York County agent Paul Thompson told us about a perfectly glorious cultivar of evergreen clematis, Clematis armandii, named ‘Apple Blossom’ which grows at the York County Clemson office. The buds are a lovely soft pink, and even when the flowers open, the lower part of the petals retain that color against the pure white center. The evergreen leaves are attractive and can twine through a trellis or other open-type of supporting structure . Although fairly vigorous, it doesn’t spread from the roots and with judicious pruning after the flowering, it blooms on new growth, so you can easily keep it in bounds as it can’t move over to the brick or wooden exterior of your house. It’s dense growth habit lets it serve as a living screen and seems much friendlier than a solid masonry one.
"Apple blossom" clematis
