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The Clematis 2010

The Journal of The British Clematis Society Editor: Brian Collingwood

http://www.britishclematis.org.uk RHS Affiliation No. 10586944

Registered Charity No. 1049107

Opinions expressed by Authors, or products advertised are not specifically endorsed by the Society or its Editor

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The Clematis 2010

Contents

I: YOUR SOCIETY From Your Editor …………………………………………………… Brian Collingwood

Who Does What in the BCS 2009 ……………………………………… BCS Committee

From Your Chairman …………………………………………………Denise MacDonald

Financial Summary ……………………………………………………… Charles E. Hills

Minutes of the 20th Annual General Meeting …………………………… BCS Committee

BCS International Trials Results: Year 2008 Planting ……………………… Everett Leeds

II: CLEMATIS IN THE GARDEN Clematis Corner …………………………………………………………… Mike Brown

Winter 2009/10 – What Winter? …………………………………………… Glenis Dyer

Clematis in our Garden …………………………………………………Charne Griffiths

In the Country of the Blind ………………………………………………… Brian Cromie

Clematis Make Trees Blossom …………………………………………… Erika Mahhov

Expanding the Range of Clematis in my Garden …………………………… Joan Dupuis

My experiences with ‘Dawn’ and Her Seedlings ………………………… Finn Røsholm

The Beauty of Clematis Seed Heads………………………………………… Bernard Allen

Clematis Festival at Wolfheze ……………………………………………… Everett Leeds

Touring Gardens in the South of England …………………………………… Sue Reade

Great Clematis Websites: Clematis On the Web ……………………………… Penny Vogel

Image: Clematis uncinata at Great Dixter ………………………………… Aidan Armitage

III: CLEMATIS CULTIVARS/SPECIES/GROUPS Wild populations of Clematis occidentalis var. grosseserrata………………………Alison Merritt

Clematis tianshanica …………………………………………………………Vojtěch Holubec

Clematis Jewels in Florida……………………………………………… Frederick B. Essig

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The Clematis 2010 Why grow Clematis florida? ……………………………………………… Brian Collingwood

Clematis ochotensis of Mount Fuji ……………………………………… Mariko Nakanishi

Clematis flammula …………………………………………………………… John Feltwell

Clematis parviloba var. bartlettii …………………………………………… Aidan Armitage

C. montana: News from ‘By The Way’ ……………………… Valerie Le May Neville-Parry

C. chiisanensis ……………………………………………………………… Aidan Armitage

Image: large-flowered hybrid seedling newly germinated ……………… Brian Collingwood

IV: CLEMATIS PROPAGATION AND HYBRIDISATION Growing Unusual Clematis from Wild Collected Seed …………………… Aidan Armitage

My Clematis from Seed ………………………………………………… Tetsuya Hirota

Variations on a Theme of Clematis viticella – Raising New Plants from Seed …… John Skill

101

Some Notes on Growing Clematis from Seed ………………………… Brian Collingwood

105

V: NEW CLEMATIS REGISTRATIONS New Clematis Registrations between July 2009 and June 2010 …………… Duncan Donald

108

VI: THE VIORNAE Image: Clematis texensis as a very young seedling ……………………… Brian Collingwood

110

Clematis Flowers in Small Packages …………………………………………… Carol Lim

111

Once Upon A Time in America …………………………………………Keith Treadaway

116

A Hard Scrabble Life: Clematis baldwinii……………………………………… Fran Palmeri

128

CONCLUDING ITEMS International Clematis Society 2010 Report …………………………… Ken Woolfenden

133

Quick Clematisword

134

Bengt Sundström

136

Acknowledgements & Dedication

137

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The Clematis 2010

SECTION 1 – YOUR SOCIETY From Your Editor Brian Collingwood

elcome to The Clematis 2010. ‘Thank you’ once again to everyone, home and overseas, who has contributed to this 2010 edition of our Society’s annual Journal, The Clematis. BCS is pleased to present a wide range of articles – garden clematis culture; items that focus on specific species, or groups in Clematis; growing clematis in other countries and much more. As in previous years, many of our best and most enjoyable articles have been penned by unsung BCS members and everyday gardeners – no formal expertise required: so, if you have something to say or write about clematis, please let me know and I will gladly include as much as possible in these pages. Thus, whether your particular appreciation is in the culture, propagation, breeding, history or even the more technical aspects of Clematis, I hope you will find something here of interest and enjoyment. You – our members – can greatly assist the Society this year and in future years: the BCS needs clematis lovers to come forward to occupy essential positions on the Executive Committee. As I write, we are seeking a new Honorary Secretary; Honorary Treasurer, and other Officers. The duties are not onerous, but the benefits to the Society are very significant. You do not at all have to be an ‘expert’ to become involved – the only important thing is a desire to further the aims of the BCS. Please telephone Denise (MacDonald) for an informal chat; Denise will gladly explain which positions are available and what is entailed. Late news: I am re-writing a portion of my Editor’s Notes as I have today learned, with the greatest regret, of the sad loss of our dear friend and distinguished clematis colleague Bengt Sundström, of Sweden. (See page 136) Everyone connected with the BCS would like to send their sincerest condolences to Karin, Bengt’s wife, and to her family. This news has come on the day our Journal goes to press and circumstances therefore limit the content of this message; I at this time can only add that Bengt will be missed greatly, and that Karin and the family are in our hearts and in our thoughts. It seems appropriate to close these Notes with some words from Bengt himself: ‘A nice family to love. Good friends to enjoy. Meaningful stimulating job. What more can you ask of life?’ Brian Collingwood

