It turns out I sorta shot myself in the foot

 

It was about 40 years ago that I saw my first small flowering clematis in California.  I immediately fell in love.  Up until that time I was only familiar with the large 3/4 inch flowers that are common in most gardens.  I've thought these large blooming vines were gaudy and were not in harmony with the rest of the garden.  They were real drama queens.

I immediately started to collect these small flowers through the mail and from collectors until I had a collection of about 50 plants. They bloomed from April to September and were on trellises, fences, arbors, on rose bushes, and even growing up trees.

When I moved here, I brought about 30 with me.  They were slow to recover from transplanting, but this will be their year to really put on a show.

It turns out I sorta shot myself in the foot because now I wish with my eye condition that I had the large gaudy flowers.  I cannot see small flowers on my large collection unless I bury my nose right in the vine.  Even after all these years you seldom see them for sale in nurseries.  I have Prince Charles and Duchess of Albany that are doing well here, but I lost Princess Diana.  Once established, they are as tough as nails and need no special care. There are varieties that are delicate and garden friendly, and there are varieties that are rampant and cover a small building.  There is a variety that will fit any need you have in your garden.  If you haven't tried one, try to find one.