Data specific to Clematis (Edit)
Typical Plant Size: Over 15 feet
Pruning Group: Group 2 - Optional, light pruning after flowering
Bloom Diameter: Very Small - 2 inches or smaller (<5 cm)
Bloom Color (Tepals): White/Cream/Silver hue
Bloom Shape: Single
Preferred Light: Tolerates partial shade
Prefers full sun
Moisture Requirements: Tolerates infrequent watering
Disease Resistance: Very disease resistant
Additional Information: Free-flowering (very floriferous)
Flowers are fragrant
Very attractive seedheads
Reported Dangers: May become invasive (self-sows freely)
Recommendations: Good choice for beginners (easy to grow)
Good choice for very cold climates

General Plant Information (Edit)
Plant Habit: Vine
Life cycle: Perennial
Sun Requirements: Full Sun
Full Sun to Partial Shade
Water Preferences: Mesic
Soil pH Preferences: Slightly acid (6.1 – 6.5)
Neutral (6.6 – 7.3)
Slightly alkaline (7.4 – 7.8)
Minimum cold hardiness: Zone 5a -28.9 °C (-20 °F) to -26.1 °C (-15 °F)
Maximum recommended zone: Zone 9b
Plant Height: 15-30 feet
Plant Spread: 20-30 feet
Leaves: Semi-evergreen
Deciduous
Fruit: Showy
Other: Ovoid achenes covered with appressed white hairs.
Fruiting Time: Fall
Flowers: Showy
Fragrant
Blooms on new wood
Flower Color: White
Bloom Size: Under 1"
Flower Time: Late summer or early fall
Suitable Locations: Espalier
Uses: Groundcover
Cut Flower
Will Naturalize
Wildlife Attractant: Bees
Butterflies
Hummingbirds
Resistances: Deer Resistant
Humidity tolerant
Propagation: Seeds: Other info: self seeds
Propagation: Other methods: Cuttings: Stem
Pollinators: Flies
Bees

Image
Common names
  • Sweet Autumn Clematis
  • Clematis
  • Japanese Clematis
  • Autumn Clematis
  • Fall Clematis
  • Sweet Autumn Virginsbower
Botanical names
  • Accepted: Clematis terniflora
  • Synonym: Clematis maximowicziana

Photo Gallery
Location: central Illinois
Date: Nov 2012
persist all winter
Location: central Illinois
Date: 2011-10-11
Location: central Illinois
Date: 2012-12-11
Location: In my garden, Cottage-in-the-Meadow Gardens, South Amana, IA
Date: Late summer
Location: central Illinois
Date: 2008-09-02
Cypress vine bloom above clematis
Location: My garden, Cottage-in-the-Meadow Gardens in South Amana, IA
Date: Fall 2010
Location: My Gardens
Date: September 1, 2013
Very Close View

Date: 2016-12-02
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Date: 2022-09-19
Sweet Autumn Clematis (Clematis terniflora).
Location: central Illinois
Date: 2012-12-11
Location: central Illinois
Date: 2010-09-09
Location: Iowa
Location: My Yard
Date: 2023-08-17
Location: central Illinois
Date: 2015-09-10
#pollination    (Buckeye  on  clematis and boneset)
Photo by Kell
Location: Norfolk, MA
Date: 2019-09-25
Base plant climbing up trellis in corner
Location: Beaumont, Jefferson County, Texas
Date: August 10, 2010
Location: central Illinois
Date: 2010-09-09
Location: My garden WG 
Date: 2018-09-01
Location: Maine
Location: Fairfax, VA | September 2022
Date: 2022-09-10
Location: Ed Burton, NE Wisconsin
Date: 4000-07-07
Location: central Illinois
Date: 2015-09-09
Location: Ohio
Date: 2019-09-14
Location: My Gardens
Date: September 10, 2011
Masses Of Blossoms In 2011
Location: central Illinois
Date: 2013-09-01
Location: RHS Wisley, UK.
Date: 2022-10-26