Articles for 2011 Items for The Clematis 2011 to: B. Collingwood, bcollingwood@ntlworld.com Handwritten submissions are most welcome. 600 words are suitable for a shorter article. If submitting technical articles, please include explanation that will aid the lay reader. COPYRIGHT OWNERSHIP OF THE CONTENT OF THIS PUBLICATION RESIDES WITH THE RESPECTIVE AUTHOR OR AUTHORS. THE REPRODUCTION OF ANY PART IS FORBIDDEN WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION. PLEASE CONTACT THE EDITOR FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

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The Clematis 2010

Join Us The British Clematis Society Journal, Newsletters, Advisory Service, Seed Exchange, Lectures, Slide Shows, Pruning Demonstrations, Display Gardens, Lists of Clematis Nurseries and Open Gardens, Plant Sales, Tours

Membership runs from January 1st to December 31st each year Single Membership Family Membership Personal membership 2 persons at same address UK £20.00 UK £25.00 Europe £25.00 Europe £30.00 Rest of World £30.00 Rest of World £35.00 Junior (under 16) £10.00 Life Member Single (UK only) £250.00 Joint Life Membership (UK only) £325.00

Application to join should be made to: The Membership Secretary Glenis Dyer, Elm Close, Binton Road, Welford-on-Avon, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire CV37 8PT. Tel 01789 750793 email:

glenisdyer@btinternet.com

Cheques payable to ‘The British Clematis Society’ Overseas payments by Eurocheque, Bank Draft, International Money Order (in Sterling), Internet (Paypal) Or simply use your credit card at our Website

http://www.britishclematis.org

RHS Affiliation No. 10586944

Registered Charity No. 1049107

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The Clematis 2010

Who Does What in the BCS, 2010/11

BCS EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBERS AND THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES: Chairman Denise MacDonald, 2 Ravensbourne Avenue, Shortlands, Bromley, Kent BR2 0BP Tel: 0208 460 1820 email: amacdo0530@ntlworld.com Vice Chairman Charne Griffiths, Haselour Cottage, Harlaston, Tamworth, Staffordshire. B79 9JT Tel 01827 383613 email: charnegrif@aol.com Membership enquiries Glenis Dyer, Elm Close, Binton Road, Welford-on-Avon, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire CV37 8PT Tel: 01789 750793 email: glenisdyer@btinternet.com Hon Secretary Karen Park, 7 Kirkleas Road, Surbiton, Surrey KT6 6QJ Tel: 0208 390 3946 email: karenepark@gmail.com Finance – Treasurer Charles Hills 7 Florence Avenue, South Wigston, Leicester, LE18 4LQ Tel: 0116 278 3274 email: charlesehills@aol.com Show Co-ordinator and Sales Tablc Sylvia Currie Little John’s, Muntham, Itchingfield, Barnes Green, West Sussex RH13 7NM Tel 01403 731513 email: sylvia.mc@live.co.uk Newsletter Editor Jack Gittoes Rosebay, Holly Lane, Bull Hill, Lymington, Hants SO41 5QZ Tel 01590 677491 email: jgittoes@btinternet.com BCS Website – www.britishclematis.org.uk Steve Christmas 6 Hawthorne Close, Grateley, Hampshire, SP11 8JL Tel. 01264 889735 email: steve@schristmas.freeserve.co.uk Sunbury Walled Garden Co-ordinator Denise MacDonald 2 Ravensbourne Avenue, Shortlands, Bromley, Kent BR2 OBP Tel 0208 460 1820 email: amacdo0530@ntlworld.com Journal Liaison Charne Griffiths Haselour Cottage, Harlaston, Tamworth, Staffordshire B79 9JT Tel: 01827 38361 email: charnegrif@aol.com

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The Clematis 2010 National Garden of Wales Co-ordinator Vacant at present. Anyone interested in this position is invited to telephone the Chairman for an informal chat. Journal Advertising co-ordinators Liz Gibbison Saffron Gate, Tickers Heath, Alfold, Surrey GU6 8HV Tel 01483 200219 email: davidgibbison@btinternet.com Annett Stevens 8 Farm Walk, Ash Green, Guildford, Surrey GU12 6HX Tel 01252 319305 Seed Exchange (& Help Desk enquiries via Internet) Mike Brown Clematis Corner, 15 Plough Close, Shillingford, Wallingford, Oxon. 0X10 7EX Tel 01865 858721 email: clematiscorner@btinternet.com Non-Committee members with Responsibilities Editor of BCS Journal The Clematis Brian Collingwood 11, Mirfield Drive, Monton, Eccles, Manchester M30 9LH Tel 0161 950 5329 email: bcollingwood@ntlworld.com Clematis Helpdesk - enquiries regarding Clematis cultivation or identification Steve Gilsenan 31 Sefton Lane, Maghull, Merseyside L31 8AE Tel 0151 5203310 email: not available Payments for Seed Glenis Dyer Elm Close, Binton Road, Welford-on-Avon, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire CV37 8PT Tel 01789 750793 email: glenisdyer@btinternet.com Slide Librarian Ken Woolfenden 3 Cuthberts Close, Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire EN7 5RB Tel 01992 636524 email: ken.woolfenden@dial.pipex.com Distribution of Newsletter and back copies of the Journal Charne Griffiths Haselour Cottage, Harlaston, Tamworth, Staffordshire B79 9JT Tel: 01827 38361 email: charnegrif@aol.com Helmsley Walled Garden Co-ordinator Ron Kirkman 86 Under Lane, Grotton, Saddleworth, Oldham, Lancs., OL4 5RN. Tel. 0161 633 9732 email: ronkirkman@hotmail.co.uk Sales Table & Distribution Sylvia Currie Little John’s, Muntham, Itchingfield, Barnes Green, West Sussex RH13 0NH Tel 01403 731513 email: sylvia.mc@live.co.uk

