Red Cardinal Clematis Vine – 2.5″ Pot – Live Climbing Plant – Velvety Crimson Flowers

Overview

Elevate your garden with the breathtaking Red Cardinal Clematis Vine, a magnificent live climbing plant renowned for its stunning crimson blooms. This exceptional vine, often referred to as the ‘Rouge Cardinal’ variety, effortlessly transforms ordinary outdoor features into captivating focal points. Imagine your mailboxes, trellises, and porches adorned with cascades of velvety, deep red flowers, creating an enchanting ambiance that captivates all who behold it. The Red Cardinal Clematis Vine is not only visually stunning but also remarkably easy to cultivate, making it an ideal choice for both seasoned gardeners and enthusiastic beginners alike looking to add vibrant vertical interest to their landscape. Its robust growth and prolific flowering habit make it a standout choice for any garden.

The ‘Rouge Cardinal’ variety of this clematis vine features large, single, velvety crimson flowers, measuring an impressive 4-6 inches across, complete with striking red antlers. These captivating blooms grace your garden from early to late summer, extending the period of vibrant color and visual interest. The flowers emerge on both the previous and current season’s shoots, ensuring a continuous and abundant display throughout the season. As a vigorous climbing vine, it reaches a mature height of 8-10 feet, providing excellent vertical interest and maximizing the beauty of your garden space. Its versatility makes it suitable for various garden designs, from formal to cottage styles.

Key Benefits

The Red Cardinal Clematis Vine offers a multitude of benefits for any gardener seeking to enhance their outdoor space:

• Spectacular Crimson Blooms: Enjoy a prolonged display of large, velvety crimson flowers that add dramatic color and elegance to your garden from early to late summer. These vibrant blooms are truly a showstopper.
• Versatile Climbing Habit: As a vigorous climbing plant, it’s perfect for covering trellises, arbors, fences, mailboxes, and pergolas, creating beautiful vertical accents and maximizing garden space. It quickly establishes itself and provides excellent coverage.
• Easy to Cultivate: This clematis is remarkably straightforward to care for, making it an excellent choice for both experienced gardeners and those new to growing flowering vines. Its resilience ensures a rewarding gardening experience.
• Extended Bloom Season: With flowers appearing on both old and new wood, you’ll benefit from a continuous and abundant display of color for several months, ensuring long-lasting visual appeal.
• Attracts Pollinators: The vibrant flowers may attract beneficial pollinators like bees and butterflies, contributing to a healthy and thriving garden ecosystem. This adds an extra layer of life and movement to your outdoor space.
• High Impact, Low Maintenance: Achieve a stunning garden aesthetic with minimal effort. The crimson clematis plant delivers a significant visual impact without demanding excessive time or specialized care.
• Excellent for Focal Points: Use this beautiful vine to create striking focal points in your landscape, drawing the eye and adding a sophisticated touch to patios, pathways, or garden corners. The deep red color stands out beautifully.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

For optimal growth and an abundance of its signature crimson flowers, consistent care is key for your Red Cardinal Clematis Vine. This resilient plant thrives in sunny conditions, famously adhering to the adage ‘tops in the sun and feet in the shade.’ This means while the vine itself loves direct sunlight for at least 6 hours a day, its roots benefit greatly from a cool, shaded environment. Consider planting ground covers such as ivy, myrtle, or pachysandra around the base to maintain a consistently cool soil temperature and retain moisture. This practice is crucial for the health of your climbing clematis vine.

The Red Cardinal Clematis Vine prefers fertile, humus-rich, and well-drained soil. To provide essential nutrients and promote healthy growth, it is highly recommended to mulch well with composted manure or high-quality compost, ensuring your plant receives the nourishment it needs to flourish. During the growing season, feed the plant once a month with a well-balanced fertilizer to support vigorous blooming. Regular watering, especially during dry spells, combined with proper soil preparation, will help the vine establish quickly and produce a spectacular show of blooms. This combination of easy care and stunning visual impact makes the Red Cardinal Clematis Vine an indispensable addition for anyone looking to add significant color and beauty to their garden.

Pruning is essential for maintaining the health and vigor of your clematis. The ‘Rouge Cardinal’ falls into Pruning Group 3, meaning it blooms on new wood. In late winter or early spring, before new growth begins, prune all stems back to a strong pair of buds, about 12-18 inches from the ground. This encourages robust new growth and a profusion of flowers. Protect the plant’s base during winter in colder zones with a thick layer of mulch. Understanding the clematis care guide for this specific variety will ensure years of beautiful blooms.

Size & Details

This offering is for one Red Cardinal Clematis Vine live plant, shipped in a 2.5-inch nursery pot, ready for planting. As a vigorous climbing vine, it typically reaches a mature height of 8-10 feet, with a spread of 3-6 feet, providing excellent vertical interest and maximizing the beauty of your garden space. The large, single, velvety crimson flowers measure an impressive 4-6 inches across. This plant has a robust growth habit, quickly establishing itself in your garden. It is suitable for USDA zones 4-8, making it a versatile choice for many regions across the United States. The plant will arrive healthy and ready to be transplanted into your garden, offering the promise of stunning blooms in the months to come.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: How tall will the Red Cardinal Clematis Vine grow? A: The vine typically reaches a mature height of 8-10 feet, making it perfect for vertical garden accents and covering trellises or arbors. Its vigorous growth habit allows it to quickly fill its space.
• Q: What are the best growing conditions for this clematis? A: It thrives in full sun (at least 6 hours daily) with shaded roots and prefers well-drained, fertile, humus-rich soil. Keeping the roots cool and moist is crucial for its health and abundant flowering.
• Q: When does the crimson clematis plant typically bloom? A: This variety blooms profusely from early to late summer, showcasing its vibrant crimson flowers. The blooms appear on both old and new wood, ensuring a long and continuous display.
• Q: How often should I water and fertilize this plant for best results? A: Water regularly, especially during dry periods, ensuring the soil remains consistently moist but not waterlogged. Fertilize monthly with a balanced fertilizer during the growing season to support strong growth and blooming.
• Q: Is the Red Cardinal Clematis Vine suitable for my specific climate zone? A: Yes, it is suitable for USDA zones 4-8, making it a versatile choice for many regions. Always check your local hardiness zone to ensure optimal growing conditions.
• Q: What condition will the plant arrive in? A: Your Red Cardinal Clematis Vine will arrive as a healthy live plant in a 2.5-inch nursery pot, ready for immediate planting. During winter months, plants may be shipped dormant, which is normal for their seasonal cycle.
• Q: Is this clematis variety good for beginners? A: Yes, this climbing clematis vine is considered remarkably easy to cultivate, making it an ideal choice for both seasoned gardeners and enthusiastic beginners alike. Following the basic clematis care guide will ensure success.
• Q: Can I grow this clematis in a container? A: While it prefers to be in the ground, it can be grown in a large container (at least 15-20 gallons) with good drainage, provided its roots are kept cool and shaded. Ensure adequate support for its climbing habit.
• Q: How do I support the vine as it grows? A: Provide a sturdy trellis, arbor, fence, or other structure for the vine to climb. Clematis naturally twine, so guiding the initial shoots will help them establish their vertical growth. This ensures your clematis for trellises thrives.
• Q: What type of pruning does the ‘Rouge Cardinal’ clematis require? A: This variety is a Group 3 clematis, meaning it blooms on new wood. Prune hard in late winter or early spring, cutting all stems back to about 12-18 inches from the ground to encourage vigorous new growth and abundant flowering.