Copy cat clematis

I admit that I often copy gardening ideas from friends and neighbors.   I like to think that my imitation is a compliment to their creativity. 

In our neighborhood many mailboxes are elaborately gowned in clematis vines.  Their giant blooms include the purest whites, dainty pinks and lavenders and bold purples.  But one mailbox is different from all the others--the clematis on this mailbox is velvety burgundy.  

Each spring, I would tell my husband how beautiful that clematis vine was compared to all the others.  Three years ago, for Mothers Day, Bob took me to my favorite garden center; my gift was to find that red velvet clematis for our mailbox. 

It is Mother's Day weekend and my Niobe clematis is in full bloom once again, and so is the the clematis that inspired my search.    Not only are they both beautiful, they have also become a symbol of my husband's love for me.