Growing near our creek, along side our road, is this quite large Clematis vine that is filling in one of the trees. The vines have taken over the inner spaces of the tree, inside the leaf canopy. It has a distinct south facing position that afford it a moderate amount of direct sun during the midday time, but shades it for most of the day. The flowers do not seem to last as long as the literature states they should which I am lead to believe is due to the lack of constant sunlight this vine is getting.

Along the creek on our property this is the only Clematis I have found so far, and I have looked quite hard for more. Many Clematis require a cold stratification period to ensure proper germination of the seeds but the Western White does not seem to require such. Given that fact I am even more surprised that I don't have more growing on the property. Now that the flowers have dried on the vine I am hoping to get some seeds from it to attempt to spread the plant around the farm. I may need to just take cuttings an propagate that way though.

The vine has had many uses over the eons and the Native Americans were well aware of them all. Everything from baskets and bow strings from the vines to pillows from the seed fluff and medicines from infusions or poultices. Modern times have seen the vine relegated to the landscaping world for which it does quite well, but as a native plant it needs to be planted more often to help the wildlife have more options for food and shelter.

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