Good fences make good neighbors, the old adage goes, but surely flowers along fence lines are among the prettiest sights, especially when on a village walkabout.

And sweet autumn clematis, tumbling across picket fences and stone walls, climbing up arbors or the wall of a garden shed, is a treat for the eyes as well as olfactory senses. Fragrant, pure white flowers nestle in green foliage in late summer and early fall. Later as the weather turns cool and wood smoke from evening fires scents the night air, clematis changes over to silvery masses of fluffy seedheads.

Clematis paniculata is a cultivated plant, a hardy climber that can reach heights of thirty feet if not kept in check by a gardener’s shears. Cuttings arranged in an old glass jar make a perfect centerpiece for the dinner table.

Or perhaps a bridal bouquet. On these warm early fall weekends, with weddings being staged from one end of the Island to the other, sweet autumn clematis somehow seems right in tune with the season.