How to Grow Clematis Successfully in Cottage Garden
Clematis are regarded by most gardeners as the queen of the climbers and justifiably so. This diverse genus, which includes a few non-climbing species too, has a range of colour, form and flowering period unequalled by any other group of climbers. The diversity of clematis is such that they can be used in almost any role. Modern hybrids are excellent for clothing walls and fences. Species like Clematis montana will happily festoon an old fruit tree or cover an outhouse, while the non-clinging C. durandii will trail as well as scramble.
However, for the majority of gardeners it is the large flowered cultivars that hold the greatest attraction. Bold starry blossoms in almost every colour imaginable and in varieties that will start flowering during early spring and carry on until late summer. There are two of these that are widely grown and loved by all gardeners, ‘Jack-manii Superba’ and ‘Nelly Moser’. The first named flowers during mid-summer with deep purple flowers, while ‘Nelly Moser’ is more refined with a somewhat extended flowering season during which it produces beautifully sculptured blossoms of rich mauve with a conspicuous lilac bar. ‘Ville de Lyon’ is carmine red and ‘Duchess of Edinburgh’ has double flowers of milky-white, while ‘Ernest Markham’ is rich magenta. ‘Lincoln Star’ has raspberry-pink flowers, ‘Richard Pennell’ blossoms of deepest lavender, whereas those of ‘Proteus’ are lilac-rose and fully double, like an old-fashioned paeony.
The spring-blooming C. montana is the most popular of the species and the one with the greatest cottage garden appeal. An easygoing plant of vigorous habit with myriad small creamy-white blossoms. There are several forms and cultivars, including the pink-flowered rubens, rich rose-pink ‘Tetra-rose’ and fragrant, soft pink ‘Elizabeth’. These are all boisterous climbers that benefit from having their main stems tied to their host for support to prevent them being blown down in high winds. Unlike the large flowered hybrids that require a strict pruning regime, C. montana and its progeny are merely tidied up each year and kept within bounds.
The pruning of clematis is a much discussed subject, but in very general terms can be simplified. With large flowered hybrids, it is a question of pruning early flowering cultivars down to the ground after flowering. This enables them to produce wood during the summer that will then yield blossoms the following year. Those that do not come into bloom until well into the summer flower on the current season’s growth. Therefore these need cutting to the ground during early spring.
Most species, although being given a definite pruning sequence in gardening books, in practice are left to their own devices. Just keep them within bounds and remove dead, dying or weak growths. As the majority of gardeners grow their species clematis amongst shrubs, this is an easy and natural way of doing things. The only exception that I would make is the lemon peel clematis, C. orientalis. This is really much better if cut to the ground each spring. For the late summer this clematis is exceptional, producing its strange yellow flowers until the first sharp autumn frosts and following them with attractive silky seed heads that often persist into the winter creating a stark but beautiful sight when covered with hoarfrost or a dusting of snow. Clematis tangu-tica is another yellow-flowered species, but one which scarcely looks like a clematis. Its nodding blossoms are produced in abundance during mid-summer and are followed by beautiful spidery seed heads which are as soft as silk.
Innumerable other clematis deserve a place in the cottage garden, but none more so than C. cirrhosa. Given a sheltered corner facing west or south this splendid evergreen will produce its creamy-green flowers during early spring. It is a shy blooming plant in its formative life, but once established in a situation to its liking will cheer the gardener every spring with its delicate blossoms.
While there are exceptions, most clematis are equally at home on the house wall or scrambling freely amongst trees and shrubs. The selection of the variety to grow is purely a matter of personal taste. Success with clematis and all other climbers is dependent upon correct planting rather than any other factor. Climbers planted next to a wall will often have to contend with dry and dusty conditions where the soil is overhung by the eaves of the roof. Concrete wall foundations will interfere with root development as well. It is important to plant in a position that allows the climber to proceed to its support unimpeded, yet provides for amenable soil conditions.
When the soil is very dry a generous quantity of peat should be incorporated to retain moisture and aid initial establishment. Root interference is a problem that also arises when a climber is planted near the base of a tree. During the summer the leaf canopy effectively keeps moisture from the roots of the newly planted climber too, so great care must be taken in selecting the planting site. It is much better to plant a climber or scrambler 60—75 cm (2-2-1/2 ft) from its support and trail the initial growths along the ground rather than try to establish it in dry soil between spreading roots. In any event, the watering of newly planted climbers is essential until they have become well established.
