When most people think of clematis, they think of the climbing large flowered vine. Perhaps Clematis 'Mrs. Robert Brydon' isn’t all that well known and used because it doesn't act like most clematis. 'Mrs. Robert Brydon' is a small flowered vine that, although can be tied to a structure, will not climb by itself. 

Although not a climber, 'Mrs. Robert Brydon' is still a very useful plant.  It is effective as a groundcover or rambling through perennials. Its best use may be flowing over a retaining wall or over a ledge. The branches of Clematis 'Mrs. Robert Brydon' can reach 6 to 8 feet in length.  The flowers are arranged in clusters at the branch ends and leaf axils. Each 1 to 2 inch flower is comprised of a group of white stamens surrounded by powder blue, almost white petals.  

'Mrs. Robert Brydon' is probably a hybrid of Clematis tubulosa and Clematis virginiana. It was discovered in the garden of Elizabeth Prentiss in Cleveland, Ohio in the 1930’s, by her gardener, Robert Brydon. He named it after his wife, hence the name "Mrs. Robert Brydon." (My idea of naming something after my wife wouldn't involve putting a "Mrs." in front of my name, but it was the 1930's).

This clematis is hardy to at least zone 4, and grows best in full sun to part shade. It is in pruning group 3, so should be cut back to the lowest pair of live buds in early spring. I cut mine back to about 6 inches when dormant in fall or early spring, and the plants do just fine. I haven’t noticed any insect or disease problems, however deer apparently like it.

Clematis 'Mrs. Robert Brydon' adds a bit of color to a garden or landscape when many blooming plants are finishing their season, and is an excellent choice for growing over retaining walls that so many houses have. This is a very showy plant that is easy to grow, and should be much more popular.