Gardener’s

Andy Eddy, Head Gardener at Osterley Park & House, writes

Of the many climbing plants that we grow in our gardens clematis has to be one of the most popular and most beautiful. These gloriously coloured members of the buttercup family – ranunculaceae –are stalwart performers in any garden whether large or small and can be grown in pots or containers very successfully also. Some need careful pruning whilst others can be left to romp away through shrubs and trees, climbing towards the light to flower with their heads in the sun.

The clematis we see here is a variety named Rebecca and we grow it here at Osterley, very successfully, in a large rectangular container which makes it easier to prune lightly at the end of the winter, removing about a foot all over and to tidy any wayward growth.

There are many kinds of clematis and many need pruning at different times of the year but all of these simple instructions can usually be found on the label and if not can easily be found online. The beauty of this variety Rebecca is that it not only flowers prolifically in the spring and summer but also repeat flowers right through the rest of the year adding an extra layer of display and as a backdrop to summer plantings. Many of the species types in this very varied family also produce the most striking seedheads – fluffy concoctions – that persist right through the seasons adding greatly to the winter display. As they have adapted, in the wild, to grow through trees it is advisable to mimic these growing conditions as closely as possible, thus they like their heads – flowers – in the sun but like some shade at the roots - a stone or piece of slate should suffice.”