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The Clematis 2010 Publicity/Publications and Trials Grounds photographer Bernard Allen 32 Hollybrow, Selly Oak, Birmingham, B29 4LX Tel 0121 476 5725 email: bernard.allen2@btinternet.com Trial Grounds Co-ordinator & Speakers Panel Everett Leeds Flat 1, 4 Hardwicke Road, Reigate, Surrey RH2 9AG Tel 01737 247399 email: everett@leeds-family.co.uk Membership Badges William Davies 12 Oakway Drive, Frimley, Surrey GU16 8LF Tel 01276 28630 email: william.davies24@yahoo.com Local Groups Co-ordinator Charne Griffiths Haselour Cottage, Harlaston, Tamworth, Staffordshire B79 9JT Tel: 01827 38361 email: charnegrif@aol.com Regional Representatives Northern Group Sue Reade 123, Andover Avenue, Middleton, Manchester M24 1JQ Tel. 0161 643 2985 email: sue.reade@uwclub.net Midland Group Josie Hulbert ‘Trentham’, 56, Haden Park Road, Cradley Heath, Warley, West Midlands B64 7HE Tel. 01384 633220 email: Jjhulbert1@aol.com Wessex Group Valerie Le May Neville-Parry Lodge Drove, Woodfalls, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP5 2NH Tel 01725 511931 email: val@lmnp.co.uk South East Group Pam Davies 12 Oakway Drive, Frimley, Surrey GU16 8LF Tel 01276 28630 email: william.davies24@yahoo.com East Anglia Group Julia Thornton (Secretary) 19 Hilltop Close, Rayleigh, Essex SS6 7TD Tel 01268 743898 email: julia.thornton@gmail.com Linda Crowther (Chairman) 11 Norton Mandeville, Ingatestone, Essex CM4 0LN Tel 01277 822883 email: ljc:.1@btinternet.com All other matters which do not fall into the areas of responsibility set out above please contact Hon Secretary, details page 3.

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The Clematis 2010

Chairman’s notes Denise MacDonald

he unexpected resignation of our Chairman David Victor (due to both his wife’s and his own ill health) led to Mike Brown stepping up: this was a source of guidance to Committee through the following six difficult months. David had also been acting as Hon. Secretary; however, Karen Park agreed to return to this post for a year, with Charles Hills continuing for a further year as Treasurer. We urgently need to fill both these positions as they are vital to the smooth running of our Society. David had started work on the much needed updating of the BCS Constitution and in addition was directing Committee in reviewing our charitable status. The work on the Constitution is now almost completed, and should be ready for ratification by the Society at the 2011 AGM. I am most grateful to the sub-committee of Everett Leeds, Mike Brown and William Davies for all their help with this task and for the legal advice of our pro-bono solicitor Richard Barker, who has so generously given of his valuable time. With regard to our charitable status, work continues on setting up bursaries at horticultural colleges to encourage students to study Clematis and we have made contact with Wakehurst Place to ask how we can help ensure that seed of a greater number of clematis species is held in their collection. The Committee has also been looking at ways to reduce the cost of running the Society as, worryingly, costs currently exceed income, we will report on this at the AGM. I would like here to express my thanks to all the Committee members for their unstinting hard work. In 2010 we have had successful stands at the Ardingly, Malvern and Tatton shows as well as the second mini-Festival in the Walled Garden at Sunbury. Members also enjoyed clematis weekends in Northumberland and Norfolk. Regional groups continue to flourish and progress with the new East Anglia group joining the ever popular Wessex, Northern and Midland groups. The new Surrey/Sussex/Kent group is slowly getting up and running and Margaret Morris is looking to form one for the South West. Thank you to everyone who has helped with these important initiatives. We welcome to Committee Annette Stevens, Sue Reade, Bernard Allen and Vicki Matthews. Sue and Bernard will continue with their current positions as co-ordinator of the Northern Group and Publicity Officer respectively, whileVicki is returning to Committee after several years’ absence. We still need to find new Committee members as many of the current group are reaching the end of their second three year term. Help also needed to set up and man the stalls at shows and events, and also with behind-thescenes jobs such as packing/posting the Newsletter envelopes, and securing adverts for the Journal. Many of the old faithful are now seniors and some younger volunteers with fresh ideas would be very welcome. Please do not feel shy, or that you do not have enough knowledge – we have all ‘learned on the job’. Thirteen years ago I attended the Hampton Court Flower show and, enchanted by the Society display, became a member; I had three clematis, knew nothing and wondered how I could even come to any meetings with all those ‘clever people’ – and I am still learning! I never dreamed I would some day be asked to stand as Chairman, and feel very honoured to have been elected to follow in the footsteps of the previous incumbents. Thank you for your support. 6

