If you are looking for something disease resistance - Myself - I would not go with Henryi - only because it is one of the more prone to Wilt varieties. Maybe try Huldine - or John Huxtable - they are really very pretty. Good luck! Golden

I planted 2 Betty Corning last year. I wanted the same things as you. I wanted a soft color to mix with the soft salmon climbing roses were was planted by my arbor. In year 1, they grew 3' and produced 3 or 4 blooms each.

In year 2, it is only the first week of May, and they have already surpassed 3'. It seems like they grow a couple of inches every day. I had pruned them back hard. There is new growth emerging from the base. None of the large flowered clems have matched this growth. I'm starting to believe that they may reach the top of my arbor this summer.

I am almost afraid to imagine what will happen when the weather warms up and I give them some real fertilizer. I had given them some alfalfa and Rose Tone a few weeks ago.

This clematis was recommended by many and I am beginning to see why.

Betty Corning can be a huge clematis and I agree that it would make a great companion. The scent the flowers have is great also. I am forever cutting them and bringing them into the house for the fragrance alone.

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The colors of the group 3's you listed are all similar, soft blue-lavender. Would go well with the rose.

Both 'Betty Corning' and 'Perle D'Azure' get huge. I don't know about the other one. I've seen mature specimens and they were fabulous. Much taller than 6'and draped back down and around so they were very full. At least 6' wide. 'Betty Corning' is fragrant too.

'Henryii' is a group 2 and though I've seen it recommended many times in books, mine has been a dog. 'Huldine' is a much better choice, I agree with Golden.

The floor of the deck is at 6' with an additional 3' of railing. That gives me 9' plus the spill over. Both the Perle d' Azure and Betty Corning are tall. Which variety would have the longest bloom period? How many would I need to plant to cover a 9' wide spacing?

Nckvilleduds, love the photos. I do like the nodding flowers of Betty Corning. It appears that the foliage is full and thick and would probably cover the storage area under the deck.

Harryshoe, it sounds as if you are off to a good start. Let me know how they are doing in a few weeks from now.

Buyorsell I was hoping that you would jump in on this one. I believe that I read that you had a flower shop and not content with the color descriptions. I have to agree with you. The descriptions, on a whole are not very accurate. Is Betty Corning a blue pink flush on lilac? I only know the varieties that I am considering from photos. If any of you have any better ideas I am open to suggestions.
Thanks,
Robin

Golden, thanks for the tip on Henryi. I will no longer consider it an option. I would consider a Viticella in white if there is one.

I agree with golden that huldine deserves consideration there.

Personally, my experience with Perle d'Azur is that it takes it longer than most clematis to get established and really get growing. In a growth race between a Betty Corning and P d'A of the same size planted at the same time, Betty would win hands down and eat poor P d'A for supper. The fragrance of BC is another feather in her hat in my opinion.

I like Huldine quite a bit since the back side of the petals have nice pink down the midribs. Having it hang over a railing would give you great exposure to see this backside coloration, however it's growth rate is not anything like BC in my experience. Plus when you can get fragrance at the same time, BC wins hands down.

As far as bloom time, BC wins again in my book both for number and length of bloom period.

If you want a white viticella, another choice is Alba luxurians. I personally like the green tipped ends on the white flowers. The one in my garden is only a year old and has done well. A friend in California said that hers has gotten quite large over the years.

How many of any of the clematis in question you plant really depends on how long you want to wait to get the area filled in and which one you choose.

nckvilledudes, what terrific pics! Wow, impressive clematis! Mine are still babies, so I haven't had the pleasure of such blooms yet, looking forward to it though.
robinva, my front deck is 10 x 14 and I have 3 roses in front of it- 2 rugosas and a climber- all red and white- and about 8 clematis planted- 2 niobes, a Will Goodwin (a real baby- only 2 inches tall)and the others are (I confess!) I'm not sure! They are all blooming though :)
and they are reddish purple, medium purple and a pinkish one w/ a lighter star. Unlike you, I did not have a plan, just plunged in headfirst. :( I probably need to move them around bit- maybe put the 2 Niobes on one end together, and space the others out a bit more evenly eventually. Wonder when is the best time to move them? Good luck w/ your design, sounds like the colors will be very complementary. Brandy

I was a floral designer for over twenty years but never owned my own shop.

Anyway, my Betty Corning bloomed a soft lavender. Looking just like the photos above but of course, all of our monitors display color differently. It isn't as close to blue as others I've seen but I would like it with New Dawn and I love the fragrance. I've had it less than a year.

Brandyray, glad you like the pictures. My Betty Corning would be even bigger but I have a tendency to cram things close together. I have four clematis planted on that 1 foot square and 6 foot tall bean tower--Betty Corning, Viola, Warsaw Nike, and Roko Kolla.

Robinva, another clematis to consider is Triternata Rubromarginata. The flowers are small and star shaped and tipped in a reddish color. It is purported to be fragrant but mine was just planted last year and only had a few blooms last year. It is a rampant grower however and should also do well in your situation.

BorS, if I can convince you that I'm not a stalker, can I come over and look at your garden? I just want to sit and take it in -- what you do with colors and so on.

Yes, you can. I have met many folks from the Internet including folks from Garden Web. No stalkers yet. Send me an email.

I will warn you that many of my Clematis were planted last year. I went on a shopping spree, so many of them are not very impressive.

I have a website with photos of my plants but many are flower close ups rather than views of sections of the garden. I have hundreds of photos to upload, I was late to the party of using Photobucket.

Here is a link that might be useful: My website

Buyorsell888 - your flowers are lovely!!! Thanks for sharing your photos! Golden

Thanks for the compliment. :)

I have a Triternata Rubromarginata ordered for the same application. Although I'm not combining it with a rose. I'm a little worried about the amount of sunlight. On the under part of the deck it's full shade until afternoon, then dappled sun. But once it reaches the railings of the deck it will get a good amount of sunshine all day. Here's hoping! I was looking for something with fragrance and chose this clematis because of the many references to it being one of the most fragrant.