Claytonia virginica 1qt (Spring Beauty)
August 25, 2020
Clethra alnifolia ‘Ruby Spice’ #3 (Summersweet)
August 25, 2020
Clematis virginiana #1 (Virgin’s Bower)
$14.99
-Part Sun, Full Sun
-Moist to Average Soil (FAC)
-Slightly Acidic to Neutral pH
-12-20′ Tall (depending on support)
-Twining, Vining Growth Habit
-Deer, Black Walnut Tolerant
-Zone 3
-Ohio Native
Out of stock
Virgin’s Bower is a native, clambering vine that twines itself up a support, able to reach a height of up to 20′. If grown without a support, it will crawl over everything in its path, leaving a trail of starry white flowers from July to September. The seed heads remain attractive into winter. The thickets formed by the suckering, abundant foliage make useful cover and nest sites for birds such as northern cardinals.
It is an excellent replacement for the non-native, invasive Sweet Autumn Clematis. The two can be differentiated by the leaf margins: our native Virgin’s Bower has a toothed (dentate) leaf margin and is bright green, while the invasive has a smooth-edged (entire) margin and is dark green and leathery.
Sources:
Growing and Propagating Wild Flowers by Harry R. Phillips
The Midwestern Native Garden by Charlotte Adelman & Bernard L. Schwartz
Missouri Botanical Garden
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Illinois Wildflowers
Photo Credit:
Flowering: I, SB Johnny, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