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The Clematis 2010 TREASURER’S ANNUAL REPORT 2010 RESULTS FOR THE YEAR 2009

he Society made a loss of £665 (2008: surplus £2092). The loss of income over expenditure was attributable to the following factors: a drastic reduction in interest rates on the Society funds, increased costs – particularly postage – and reduced sales income. Volunteers still continue to undertake the majority of day-to-day administration of the Society affairs, which would be expensive to provide if the Society had to pay for external provision of the services.

Subscriptions Seed Donations Gift Aid Membership Renewal cost Competitions Publications Journal less Advertising Newsletters Website, press release, and nursery list Trial Ground Office overheads Overheads support Governance others Trustees exps Talks & Gardens Events Shows Investment Income

Budget Actual 2010 2009

Budget Actual 2009 2008

Actual 2007

£000 11.0 1.5 0.4 1.8

£000 11.6 1.8 0.5 2.0

£000 11.3 1.6 0.5 1.9

£000 11.6 1.8 0.5 2.0

£000 11.8 1.7 0.7 2.5

(1.3) (0.3)

(1.4) (0.3)

(6.8) (4.0)

(6.4) (3.6)

(6.3) (3.8)

(6.4) (3.6)

(4.5) (3.9)

(0.4) (0.2) (0.8) (1.5) (0.6) (1.1) 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.5

(0.7) – (0.7) (1.5) (0.5) (1.1) 0.1 0.1 0.2 1.8

(0.4) (0.2) (0.7) (1.4) (0.5) (1.0) 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.8

(0.7) – (0.7) (1.5) (0.5) (1.1) 0.1 0.1 0.2 1.8

(0.4)

(1.5)

2.0

0.5

2.0

4.0

(0.8) (1.7) (0.8) (0.8) 0.2 0.1 0.1 1.8

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The Clematis 2010

Forecast for 2010 Whilst the Society still continues to attract new members, in line with majority of other Plant Societies, membership numbers continue to fall gradually. The finances of the Society still remain strong; however interest rates have fallen to virtually zero, which has had a major impact. Costs continue to rise, and events and shows are not so well supported, due to the economic climate caused by the recession The Committee continues to monitor costs and work within the reduced income. The number of national events has been reduced; however the local groups continue to operate very successfully. The Society is also faced with continuing changes and increased reporting requirements of our affairs in line with our Charitable status, and the Society maintain reserves to buy in support in the short term should this be necessary. The summarized accounts do not contain sufficient information to allow for a full understanding of the financial affairs of the Society. Copies of the Trustee’s Annual Report, Independent Examiner’s Report and Full Accounts can be obtained from the Treasurer: Charles E Hills, 7 Florence Avenue, South Wigston, Leicester, LE18 4LQ. Email: Charlesehills@aol.com

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The Clematis 2010 BRITISH CLEMATIS SOCIETY MINUTES OF THE 20th ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING HELD AT EXETER HALL ON SATURDAY, 27th MARCH 2010

1. Attendance – 73 members and guests were warmly welcomed by the Vice Chairman, Mike Brown. (a) Apologies for Absence were received from the Chairman, Brian Collingwood, Ron Kirkman and those sending proxy votes. (b) Proxy Votes Received. 31 members returned proxy votes, which nominated the chairman as proxy. A list of those members sending proxy votes was displayed at the meeting. 2. Minutes. (a) The minutes of the 19th AGM held on 28th March 2009, having previously been published, in the Journal 2009 were agreed by those present to be an accurate record and were duly adopted and signed by the Vice Chairman. Adoption proposed by Mike Brown and seconded by Aidan Armitage. Agreed unanimously. (b) Matters arising. The Vice Chairman indicated that such matters would be covered during the course of the meeting. 3. Chairman’s Address. Due to illness of the Chairman – David Victor was unable to attend and sent his apologies. In his absence his address was read out by the Vice Chairman – Mike Brown. The full text of David Victor’s Address was published in the BCS Newsletter May 2010. 4. Annual Accounts 2009. (Charles Hills) Abbreviated draft accounts were circulated in the February 2010 newsletter in which members were advised that final copies would be available on request by the 21st of February. Final approved accounts, which had been signed off as approved by the Independent Examiner were circulated at the meeting. There being no queries or questions to the Treasurer it was proposed that be adopted. Proposed by Val Adams and seconded by Roy Prior. Agreed unanimously.

