too bad it wasnt a cloudy day.. pix would have been better ..

regardless.. thx for the pix.. and sharing your trip with us ...

nice well watered grass there.. lol ...

im mulling the wabbit issue ... ken

Thanks for the update, Woody. I'd love to see photos whenever you visit!

I'm fascinated by how clearly each structure shows its clematis, but I find the structured grid pattern of the overall setup to be a bit off-putting. I have the same reaction to this that I get with a certain style of formal rose garden that looks to me to be stark since it has no other plants to soften the feet of the roses. I am hoping that as this planting matures, the growth of the vines softens the overall look and gives it a less rigid feel.

Ken - yeah, not good picture-taking conditions! The sun was so bright the screen on the camera was acting like a mirror! I could see myself or what was behind me but could barely - or not at all - see what I was pointing the camera at.

Babs - the area where these are is where various plant collections are located and I suspect there is some not-obvious logic in the arrangement, plus it would be easy to find a particular plant if the label gets lost. You can see that the peonies are also in a grid. The iris collection nearby is quite large and this is what the RBG website says about that collection's most recent reorganization: '..... a more formal design, reminiscent of the original. This was done to support better care and management of the collection and to better tell the story of tall bearded iris breeding trends through the decades.'

So I suspect there is some business-like reason for the clematis grid. Nearby there is a large ornamental garden area - it was TOO hot so I just went to see the clematises. This old thread from mid-August 2014 shows some of the nearby ornamental beds.