbow. How could anyone resist? But while these vines can become garden standouts in time, it isnât always easy to get them established. If you have gardened for awhile, then you have probably heard the adage about Clematis liking their roots in the shade and their tops in the sun. I used to pooh-pooh this idea and plant them all in full sun. I once had a lovely red variety growing on a trellis in the middle of my rose garden, out on the west side of my house where it got all the afternoon sun. The vine would sprout up in the spring, grow rampantly over the trellis, bud up nicely and just as the buds started to show some color it would wilt and die. Drove me absolutely nuts. A few years later I removed the trellis and frankly forgot about the Clematis. Low and behold, in the shade of some newly planted shrubs, that very same Clematis romped 15 feet up, through my weeping Giant Sequoia, and bloomed its silly little head off the entire summer. Two decades later it is still going gang busters. Cold feet, hot heads. Believe it!