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The Clematis 2010 5. Report of the Membership Secretary. (Glenis Dyer) The Membership Secretary gave the listed membership position as 716 of which 76 were still outstanding. Hence current fully paid up members were 640. The Membership Secretary advised that as it is not uncommon for some members to overlook renewal of their membership a final reminder is sent to late payers with final removal from the database in July/August. The question of membership fees was raised. It was pointed out that they had remained at their current level for some 8 years, while costs had increased and income streams fallen. As a result the newsletter now amounted to over 40% of subscription income and the Journal (net of advertising revenue) for 70% resulting in a projected deficit for 2010. While in the short term this deficit can be funded from reserves this is not a sustainable proposition in the long term. Hence in addition to reducing costs where possible and seeking alternative sources of revenue, the committee felt that consideration be given to increasing the membership fee. Following a lively debate it was finally proposed that from 1st January 2011 the basic membership fee be increased to £20 with pro-rata increases for the other membership classes and the fees to be reviewed again in five years i.e. in 2015. Proposed by Roy Prior and seconded by Everett Leeds. Agreed unanimously 6. Trials Ground Results. (Everett Leeds.) Following a very successful year three clematis were awarded Certificates of Commendation, ‘Kaaru’, ‘Stephanie’ and ‘Buddy’. 7. Election of Officers. Because Mike Brown was not standing for re-election, this year it was not necessary to hand over the Chair. Also because there were no contested positions it was agreed that all the positions for election or re-election of committee members be dealt with in two motions as follows:-

Professor Margarita Alekseevna Beskaravainaja

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The Clematis 2010 Honorary Officers Chairman

Denise MacDonald: 2 Ravensbourne Avenue, Shortlands, Bromley, Kent BR2 OBP

Vice Chairman

Charne Griffiths: Haselour Cottage, Harlaston, Tamworth, Staffordshire B79 9JT

Hon Secretary

Karen Park: 7 Kirkleas Road, Surbiton, Surrey KT6 6QJ

Hon Treasurer

Charles Hills: 7, Florence Avenue, South Wigston, Leicester LE 18 4QL

Mem- Secretary

Glenis Dyer: Elm Close, Binton Road, Welford-on-Avon, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, CV37 8PT

Proposed by Pam Davies and seconded by Heather Cromie Executive Committee Members Annett Stevens: 8 Farm Walk, Ash Green, Guildford, Surrey GU12 6HX Victoria Matthews: 13 Chatsworth Close, PE6 8AZ Sue Reade: 123 Andover Avenue, Middleton, Manchester M24 1JQ

Proposed by Roy Prior and seconded by Fiona Woolfenden The meeting was advised that Elizabeth Gibbison will complete her first 3 year term at the end of 2010. Jack Gittoes, and Sylvia Currie have one year remaining of their second term of 3 years and Steve Christmas has 2 years remaining of his second term of 3 years. However volunteers were needed to take over from Charles Hills as Hon Treasurer and Glenis Dyer as Membership Secretary as at the end of 2010 as they will both have completed their 6 years terms of office and under the current constitution have to step down. In addition a volunteer was needed to take over the Hon Secretary role as Karen Park had only agreed to cover the position for up to one year while a replacement was found.

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The Clematis 2010 8. Appointment of Independent Examiner.

The appointment of an Independent Examiner for 2011 was deferred pending determination of where the accounts would be located, Charles Hills having already given notice that he will be retiring at the end of 2010 on completion of his 6 years in office. The AGM was duly closed by the Chairman with a vote of thanks for members’ attendance.

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The Clematis 2010

BCS INTERNATIONAL TRIALS GROUND REPORT – YEAR 2008 PLANTING RESULTS Everett Leeds

hree cultivars have achieved ‘Commended’ Certificates, gaining more than 70% of marks over a three year period. They are:C. ‘Poldice’ a viticella type raised by Charles Pridham in 2003 at his Roseland House Nursery in Cornwall having a score of 70.6% of the total marks available over the three year period. C. ‘Fukozono’ an herbaceous non-clinging shrub raised by Tetsuya Hirota of, Japan, in 1997, which scored 73.7%. C. ‘Zojapur’ JACKMANII PURPUREA an herbaceous non-clinging shrub raised by Wim Snoeijer in 2000 at the nursery of Jan van Zoest in Boskoop, The Netherlands. Our volunteer judges look at the individual plants and give up to a maximum of 10 points every time they visit (normally 2 or 3 times in the growing season). The scores are then added together and then converted into a percentage of the total amount of points that could have been awarded. A ‘Certificate of Merit’ is awarded where the score was 80% or over and a ‘Commended’ certificate is awarded where 70% and over is reached. Regarding the other plants in year 2008 the scores are as follows:C. ‘Kathryn Chapman’ 55.6%: C. ‘Vince Denny’ 63.7%: C. ‘Carol Leeds’: C. unnamed Blue Boy x Viola 62.7%: C. ‘Zoiamladyq’ I AM LADY Q 64.2%: C. ‘Zojogo’ JOLLY GOOD 62.1%: C. ‘Cassandra’ 68.9%. I have five spare spots to fill for the year starting 2011. I am looking for five cultivars and three plants of each cultivar to complete that year’s planting. If you have plants to enter please contact me either on email: everett@leeds-family.co.uk or phone +44 (0)1737 247399. I would like to thank all the volunteer judges for their help in keeping the trials a going concern. If you would like to join the happy band and help the Society to fulfil its aims, contact me as above. There is a saying ‘Many hands make light work’ and if you live within easy travelling distance (unlike some of our present judges) it would be a great help. There is no mystery about judging. All we ask is for your honest opinion on the plants in front of you reduced into a number between 1 and 10. Finally I would like to thank the RHS for making the trials ground available to us and especially the local staff who look after the Deers Farm site at Wisley. CORRECTION: Page 15 of the 2009 Journal – the details of C. ‘Stephanie’ and C. ‘Buddy’ were transposed! The details should have read: Moira and Steve Gilsenan have two cultivars both gaining a ‘Commended’ certificate. C. ‘Stephanie’ from a cross of C. koreana × C. turkestanica resulting in 70% of marks and C. ‘Buddy’ resulting from a cross of C. crispa × C. viticella, awarded 71.95%

