• Clematis can dress up your fence, trellis or mailbox.clematis image by graham tomlin from Fotolia.com
  
  The clematis is a member of the buttercup family. There are about 250 species and hundreds more hybrids with flowers in shades of blue, purple, mauve, white, yellow and red. Most clematis are woody, deciduous vines, though some are evergreen. Clematis requires sunlight to bloom well, but many varieties do best in part sun and part shade, which helps their blooms stay bright longer.
  
  

'Dawn'

• "Dawn" has 5-inch, pearly white petaled flowers with pink edges. It blooms in June and again in August, leaving behind spherical seed heads in the cooler weather. "Dawn" grows 6 to 8 feet in USDA Hardiness Zones 4 to 9. This compact variety, which also grows well in containers, needs partial shade to thrive.
  
  

'Amanda Marie'

• The flowers of "Amanda Marie" start off a deep red and fade nicely to a rich pink. "Amanda Marie" blooms from June to October, and its young foliage is green with cream markings. It will grow 4 to 6 feet in USDA zones 4 to 9. For best flower color, grow "Amanda Marie" in part sun to part shade.
  
  

'Nelly Moser'

• "Nelly Moser" has been a favorite with gardeners for more than 100 years. It is a pale mauve with a deep pink stripe. Flowering from late spring to early summer, then again in late summer, "Nelly Moser" will grow to 10 feet. Its blooms are 8 inches in diameter; they will fade in full sun. "Nelly Moser" grows in USDA zones 4 to 9 and requires part shade.
  
  

'Pink Fantasy'

• Originally bred in Canada, "Pink Fantasy" is a compact clematis that grows to 8 feet. Its shell-pink flowers have thin, medium-pink centers. It will flower freely from June through October. "Pink Fantasy" grows in USDA zones 4 to 11, and it does extremely well in containers. Partial shade will help its flowers retain their color.