Woody Plants III: Clematis armandii 'Apple Blossom'

Faithful readers of the Inter-Ocean Parabolic may remember this clematis from when it was a little twig I planted in the spring.  Since then, it has grown up the bamboo post I staked next to it, with a spurt of growth every time I gave it some liquid fish.  My idea was that the vine would go across the front of my porch, but now that it is tall enough, I'm not sure how I'm going to accomplish that.

In Aristocrats of the Garden, Ernest H. Wilson says, "The new Clematis Armandi from central China with white flowers, and its form Farquhariana with pink flowers, should be especially useful in the south and on the Pacific Slope.  The three-foliolate leaves are dark polished green and the flowers each two to three inches across are freely produced in large axillary clusters.  For gardens situated where a genial climate prevails I count this Clematis among the most desirable and beautiful plants I have been privileged to introduce into cultivation."

In my edition of the Manual of Woody Plants by Michael Dirr, I hope I found a typo regarding this plant.  It says, "Clematis armandii, Armand Clematis, would be a beautiful plant if it did not flower."  I think it's supposed to say "even if it did not flower," but we'll see, because I haven't seen mine in bloom yet.

And in the Hillier Guide, it says that the 'Apple Blossom' (which I'm assuming is also the Farquhariana that Wilson mentions above), "is a superb medium-sized clematis with broad sepals that are white and shaded with pink, especially on the reverse.  It is scarce, and a poor form that is easy to propagate has appeared on the market."  I ordered mine from Forestfarm, which has a good reputation, so I hope I got the scarce, desirable form rather than the poor imitation.  I'll watch closely as it continues to grow, and post an update.