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The Clematis 2010

C. ‘Poldice’

C. ‘Fukozono’

C. ‘Zojapur’ JACKMANII PURPUREA

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The Clematis 2010

The View from Clematis Corner Mike Brown UK

aving a minor health problem at the present time has somewhat restricted my movements this year and made me concentrate more on our garden and the need to rationalise the number of plants (clematis and other types) in containers. After much consideration and with a great deal of help from Anne, I now find that I probably have just as many clematis etc in containers as last year. So much then for the intensive rationalisation exercise. True, there are now a lot more clematis set in the ground than a year ago, but doing that released a number of containers that looked quite sad, so I succumbed to some impulse buying and also potted on a few score or so of my own seedlings, until I ran out of containers again. Perhaps it is an illness, this need to collect yet more clematis! I must be a masochist because the watering of containerised plants has been a pain for quite a few years now and I keep saying that I should forget clematis and take up growing cactus instead. This part of Oxfordshire has ‘Mrs Harvey’ © Ton Hannink 15

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The Clematis 2010 one of the lowest levels of rainfall in the country, so when it was reported on TV that July was one of the wettest on record, all I could reply was ‘what B*****Y rain?’ because we had virtually nothing at all. I swear that I am developing biceps like a gorilla through carrying so much water. I suspect that many of us had plant failures due to the previous long, cold and wet winter but with me, the Clematis terniflora

surprise was not how many (or few) clematis and other garden plants gave up, but which ones! With −17°C on one occasion and plenty of −10°C or more, C. florida var. flore-pleno (syn. C. florida ‘Alba Plena’) and C. florida var. sieboldiana both came through without trouble, whereas large established shrubs/trees of Sophora microphylla ‘Sun King’, Ceanothus and Garrya elliptica all failed. ‘Sun King’ really is dead but the other two did eventually sprout again at ground level. Both of my C. terniflora were also cut to ground level and both have come again. As they were late in starting, it will be interesting to see if they do manage to bloom as well as usual, this autumn. C. ‘Prosperity’ was also cut to the ground and then re-grew; but a mile or two down the road, in the garden of my eldest daughter, C. ‘Prosperity’ came through totally unscathed. Last year I started some trials with a variety of composts and hoped to complete it this year. However the drought conditions throughout spring and summer have made the trial meaningless, really. Mainly, I was comparing a wool and bracken based compost with composts of known quality, however, the erratic watering they ‘Rosea’

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The Clematis 2010 all received has resulted in none of the plants in any of the composts doing well. My fault entirely and nothing to do with the composts. However, I suspect, from using this wool and bracken based compost in other places (away from the trials), that Dalefoot Composts are a good alternative to any of the other peat-free composts. I must be getting soft because I have not had a moan yet; who or what can I have a go at? I know – misnaming of clematis, again. Ruth Gooch advised me that there are a number of quite different clematis being sold as C. ‘Rosea’ (syn. C. integrifolia ‘Rosea’). Charles Cheshire also mentioned it in his 2004 book on clematis. Perhaps that is why Charles did not include Denise MacDonald chats with Vicki Matthews and Richard Green during the recent IClS visit to Portland © Clematis on the Web

an image of ‘Rosea’ in his book. Sure enough, when I went round Garden Centres etc I collected quite a range of them, all bearing the same label. At this moment I am not certain which of them is the correct one, although I would like to think it is the one on page 116 of Barry Fretwell’s clematis book. It is not only the colour of the blooms that are different – the sizes and shapes of the flowers vary enormously too. If you check some of the clematis books that have been published in the last ten years, you will see what I am getting at. Unfortunately, I think we will find the same with other pink flowered Integrifolias, like ‘Floris V’ and ‘Pangbourne Pink’. The misnaming of the blue to purple varieties of the Integrifolias is even worse because there are so many of them, I just cannot keep up with them all. I am not suggesting that reputable clematis outlets are selling inferior seedlings as named varieties on purpose but with the blue to purple varieties at least, many of them are so similar that misidentification is bound to occur from time to time. On the other hand, I am fairly certain that some of the so-called ‘Rosea’s I collected were just seedlings, so there! No matter what us clematarians think about the misnaming of our favourite plant, there is little we can do about it. A lot more people holding National Collections might help, although, if we want to be really accurate, we must always refer back to the original herbarium specimen. Wouldn’t it be good if future editions of the Clematis Register included details of where the original herbarium specimen was held (for those clematis where a specimen exists)? Anyway, clematis still give me a great deal of pleasure despite misnaming problems and I hope that everyone else can enjoy them for as long as I have. 17

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The Clematis 2010

Winter 2009/2010? What winter? Glenis Dyer UK

ell, yes, it was pretty cold actually, yet it was absolutely amazing how well some of the plants came through winter and performed this year. We have many salvias in the garden, and the only one we lost was Salvia bethellii; all the others, when cut back very hard in April, responded gallantly and are now performing heroically (I had hedged my bets with S. bethellii and had a few cuttings in the cold greenhouse, all of which survived and which were planted out in June; one of them is in flower as I write). Even the Salvia patens varieties all came through safely, yet many gardeners regard salvia patens as an annual. True, some of the pittosporums suffered very badly, resulting in huge chunks being pruned out in late spring, yet these are now all sprouting vigorously from the base. Time for another ‘short back and sides’ next spring, I think.

