Clematis Tekla™ Garland®

Clematis Tekla™ Garland® is a showy, perennial, large-flowering clematis offering summer interest, blooming heavily in early summer and again in early fall. Free flowering, the plant blooms abundantly in 6-inch hot pink flowers with ruffled petals that have a light center band. Plants bloom on new wood and attract butterflies and hummingbirds.

Clematis Tekla Garland, a deciduous climbing vine, has vigorous growth and a bushy, compact, twining, and trailing habit of relatively small, bright green leaves that stay fresh and attractive all season. There is an old saying about clematis' growth rate: The first year they sleep, the second year they creep, and the third year they leap. Train clematis to climb a trellis, arbor, post, or fence, adding vertical interest. Or allow it to amble along the ground and meander gracefully through the shrubbery. But for something really special, pair it with a climbing rose. The nimble clematis will twine its way around the sturdy rose stalks. The two will elegantly mingle blooms in the early season, but the clematis will carry it through the heat of summer and the rose will pick up again in fall as the clematis' blooms fade.

Very easy to grow, cold hardy, and disease resistant, Clematis Tekla Garland prefers average to rich, cool, moist, well-drained soil and full sun to part shade. Good site selection is key. So, remember the adage for success with clematis when planting: feet in the shade, head in the sun. The plant should be placed where the leaves get plenty of sunshine (approx. 6 hours), but the roots are shaded and kept cool, either by low-growing, evergreen shrubs or by heavy mulch. Good drainage is important and extremely wet locations should be avoided. Protect plants from strong winds but allow good air circulation. The plant is deer and rabbit resistant.

A Group 3 late-flowering clematis (blooms on new wood in the summer and fall; dies to the ground over winter), Clematis Tekla Garland should be pruned hard, to approximately 12 to 18 inches before new growth appears in late winter/early spring to remove dead or weak, spindly stems and to make way for the new growth. Cut back to 2 feet or just above pairs of healthy, swelling leaf buds. If training to climb, loosely tie the vines to their structure at this time. It can be pruned again after the first flush of flowers in early summer, cutting back to large buds, to promote a second flush of flowers, but deadheading is unnecessary. This group has to re-grow to their mature size each summer, so they tend to be the last to flower.

Uses: Specimen or Focal Point, Vertical Gardens, Small Gardens, Containers, Cut Flowers