It is August and time to enjoy our gardens, sit down, look around and dream of next year. We probably have had failures and successes. Visiting flower shows like Chelsea, Hampton Court and Tatton Park provides great examples of what can be done. On holiday, visit gardens and bring back ideas.
One of my dreams is to have a clematis flowering every month of the year. Not possible you might say. I hope to prove you wrong. Out come the gardening books and away I go.
Below is a list of what I found, starting from June. (C = Clematis)
June - C.Montana wilsonii (earlyJune), C. Candy, Miss Bateman, Guernsey Cream and Proteus
July - C.orientalis, Bill MacKenzie, tangutica varieties, C.uncinata Perle D'Azure, Prince Charles
August - orientalis or tangutica varieties, Bill MacKenzie, C.rehdriana, C.texansis hybrid Gravetye Beauty, C.triternata Rubromarginata Viticella var. e.g.Madame Julia Carrevon
Two that do well In my garden and flower from May well into September are C .integrifolia Arabella, a shrub variety that will scramble happily in the border and can be used for ground cover and C.Daniel Derondo, beautiful shades of blue.
September and October - the viticella varieties like Bill MacKenzie keep flowering with their lemon colour and lemon peel structure.This will keep looking interesting with its spidery puff ball seed heads (wonderful for flower arranging ) well into late October. A real gem.
Through the winter you want one of the C.cirrhosa varieties. Freckles and Wisley Cream are two of the best. Wisley Cream starts to bloom in early December in a sheltered spot and can flower into March and April. It is evergreen and dormant in summer but in winter it is a delight with its nodding white bell shaped heads at a miserable time of yea. Well worth looking for. Put it on your Christmas wish list. These will take us through January and February and into March.
March - C.armandii if pruned correctly will give you billowing clouds of almond scented flowers. Cut down after flowering, it will produce more flowers and less leathery leaves next time. Varieties to look for are Enham Star and Apple Blossom.
April - at this time there are also good C.alpinas varieties including deep blue free flowering Francis Rivas, Constance or Pamela Jackman. Another must is C. Macropetalas e.g.Lagoon.
Finally, we are into May. This is the month for Clematis Montana, one of the most reliable, robust and easy to grow. A must for beginners. Several varieties are available and they are easy to trim.
I hope this will help you to start growing clematis and apologies for all the long names. There are lots more out there. Good hunting!
Hazel Wyatt
One of my dreams is to have a clematis flowering every month of the year. Not possible you might say. I hope to prove you wrong. Out come the gardening books and away I go.
Below is a list of what I found, starting from June. (C = Clematis)
June - C.Montana wilsonii (earlyJune), C. Candy, Miss Bateman, Guernsey Cream and Proteus
July - C.orientalis, Bill MacKenzie, tangutica varieties, C.uncinata Perle D'Azure, Prince Charles
August - orientalis or tangutica varieties, Bill MacKenzie, C.rehdriana, C.texansis hybrid Gravetye Beauty, C.triternata Rubromarginata Viticella var. e.g.Madame Julia Carrevon
Two that do well In my garden and flower from May well into September are C .integrifolia Arabella, a shrub variety that will scramble happily in the border and can be used for ground cover and C.Daniel Derondo, beautiful shades of blue.
September and October - the viticella varieties like Bill MacKenzie keep flowering with their lemon colour and lemon peel structure.This will keep looking interesting with its spidery puff ball seed heads (wonderful for flower arranging ) well into late October. A real gem.
Through the winter you want one of the C.cirrhosa varieties. Freckles and Wisley Cream are two of the best. Wisley Cream starts to bloom in early December in a sheltered spot and can flower into March and April. It is evergreen and dormant in summer but in winter it is a delight with its nodding white bell shaped heads at a miserable time of yea. Well worth looking for. Put it on your Christmas wish list. These will take us through January and February and into March.
March - C.armandii if pruned correctly will give you billowing clouds of almond scented flowers. Cut down after flowering, it will produce more flowers and less leathery leaves next time. Varieties to look for are Enham Star and Apple Blossom.
April - at this time there are also good C.alpinas varieties including deep blue free flowering Francis Rivas, Constance or Pamela Jackman. Another must is C. Macropetalas e.g.Lagoon.
Finally, we are into May. This is the month for Clematis Montana, one of the most reliable, robust and easy to grow. A must for beginners. Several varieties are available and they are easy to trim.
I hope this will help you to start growing clematis and apologies for all the long names. There are lots more out there. Good hunting!
Hazel Wyatt
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