Clematis ‘Silver Moon’

Image © Clematis on the Web

But what about our favourite genus? A few plants seem to have completely disappeared including a gorgeous light-blue Clematis crispa, and neither of my two C. ‘Arabella’ gave anything like its normal exuberant show. Yet some cultivars have excelled themselves. My three plants of C. ‘Guernsey Cream’ (a variety that I usually describe as ‘a bit of a 18

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The Clematis 2010 wimp’) produced the best display ever, C. ‘Silver Moon’ flowered and flowered – and is still flowering in the latter half of August. All the Integrifolias performed magnificently, and their seedheads are simply splendid just now. Every Viticella variety has been its usual reliable, floriferous self, the Texensis varieties have all flowered very well, apart from C. ‘Ladybird Johnson’, although mildew on C. ‘Gravetye Beauty’ and C. ‘Pagoda’ has disfigured much of the display this year as six weeks without rain took its toll. In fact C. ‘Sir Trevor Lawrence’ is better than it has been for years. C. × diversifolia ‘Hendersonii’, C. ‘Odoriba’, C. ‘Entel’ and C. ‘Étoile Rose’ simply cannot be faulted (except that C. ‘Odoriba’ gets mildew), and the flowers just continue coming. C. ‘Victoria’ was thoroughly worthy of the Clematis ‘Moonbeam’ Image © Clematis on the Web name, as always, and C. ‘Pastel Princess’ always seems to come up trumps, whatever the weather. As for my favourite section, the unstoppable Viornas, what can I say except that they are still positively burgeoning and will keep extending their flowering stems until the weather turns cold. C. ‘Cassandra’ is wafting her delicious perfume over the border, across from C. ‘New Love’, and two of the ‘tinies’, C. heracleifolia ‘Blue Dwarf ’ and C. heracleifolia ‘Pink Dwarf ’, are just coming into full flower; C. ‘Buckland Longshanks’, however, is very late this year, although it is just now opening up. Two normally totally reliable cultivars, C. ‘Alionushka’ and C. ‘Pamiat Serdtsa’, suffered desperately in the drought and ‘shut up shop’ early; as a result, we cut down many of the stems and they have come again very strongly, so hopefully will flower again in September or October. Another stalwart, C. ‘Betty Corning’, has also curtailed its flowering – most years it is still in flower now and goes on well into September. A couple of years ago, Mike gave me a young plant of Lady Llewellyn’s C. phlebantha, and this also survived last winter entirely unscathed, although it hasn’t flowered yet. The two new plants of ‘TRM’ (C. × triternata ‘Rubromarginata’) that were only planted in 19

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The Clematis 2010 mid-2009 not only both came through the winter but have wafted their delightful perfume through the garden for several weeks now. That particular variety I had tried twice before, with no luck, yet this time the plants survived last year’s hard frosts. Even C. ‘Pixie’ (several small plants of which I have outside), and C. ‘Moonbeam’ coped fairly well with the bad weather; neither of them flowered, but they have made conspicuous amounts of new growth. C. columbiana var. tenuiloba ‘Ylva’, one in a trough, the other in a raised bed, both came through and flowered, and I could hardly believe my eyes when a little C. hirsutissima ‘Rosea’ actually flowered (only one flower, true, but a gorgeous pink). C. fremontii is smugly happy in the cold frame, where its roots delve for long distances in the 30cm of sand into which it is plunged, while C. pitcheri on the raised bed outside the conservatory is flowering its heart out just now. We have even had a couple of clematis return to life after apparent demise. C. ‘Diana’ (no, NOT C. ‘Princess Diana’; this one is a large-flowered blue) reappeared, as did C. ‘Hanaguruma’ (a lovely clear pink), and also C. ‘Betty Risdon’. Was the hard winter responsible, too, for the amount of self-set seedlings that have appeared, particularly of the koreanas and montanas (we have NEVER had a montana seedling before, though lots of Atragenes and Viticellas have popped up over the years)? Gardening, and the genus Clematis in particular, certainly keeps us ‘on our toes’.

‘Blue Dwarf ’

Image © Clematis on the Web

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The Clematis 2010

Clematis in our Garden Charne Griffiths UK

hen I was asked to write something for the Journal my initial thought was that I do not have an extensive knowledge of Clematis, nor am I as dedicated a grower as a number of other members who spring to mind. Then it occurred to me that many other members might well share this perspective. Although clematis are my first love I like to grow them as part of the overall scheme in our informal cottage garden, and I rarely grow from seeds or cuttings. I also like to grow roses, geraniums, hostas and hemerocallis among others. Most of the hard work of construction, planting, and maintenance in our garden is done by my husband, Michael, due to my physical disabilities, and he is always suggesting that I concentrate on plants less challenging than clematis. However, the fascination remains! There are approximately 165 Clematis in our garden, including some in pots, either awaiting a home or needing nurturing. Clematis have to be tough to survive in the garden where they are grown with a wide range of other climbers, shrubs and perennials. They also need to be able to cope with the soil, which is almost solid clay in parts, and the wind – we are among fields and has only a limited amount of shelter in some areas.

