Clematis is one among those flowering plants that adds vertical beauty to your backyard garden. Ranging from shades of purple, pink, blue, and white, its vibrant blooms climb effortlessly over trellises, fences, or arches, turning plain spaces into eye-catching floral displays.
Though clematis shines on its own, growing companion plants around it is essential for both health and beauty.
The right companions can shade its roots, improve soil moisture, and deter pests—while also complementing its flowers for a fuller, more layered garden look.
Hostas, daylilies, and hardy geraniums make excellent companions for clematis, helping to keep its roots cool and shaded.
You can also pair it with roses, hydrangeas, or small shrubs to create a lush, layered look while offering natural support for the vine to climb.
How Companion Planting Benefits Clematis?
As mentioned above, companion planting offers several benefits for clematis, starting with root protection. Low-growing plants like hostas and hardy geraniums help shade the base, keeping the roots cool and preventing moisture loss.
It also improves soil moisture by reducing evaporation and maintaining even ground temperature. This helps clematis thrive, especially during warmer months when the soil tends to dry out quickly.
In terms of pest control, certain companion plants like marigolds or alliums can naturally deter pests that may harm clematis, reducing the need for chemical sprays.
Lastly, combining clematis with other plants enhances the overall garden aesthetic. The mix of climbing blooms with bushy or flowering companions adds layers, color, and texture for a fuller, more attractive display.
5 Best Companion Plants to Grow with Clematis
Clematis may be the climbing beauty in your garden, but the plants around it can make all the difference in its health and appearance.
The right companions help keep the roots cool, support its growth, and create a stunning layered effect in your landscape.
1. Sea Hollies (Eryngium)
Sea hollies bring a dramatic flair to your garden with their spiky, silvery-blue flowers that contrast beautifully with the soft, star-shaped blooms of clematis. They’re drought-tolerant and thrive in well-drained soil, just like clematis.
Thanks to their deep taproots, sea hollies don’t compete for moisture near the surface. This makes them a perfect neighbor for clematis, which prefers consistently moist but not soggy soil.
Their bristly texture helps deter deer and rabbits, offering some natural protection to more delicate clematis vines. The structural foliage also adds interesting form and year-round visual texture to your garden bed.
Plus, sea hollies are magnets for bees and butterflies, increasing pollinator activity and contributing to the health of the entire garden ecosystem.
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2. Japanese Maples (Acer palmatum)
Japanese maples offer dappled shade, which is ideal for clematis roots that prefer to stay cool while the vines bask in the sun. Their graceful branches allow clematis to twine naturally through or around them.
The fallen leaves act as a light mulch, helping to retain soil moisture and improve structure over time. They break down gently, feeding the soil without overwhelming it.
Clematis can climb through smaller maples without damaging them, creating a layered look with flowers draping over fiery red or golden foliage. The vertical pairing looks artistic and serene.
In fall, the intense maple colors make late-season clematis blooms glow. Even when the clematis goes dormant, the maple maintains beauty and structure through winter.
3. Groundcover Roses (Rosa spp.)
Groundcover or carpet roses spread low and wide, shading the base of clematis vines and keeping the soil cool. This living mulch effect helps maintain the moisture balance that clematis loves.
Both roses and clematis enjoy rich, well-fed soil and can benefit from the same fertilizers, streamlining garden care. Their needs align perfectly for feeding, watering, and pruning.
The thorny stems of roses provide light physical support for clematis to cling to when starting out. As both mature, they complement each other with a striking contrast of forms and bloom styles.
With roses blooming at the base and clematis climbing above, you get a continuous vertical flower show. The fragrance combination can be enchanting along a walkway or fence line.
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4. Flowering Sweet Peas (Lathyrus odoratus)
Sweet peas are a delightful early-season climber that pairs well with clematis, especially while the clematis is still establishing in spring. They fill vertical space with soft, fragrant blooms.
These legumes fix nitrogen in the soil, enriching it naturally for the benefit of heavier-feeding plants like clematis. They act as a living soil conditioner during their growth cycle.
Once summer heat sets in, sweet peas fade just as clematis hits its peak, providing a seamless transition of bloom time. This creates constant color on shared trellises or obelisks.
Sweet pea vines are also easy to remove at the end of their season, clearing space and airflow for your clematis to thrive into late summer and fall.
5. Ornamental Grasses
Ornamental grasses like blue fescue, fountain grass, or feather reed grass are perfect companions that offer fine-textured foliage to balance the boldness of clematis blooms. They provide soft movement and contrast in form.
These grasses shade the soil gently without smothering the base of the clematis. This helps keep the roots cool and prevents weeds from creeping in.
Their fibrous roots improve soil aeration and drainage—something clematis roots greatly appreciate. They also help stabilize the base of arbors or trellises from erosion during rain.
In winter, when clematis dies back, ornamental grasses keep the garden visually interesting. Their dried plumes and forms offer year-round beauty and shelter for beneficial insects.
Bad Companion Plants for Clematis
Tall, aggressive shrubs like lilacs or forsythia can overshadow clematis and block the sunlight its vines need. They also compete heavily for nutrients and moisture, leaving clematis struggling to thrive.
Large, thirsty trees such as maples or willows have widespread root systems that drain water quickly. Clematis prefers evenly moist soil, so nearby tree roots can lead to dry, stressed plants.
Sprawling groundcovers like mint or vinca may seem useful, but they tend to smother the clematis base. Clematis needs airflow around its crown to prevent rot and disease.
Heavy feeders like tomatoes or cabbages pull a lot of nutrients from the soil. Planted nearby, they can leave clematis underfed and weak unless you amend the soil regularly.
Plants with aggressive spreading habits—like bamboo or some types of ivy—can invade clematis roots. They crowd out space and make it hard for the vine to establish properly.
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Conclusion
Clematis is a stunning addition to any garden, but choosing the right companion plants makes all the difference in how well it grows and blooms.
Good companions like hostas, ornamental grasses, or Japanese maples help support its needs—keeping roots cool, improving soil, and enhancing the garden’s visual appeal.
Avoid planting aggressive or overly competitive species nearby, as they can steal moisture, light, and nutrients clematis depends on.
With thoughtful pairing, your clematis will not only thrive but also create a beautifully layered and balanced garden space that looks good all season long.
Khaja Moinuddin, a computer science graduate, finds joy in gardening and homesteading. Join him on this blog as he shares his experiences in homesteading, gardening, and composting
