Texas Virgin's Bower

Year-round

Old man's beard is a fast climbing vine with lacy leaves and clusters of small white flowers that turn into fluffy silver seed puffs. It comes from a hot, dry stretch of the Desert Southwest and Texas, not Tennessee, but it grows easily in a Memphis yard once it has sun and something to climb.

• This vine is native to a hot, dry stretch of the Desert Southwest and Texas, not Tennessee, so treat it as a garden plant here rather than a native one.
• Give it full sun to part shade and a fence, trellis, or shrub to climb. It can put on 15 feet or more of growth in a season.
• It tolerates dry spells and average garden soil, including clay, once it is established, so it needs less watering than most vines.
• Every part of the Clematis family carries a bitter, irritating sap. Keep dogs and cats from chewing on the leaves or stems.
• The tiny flowers give way to fluffy silvery seed heads, which is where the plant gets its old man's beard nickname.

Fall

Fall is when the plant earns its name. Small flowers give way to masses of silvery, feathery seed plumes that usually last until the first frost, typically in early November for the Memphis area.

• Let the fluffy seed heads develop. They are the plant's main fall show and stand out against a fence or trellis.
• If the vine has spread past its support or into a walkway, trim it back once the seed heads fade rather than mid bloom.
• The average first frost for the Memphis area lands around November 3, with an average first freeze around November 12. Growth slows and leaves drop after that.
• Rake up any seed fluff that blows loose if you want a tidier bed underneath.

Trimming the vine back to its trellis or fence line once the fall seed show fades keeps the yard reading as tended instead of overgrown, which helps avoid a violation letter.

Winter

Winter is the quiet season. The vine drops its leaves and goes fully dormant, and its roots are built to handle an average Memphis winter without extra protection.

• Expect the vine to lose its leaves and go dormant for winter. This species is listed as cold tolerant, and its roots should handle typical Memphis area winters on their own.
• Leave the bare vine on its support through winter rather than pulling it down. It gives the yard some structure and keeps the roots undisturbed.
• For a tidier winter look, cut the vine back to a few feet of its trellis or fence once it is fully dormant and all the leaves have dropped.
• New growth will not start again until after the average last frost, around mid to late March for the Memphis area.

Cutting the dormant vine back to a neat shape on its trellis gives the yard an intentional, tidy look for the offseason instead of a tangle of bare vine, which helps avoid a violation letter.

Spring

Spring is when old man's beard wakes up and starts climbing fast. In the Memphis area, plant it or set up its support after the average last frost, around mid to late March, and it should be flowering by April.

• Wait until after the average last frost for the Memphis area, around March 18 to 30, before planting or moving this vine outdoors.
• Put a trellis, fence, or other support in place early. New growth is brittle and climbs quickly once the weather warms.
• Water new plantings regularly until the roots settle in, then ease off. This vine handles dry spells well once it is established.
• Cut back any stems that died over winter to the first live bud before new leaves take over.

Summer

Summer is peak bloom and peak Memphis heat, and old man's beard is built for both. Once established, it is a low-fuss vine through the hot months.

• Expect small white flowers to keep coming through summer, sometimes into early fall.
• Established vines tolerate Memphis heat and dry stretches well and do not need the frequent watering that most garden clematis do.
• Check the trellis or fence line and redirect any stems wandering onto siding, gutters, or a neighbor's yard.
• This vine grows quickly in summer heat and humidity, so keep it from crowding out nearby plants.