Date: 2013-09-18
Location: Illinois, US
Date: 2014-09-05

Date: 2014-09-21
Location: My garden
Date: 2018-08-20
Location: Aberdeen, NC Pages Lake park
Date: July 19, 2022
Sweet Autumn Clematis #281; LHB page 391, 70-1-3, "An old Greek n
Location: central Illinois
Date: 2015-10-20
Location: Ann Arbor MI
Date: 2010-09-18
It took only two years for three small pieces to cover this whole
Location: My Gardens
Date: September 1, 2013
In Full Sun
Location: Beaumont, Jefferson County, Texas
Date: August 23, 2011
Photo by Seedsower
Location: Indiana  Zone 5
Date: October
Location: Illinois, USA
Date: 2014-09-21
Photo by plantcollector
Location: Zone 4 Wisconsin
Date: 2007-09-23
9-23-07 zone 4 Wisconsin
Location: my garden 
Date: 2014-09-02
Location: central Illinois
Date: 2014-12-24
Location: Broken Arrow, OK
I didn't plant this, it just appeared one day
Photo by Jumper2
Location: Colleyville Texas Zone 8a
Date: 2015-04-19
I  found this growing in a naturalized shady area.

Date: 2013-12-23
Credit Amada44
Location: Charleston, SC
Date: 2019-01-15
Invasive plants blooming in January near a wetland area.
Photo by mulrein
Location: Aberdeen, NC Pages Lake park
Date: July 19, 2022
Sweet Autumn Clematis #281; LHB page 391, 70-1-3, "An old Greek n
Location: central Illinois
Date: 2010-09-11
3 bee buts
Location: Beaumont, Jefferson County, Texas
Date: August 10, 2010
Location: Beaumont, Jefferson County, Texas
Date: September 6, 2011
Sweet Autumn Clematis covering grass along roadside.

Date: 2013-09-18
Location: Zone 4 Wisconsin
Date: 2007-09-23
9-23-07 zone 4 Wisconsin
Photo by piksihk
Photo by jmorth
Photo by jmorth
Location: My Northeastern Indiana Garden - Zone 5b
Date: Sep 14, 2011 9:39 AM
Location: central Illinois
Date: 2013-11-02

This is my Sweet Autumn.

Here is an old Sweet Autumn at our lake cabin

I am surrounded by Sweet Autumn Clematis....get one or two or thr

Date: 2014-09-21
Photo by Kell
Location: Frederick, MD
A total thug, and an aggressive self-sower also!
Photo by Kell

Credit tillandsiausneoides
Location: central Illinois
Date: 2010-09-08
Location: central Illinois
Date: 2015-02-22
still on the vine
Location: Ed Burton, NE Wisconsin
Date: 4000-07-07

Photo by user Shoefly, Wikipedia
Location: central Illinois
Date: fall 2006
Location: central Illinois
Date: 9-8-08
there's a single flower of Cardinal Climber in the upper left
Location: central Illinois
Date: 2017-06-09
Location: central Illinois
Date: 2017-06-09
Location: central Illinois
Date: 2015-10-21

Photo Courtesy of Homestead Farms Nursery. Used with Permission.
  • Uploaded by Joy
Photo by mulrein

Date: 2014-09-21
Location: My Gardens
Date: September 13, 2017
Always A Rewarding Sight
Location: Virginia
Date: 2012-08-22
Location: My Gardens
Date: September 13, 2017
Very Strong Grower: Prolific Blooms

Credit Gerrit Davidse
Location: Chicago Botanic Garden, English Walled Garden
Date: 08-15-2005
Location: Brownstown Pennsylvania
Date: 2016-08-19
Location: Brownstown Pennsylvania
Date: 2016-08-19
Location: central Illinois
Date: 2013-08-29

Date: 2010-08-02
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Date: 2020-09-22
Sweet Autumn Clematis (Clematis terniflora).
Location: central Illinois
Date: 2012-09-12
Location: central Illinois
Date: 2012-09-12
3 tiers (3rd one in the trees)
Location: central Illinois
Date: Nov 2013
seeds are evolving for flight
Location: Colleyville Texas Zone 8a
Date: 2015-04-26
The leaves started off varigated.
Location: central Illinois
Date: 2013-09-01
BF upper left
Location: my garden Zone 7A
Date: 2011-11-23
An interesting climber
Location: seeds are breathtaking   my garden Zone 7A
Date: 2011-11-23
Fragrant beautiful, well-behaved  climber.

