Clematis Integ Rooguchi
‘Rooguchi’, commonly known as solitary clematis, is a non-vining, multi-stemmed, herbaceous perennial that grows with support to 6-8’ tall and to 3-4’ wide. It is a cross between C. integrifolia a shrubby clematis and C. x durandii a vining clematis (some authors say C. reticulata), with a growing habit that falls somewhere in between. It was bred in Japan by Kazushige Ozawa to be a solitary blossom for the Japanese tea ceremony. It is typically described as a non-vining clematis because it lacks the twining petioles found on vining types and will scramble and sprawl in the landscape unless given support. Growing options in the garden include: (a) rambling unsupported through the garden without exceeding 2’ in height or (b) tied to supports (trellis, arbor, tripod, fence) for upright growth to as much as 8’ tall, or (c) weaving and crawling through shrubs with the shrub branches providing support for the plant, or (d) growing in large containers.Solitary, nodding, indigo-violet to plum-purple, bell-shaped flowers (to 2 1/2” long) have 4 recurving sepals with recurving tips and light lavender margins. Each flower droops singly from the tip of a showy, black, bishop’s crook stem (pedicel to 8” long). Each flower rises above the foliage over a long late spring to autumn bloom period. Flowers are followed by attractive, plumose, silvery green seed heads. Sessile, ovate to lanceolate, entire, medium green leaves (to 5.5” long) form dense foliage clumps.