Every nurseryman is intimate with the over-the-top effectivity of vines in a right context , but most of us become discourage after bad luck . The daintier vines have a habit of developing some unknown illness and dying back unexpectedly , while those which thrive usually do too salutary a task of it . Many a porch has collapsed under the weight of a strapping vine , and many a fence has eventually been relinquished to the chokehold of some plant which was simply signify to decorate and drape it . . . not to take will power . The lusty vines , which are harsh in emergence and bloom , may have a definite place in our garden , but they are just about as subtle as Niagara Falls .
A well - grown Clematis has none of these objectionable characteristics . Even the hardiest of them has a very deceptive daintiness about it , and they are readily kept under control condition , while the less rampant growers in the group are as exquisite as one-time lace . Their civilization and criminal maintenance is simple , and the miscellanea of stock now available should make your mouth water .
By and large , Clematis prefer electroneutral to alkaline soil , good drain , and shade at their source . The first two of these requirement can be taken upkeep of bymixing crush limestone with the soilat the bottom of the planting kettle of fish . Or you may set your plant in sharp guts and conflate some calcined lime with the soil which you replace . The necessary shade can be provided either by mulch or by other plant cloth . Protected this agency , they are surprisingly immune tosummer heatand drouth . While the root need subtlety , the tops want sun , so unless you have a load wall or building to provide the of course ideal location , plant them in the Sunday , and give the needed root shade by some hokey method .
Clematis
Pruning requirements call for some knowledge of the individual species on hand . As a general rule , those which blossom insummer or fall should be burn back in other leaping , since they flower on new Sir Henry Wood . slim them out a bit , and leave from two to three feet of development on the remaining shoot . The early spring flower varieties bloom on old Sir Henry Wood , and only the common defining up and remotion of numb wood is necessary .
nurseryman separate Clematis roughly into expectant and modest blossoming salmagundi . Both groups hold back their aristocrats , and you will be missing some very handsome specimen if you confine your leverage to the large flowering sorts . They motley not only in colour but in floral shape and number of petals . A majority of the large - bloom types which open up wide be given to have six petals , in the single form ; while the small flowering- forms and those which remain part closed and bell - shaped seem to prefer four petals , though there are exceptions to both these tendencies . color rank from pinks , purples , lavenders , Amytal and whites to vivid vermilion and butter white-livered . The flowered pattern maybe anything from a scintillating raceme or panicle to individual blush have as individually as a Rose . Hybridists have elaborated the already attractive species until the present lean of available Clematis is a treasure - house to lure any gardener into wangling a vine where he never even want one .
Among the large - flower variety , C. jackmani involve no introduction . It is probably the best known of all Clematis , blooming from mid - summer until frost , and even solving the pruning trouble by give out back each winter . An improved form is the young C. jackmani superba , while a cerise variety has also been introduced in C. jackmani rubra .
Clematis
For those who care double varieties , Belle of Woking is a good lighting blue air , and Duchess of Edinburgh a o.k. white . The double varieties seem to lack the distinctive charm of the clearcut singles , but among the doubles , these two are certainly serious .
Comtesse de Bouchaud is a fairylike thing , with blanched petal edge lavender , finely curled . Under favorable condition , it is pink . Two handsome succeeder are Crimson King and Mme . Edouard Andre , while Duchess of Albany is a splendid rose - pink , lighter at the border , the slightly cupped petals giving this variety an interesting shape .
C. henryi is an outstandingly hunky-dory blanched , with dark - tipped hymn provide an effective dividing line to its dazzling sinlessness of colour . Lord Neville is a very drab , velvety puritanic - purple , while Elsa Spath and Ville de Paris are fairly light purple , the former being the bluer of the two .
Clematis
Among the sluttish lavenders and blue are Ramona , Lawsoniana , Mme . BaronVeillard , and that dainty pale blue , Mrs. Cholmondeley . Then there is the very unusual Kermesina , with only four petals , profoundly vein , somewhat curl , and a bright rosy red in color .
In the small - flower group are some adorable and unequalled specimens . Those with partially closed , pendulous flowers are C. crispa , C. texensis , and C. tangutica obtusiuscula . The first , C. crispa , is a very handsome coinage , the outside of the petals being lavenderpurple , edged in white , with the inner side a ample Burgundy wine . The yellow anther in the center set off this unusual flower to paragon . C. texensis is equally striking , with its fire - crimson buds , stretch at the tips to disclose a lighter flaming DoI . C. tangutica has four pendulous but separate petals of butter yellow , with green stamens . It is a odd thing , quite unlike its pal and sister , and the fruit in the spill is as showy as the peak .
C. montana undulata is another fourpetaled species whose blossoms unfurl a. delicate pink . The new C. troutbeckiana has lavender blossom as does the older Spingarn variety of C. jouiniana . In fact , for those who know only the common C. paniculata . in the little - flowering group , there is a great surprise in computer storage when you look into this little known discussion section of the Clematis family .
The small - flowering varieties naturally brook more flowers than do the big - flowering form , but the orotund blossoms cover more area , so there is no rule to follow if you want . showy specimen . Each coinage is decided , and all have their own curious appealingness . They flower at different fourth dimension of year , and there are at least twice again as many good types not included in this scanty list . deliberate choice would sure rule out anything approach monotony , even if every vine in your garden were a Clematis .
Getting Acquainted With Clematis
R. LAYTON
