Clematis typically take from 3-5 years before fully established and flowering heavily. The "sleep, creep, leap" parable was made for these vines :-) Don't expect that much from their first growing season but do enjoy what you get.

While some have a longer bloom season than others, no clematis will bloom continually from spring to fall. Even in Texas :-) Type 2's flower on a mix of old and new growth so typically start blooming in mid to late spring. After the first flush and a light trimming, a good many will produce a lighter bloom period in later summer or early fall.

Type 3's bloom on growth produced this season so start flowering a bit later in the year, and if well cared for, should continue flowering until cold weather sets in. I live in a very mild and clematis friendly zone, have many well established clems but none of my type 3's are showing any signs of flowering yet.

very helpful gardengal thank you...

I was excited to see flushes of blooms in early spring on 3 or 4 of my new clems and it increased my expectations for the rest. I had not expected blooms until next spring, maybe this fall. Mine better not delay 5 years by then I will be 80. I will give good care and encouragement and hopefully see results sooner, they are all with roses. A good friend in Virginia has them blooming for most of summer but I know she is in clem country, she takes their easy care and bountiful blooming for granted.

For the type 3 clematis that bloom on new growth, I have found that if I prune again (usually by half) after blooming, I can get three bloom cycles in my garden per year. If I am lazy about summer pruning, many will still produce a second, smaller bloom cycle for me in the fall anyway (although the vines will be much longer then). Of course, getting new growth after pruning would be dependent upon the plants receiving adequate water and perhaps some fertilizer.

nice to know plantlover., thank you. i will give that a try, maybe waiting until they are more established. lI lived in Houston most of my adult life and had no idea clematis would grow there or Dallas or in Texas for that matter. That is why I am so late to the party with adding them to my rose garden. Added a dozen last year and will do more this fall, experimenting with what I like best and what works best in my garden location. Love learning new!