If you love Clematis vines, the Rogerson Clematis Garden at Luscher Farm Park in West Linn, Oregon, is a charming gem well worth a visit for gardeners. The place delights many visitors, with a large collection of the genus, and displays.
The garden overflows with inspiration for growing and showcasing Clematis, often surprising visitors with the sheer variety within the genus. While many recognize the familiar vines, few expect to find herbaceous perennials and subshrubs thriving alongside them.
The clematis collection began with Brewster Rogerson, who became a leading expert on the vine and a founding member of the International Clematis Society. Years later, he turned his collection over to a newly formed nonprofit, Friends of the Rogerson Clematis Collection. Eventually, the need for a garden to house the collection became apparent.
Linda Beutler, curator for the garden, said, “What surprises people is the variety of plant forms in the genus, and the variability of flower forms. It’s not just those big, blousy, large-flowering hybrids.”
Clematis flowers show off in many forms, from the bell-shaped blooms of Clematis glaucophylla to the starry, fragrant sprays of Clematis flammula.
“The smallest clematis we have in the garden is C. marmoraria. When it matures, the plant is only eight inches tall by eight inches wide. It is an alpine from the South Island of New Zealand,” Beutler said.
Considered a subshrub, it grows in marble scree. “People come here to see the world’s smallest clematis,” Beutler said.
Throughout the garden, Clematis weaves its way as lush ground cover or climbs with abandon over mature shrubs and trees. “A couple of things I like to stress to people are, that up is not the only direction,” Beutler said.
A newer cultivar from Walters Gardens in Michigan is named Clematis ‘Rain Dance’. “We’ve had tremendous luck with that one as a ground cover. The flowers are rich, sky blue. There’s ‘Arabella’ who has been in the trade for ages, but she is a perfect example of a large-flowered hybrid crossed with an integrifolia that does not climb.”
First-time visitors may not know how extensive a clematis garden is. “For us, it’s a garden that features Clematis, and we grow them every which way,” Beutler said. “We have trellises and built-in flat panels. We have allées, the longer arbors that people can walk through.”
Clematis winds through and climbs roses and other flowering shrubs. Witch hazels, typically boring green blobs in the summer, sizzle with color when adorned with a summer-flowering vine. The pairing brings two seasons of interest to the shrub.
By Debbie Teashon
By Debbie Teashon
The garden welcomes visitors year-round, with Clematis in bloom. For those who want to be wowed by maximum color, the peak blossom time happens in the last week of June through the middle of July.
“During the peak bloom in those three weeks, we have in the neighborhood of over 400 clematis in bloom at the same time,” Beutler said. “And that includes the early C. alpinas and C. macropetalas. That time window is when you see the most kinds in bloom. But you won’t see the C. montanas, as they only bloom in the spring, or the evergreens either, as their flowers are gone before summer. The winter-flowering Clematis quits blooming by the end of winter.”
Nearly every plant in the garden is labeled, a gift for curious visitors eager to learn the names of their favorites. Sometimes, though, the wandering vines make their tags a bit of a treasure hunt.
Last year marked the garden’s 20th anniversary at Luscher Farm Park. Admission and parking remain free, with support for the collection coming from memberships, donations, grants, workshops, plant sales, and classes.
The garden also buzzes with workshops, guest speakers, and classes on everything from clematis care and propagation to old rose maintenance and creative container gardening. Upcoming events are listed on the website.
Plant sales are on-site.
Open daily, year-round, the garden promises Clematis in bloom no matter when you visit.
Location: Luscher Farm Park, 125 Rosemont Rd, West Linn, OR 97068
Hours: Daily, dawn to dusk. There is no entrance fee or parking fee.
Web Site: RogersonClematisCollection.org