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Clematis, lush and lovely and as tough as almost any plant we can grow. Climbing and herbaceous, clematis give us lavish summer displays and are also stars of the winter garden, whether large flowered or delicate, clematis astound in their variety. One thing is for sure, once you begin with clematis, the collecting bug can take hold and it is almost impossible to stop!
Clematis are one of the most useful plants in the garden, their climbing habit makes them ideal companions for spring flowering shrubs, they can be used to clothe ugly walls and fences, to scramble over an arbour or shed, and to bring something special to the border.
The climbing clematis can help us to lift our gardens above the horizontal, giving invaluable height behind seats, on tripods and obelisks and pergolas. Especially in smaller gardens, where the foot of a wall might be shady and cool, clematis is a civilised (i.e. not thorny or rampant) climber that will bring interest and colour. Deciduous clematis are ideal on a pergola or trellis in an area where you want to enjoy summer shade or privacy but to admit winter sun.
You can use clematis in the border where they make wonderful companions for perennials such as phlox and cimicifugas, lavatera, bulbs (such as alliums) and shrub roses. Harmonise or contrast colours and flower shapes. For drama and impact try pairing dark purple Clematis 'Honora' or magenta C. 'Princess Diana' clematis with the lovely yellow pokers Knifophia 'Little Maid' or 'Lemon Green, and Rosa 'Sally Holmes'. For harmonising colours with plenty of zap, try Cotinus 'Royal Purple' with Clematis 'Etoile Rose'.
'Daniel Deronda'
Another original use is to combine clematis with another climber, say a wisteria, to give another season of bloom. Consider pruning requirements - winter pruned roses and clematis combine well, but spring pruned Chaenomeles will cause a headache if you need to avoid pruning out all the flowering wood a the later clematis!
The key to growing healthy clematis is the soil and aspect. Clematis need a good nutrient rich soil, plenty of water and a moisture retentive but well-drained soil. No wet feet, please!
Clematis, as with most climbers, prefer to have cool roots and their heads in the sun. Mulching the root area, particularly with good compost, will help to cool and improve moisture retention. A large stone, paving slab will also provide a cool root run. Pruning needs vary according to the season of flower and the parent species. One good reason to prune or to encourage new growth is to clothe the 'legs' of the clematis and all the new growth and flowers tend to develop at the top of unpruned plants.
It is the spectacular blooms of the large flowered, summer clematis that most of us recognise. These hybrids are available in seemingly infinite variety of colours and hybrids can be found that will produce large, some dinner plate sized, blooms in early summer through until autumn.
The flowers that we admire are not really petals but sepals that surround the much smaller flower.
'Kiri Te Kanawa'
Clematis is a widespread family, found through out most of the world. New Zealand has several wonderful species, some only now becoming widely available. The well-known Clematis indivisa (C. paniculata of gardens) is widely available. You can also find C. foetida, C. forsteri, C. marmoraria and hybrids, C. x cartmanii (often available as C. x c. 'Joe') and others. The native clematis are never happier than when allowed free reign in a group of small trees, say on a boundary, or a cool, generous root-run and an archway to climb over. Do remember that they resent being fiddled with and leave them alone - pruning is not for kiwi clematis!
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Clematis marmoraria hybrid against corrugated iron, very Kiwi |
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'Gipsy Queen'
NZ Native Clematis indivisa
(syn. C. paniculata of gardens) |
Cultivation
Planting
Soak your new plant in a bucket of water before planting, making sure that the soil is thoroughly wet (but don't leave it overnight, and hour or two is long enough.
Dig a planting hole 45cm (18in) in diameter and the same deep. Break up the bottom of the hole and add a handful blood and bone and cover with well-rotted manure or compost and then more garden soil. Check that the plant, still in its pot, sits below the soil level of the garden by about 15cm (6in).
Slit the planter bag open or tip the plant from its pot. If the roots have circled inside the container, leave them be, teasing them out damages them and they will grow new roots over the old. Fill the hole with soil, burying the plant by approx. 15cm (6in), and gently firm the soil with your foot.
The reason for burying the plant is that clematis can suddenly wither and die when attacked by clematis wilt, a fungal disease. Plants that are well-established below ground will often send up new shoots and your treasured clematis will live to flower another day. The chances of such a revival are diminished if you plant at the same level as the original container.
You can sink a pot into the planting hole beside the clematis plant to allow watering deep to the roots.
Large flowered hybrids should be cut back after planting, prune to the lowest pair of buds. Naturally single stemmed they will then form a more bushy plant than if left to straggle upwards. Clematis species will naturally break out and form a bushy plant.
Planting against walls presents a difficulty; as walls are very dry at the foot and clematis need moist soils to thrive. If you are planting against a wall then plant at least of 25cm (10in) from the wall, and use a pea stick to guide the plant to the climbing frame or wires.
Always plant on the shady side of a wall, never where the roots will be baked against a hot, sunny wall as clematis need moist soil around their roots. | |
Clematis chrysocoma v. serica | |
