How Do You Grow Silver Lace Vine & Clematis From Seed?

Clematis is a hardy and colorful vine.

Silver lace is a fast-growing vine that thrives in U.S. Department of Agriculture zones 4 to 9. Its small, fragrant, white flowers bloom in late summer to fall. Silver lace vine is a hardy plant, adaptable to many growing conditions. It sometimes is mistaken for clematis, though the flowers are quite different. Clematis is a vine that grows to 20 feet tall, with large, showy flowers that can be shades of white, red, purple and yellow. Both vines are herbaceous perennials. Although silver lace and clematis usually are sold as plants, their seeds can be purchased online or at garden centers.

Things You'll Need

• Garden shears
• Paper towel
• Paper bag
• Sharp knife or metal nail file
• Small pots

Instructions

Silver Lace Vine

1. Purchase silver lace vine seeds or leave the seeds on a silver lace vine plant until they have dried Collect them and store them in a paper bag until you are ready to plant.

2. Place the silver lace vine seeds in water for at least eight hours or nick them with a knife or sharp, metal nail file to break through the hard coating. Place the seeds on a wet paper towel until they begin to germinate.

3. Plant the seeds in pots twice as deep as the seed is wide. Keep the soil moist until the seedlings appear.

4. Transplant your seedlings outside after all danger of frost is past. Place the seedlings in a site with full or partial sun exposure and well-drained soil.

Clematis

1. Purchase clematis seeds or collect the clematis seeds in the fall, when the flowers have faded. The seeds of the clematis are on the end of the long, curled shafts attached to the pod. For best results, cut the entire pod off the plant.

2. Fill growing pots with general-purpose soil. Plant the clematis seeds in late winter, or even right after harvest. The seeds will not grow until the following spring. Plant store-bought seeds in the early spring to give the plants time to germinate before moving outdoors.

3. Keep the soil moist until the seeds germinate. There is no need to keep the soil warm, since clematis seeds benefit from a period of cold. However, make sure they get six hours of sunlight a day.

4. Leave the clematis seedlings in the pot until several sets of leaves have developed. Transplant the seedlings into a well-drained garden location receiving full or partial sun.

Tips & Warnings

• Silver lace vine is considered invasive in many parts of the U.S. It should not be planted near other vines, as it will suffocate them.

• Most clematis are hybrids, so the plants grown from the seed may be very different from the mother plant.

References

• Doug Green's Beginner Gardening: Growing Silver Lace Vine
• Ohio State University Extension: Fact Sheet -- Growing Clematis