Photo courtesy of Longfield Gardens
  • Uploaded by Joy

Date: 2013-09-18

Date: 2013-09-18

Date: 2013-09-18

Date: 2013-09-18

Date: 2013-09-18
With Morning Glory
Photo by plantcollector
Location: New York, NY
Date: 2014-10
Bronx bot garden
Location: My Northeastern Indiana Garden - Zone 5b
Date: Sep 20, 2011 11:56 AM
Shading An Arbor
Location: central Illinois
Date: 2015-10-03

Blooms faithfully here every year.

Date: 2006-09-10
Credit audreyjm529

Credit BotBln

Date: 2007-09-24
Credit Katrina Wiese

Date: 2012-09-06
Credit Rameshng
Location: central Illinois
Date: 2010-09-08
Location: Aberdeen, NC Pages Lake park
Date: July 19, 2022
Sweet Autumn Clematis #281; LHB page 391, 70-1-3, "An old Greek n
This plant is tagged in:
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Comments:
  • Posted by critterologist (Frederick, MD - Zone 6b) on Apr 12, 2012 4:59 PM concerning plant:
    THUG ALERT! Even cutting it completely to the ground in early spring didn't stop it from taking over a trellis to either side in addition to its own space. When I put it in, I also didn't realize it was invasive -- and there's just no way to deadhead every bloom. I dug mine up, threw it out, and I'm still pulling seedlings out here and there 3 years later.

    2021 update. still pulling out one or two seedlings each year!
  • Posted by scvirginia on Apr 8, 2019 11:41 AM concerning plant:
    This plant is horribly invasive in our neighborhood in the South Carolina Lowcountry. There is a large bank of plants in an untended wetland area a block away, and I see seedlings all over the neighborhood. We are frequently trying to pry out seedlings from all over our front and back yards, which is very difficult; we don't like to use herbicides.

    This is one of my least favorite weeds; Japanese Honeysuckle and Thorny Olive are harder to get rid of, but at least they smell nice.
  • Posted by ILPARW (southeast Pennsylvania - Zone 6b) on Apr 8, 2019 6:24 PM concerning plant:
    A large number of conventional nurseries in the Midwest and East of the US do sell some of this Japanese vine in pots. It is pretty, but it is powerfully aggressive, grows super fast, and is also invasive to wild areas. One plant can self-sow around the yard a lot and into the neighbours' yards also, and the seedlings are not easy to dig out. It does have a stronger fragrance and heavier bloom than the similar, but less aggressive Virgin's-Bower Clematis (Clematis virginiana) that is native to much of the eastern half of the US. I have the latter and she is dioecious, having separate male & female plants, and is not making babies. Check out the entry of Clematis virginiana to see the difference.
  • Posted by NorfolkLiz (MA - Massachusetts - Zone 5b) on May 4, 2020 7:06 AM concerning plant:
    In my Zone 5, I cut almost down to ground in the Spring. I line a border with very thin branches (angled) for several sprouts to vine around.
Plant Events from our members
piksihk On August 1, 2019 Bloomed
piksihk On August 20, 2018 Bloomed
RT frt WG
piksihk On August 7, 2017 Bloomed
piksihk On August 13, 2015 Bloomed
front bed; from seed - huge over 7 ft. massive display of buds & blooms
jmorth On August 24, 2014 Bloomed
Blazingstar On September 17, 2019 Obtained plant
It has been blooming for ~ one week.
Very eyecatching.
LyraLu On March 21, 2022 Plant emerged
LyraLu From November 1, 2021 to November 3, 2021 Miscellaneous Event
Cut back hard.
WebTucker On July 19, 2022 Bloomed
» Post your own event for this plant

Discussion Threads about this plant
Thread Title Last Reply Replies
Untitled by LindaTX8 Sep 18, 2012 9:46 AM 7
Very interesting..... by wcgypsy Feb 18, 2013 4:29 PM 3
Wow! by Trish Jan 20, 2013 10:32 PM 1
Beautiful! by blue23rose Nov 14, 2014 7:32 PM 10
Not Clematis Virginiana? by Chillybean Aug 10, 2015 9:06 AM 1

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