Scanned picture of our garden, a quarter of a century ago

When we came to live here, 25 years ago, there were only sparse hedges on two sides and no trees. The south facing back garden was laid to lawn with a few shrubs surrounding the green expanse. The front garden was open grass to the lane edge with a row of small conifers dotted along it. Although we have retained and developed the embryo Leylandii 21

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The Clematis 2010

The garden, today

hedge on the eastern boundary and planted other hedges on the south and west, the local farmer has taken out the hedges and trees for almost a mile all around us, in the change from dairy farming to arable! Michael has put up a fence on the northern edge, as well as using fences and hedges to enclose areas within the garden. When I say that we have lived here 25 years it sounds a long time but the garden has evolved slowly over that time. In the first few years we focused on building work in the house and the garden covered less than half an acre, but after ten years we took in part of the field we had bought and the garden grew to around an acre. One of our first tasks was to create some shelter and break up the expanse of grass. It was also necessary to create some height, while the small trees that we had planted were growing. Old railway sleepers (obtained from my parents’ smallholding in North Wales) were set vertically in concrete on either side of the main path and strong netting was attached, to give support to climbers. The soil too has needed constant work to try to improve it. In spite of all this, clematis and other plants, with a few exceptions, have generally rewarded us for our efforts, and grown well. Last winter was particularly cold here, as in most parts of England, and there were many windy days as well. When spring eventually arrived I spent time anxiously watching for signs of growth on some of the clematis, while others seemed to show buds quickly. I expected them to be affected where they had been most exposed to the strong, cold winds but this was only true for one or two such as C. ‘Viola’ and C. ‘Royal Velours’. C. viticella ‘Flore Pleno’ (syn. ‘Mary Rose’) had managed to twist to the side of the 22

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The Clematis 2010 archway on which it is growing; it is a massive plant, at its highest totally covering the 9ft arch bought specifically for it. However it was happily budding up along the stems and from the ground in spite of its very exposed position in the garden. C. ‘Romantika’ and C. ‘Chatsworth’, which share an obelisk nearby, were also soon in evidence. The clematis on a new 22ft tunnel also reappeared from the ground, much to my relief, as they had only been planted during the previous summer. Even the Montanas were largely unaffected, apart from the one growing at the very top of the plum trees, which was cut back somewhat by the frost. This was bought, wrongly labelled, as C. montana ‘Marjorie’, but it is pink, scented and very large. I was surprised that the Montanas were less affected than some others, as, in a previous winter with only a few scattered hard frosts, they were taken back to the ground.

above and below C. viticella ‘Flore Pleno’

As the spring and summer progressed more and more clematis reappeared, including C. ‘Mikelite’. This plant had died back and disappeared in early summer 2009, much to my dismay, as I had grown it successfully for a few years on a trellis archway (which was also 23

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The Clematis 2010

C. ‘Aureolin’

C. ‘Chatsworth’

covered by a Virginia creeper). The clematis roots are lodged a good way from the creeper and I love the way the flowers peep out from amongst the tendrils. It has been small this year but I hope to build it up again for future years. On the other side of the archway C. VICTOR HUGO (‘Evipo007’) started into flower earlier than usual, in July. It grows up through a Jasmine which gives it support, as it is non-clinging. The flowers open at about 8 feet high, above the Jasmine, and the plant goes on flowering for some months, with the distinctive flower form showing up well in the greenery. Early/late flowerers do not do well in our garden, but C. ‘Jackmanii Alba’ (which in the past has only ever had later, single flowers) rewarded us with a fine show of double flowers from early June. C. ‘Blue Light’ grew from the ground, which meant a later flowering. I do not generally like double flowers and rarely buy them, knowingly, but I enjoy C. ‘Blue Light’ because it flowers throughout the summer and is compact and quietly pretty! C. ‘Viola’ recovered after some extra care, reappearing from the ground, though it needed some dead old stems removing – it would definitely benefit from better support on the brick pillar which hosts it, in future years. Despite the cold winter a number of other clematis grew rampantly this year, including C. ‘Emilia Plater’, which hangs in great swags along the vegetable garden fence. C. ‘Odoriba’, C. ‘Polish Spirit’, C. ‘John Treasure’ and C. viticella ‘Flore Pleno’ (syn. ‘Mary Rose’) also covered arches and walls while C. ‘Aureolin’ romped over an archway, flowering both in early and late summer, sparkling with silky seedheads after the flowers. Most of the Texensis Group flowered well this year too, including C. ‘Princess Diana’ and C. ‘Lady Bird Johnson’. The latter is a replacement plant for one I lost a few years 24

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The Clematis 2010

C. ‘John Treasure’

ago and is planted in a more sheltered and sunny site than the original. The one that did not flower was ‘Gravetye Beauty’; I think it needs moving (again) to a warmer, sunnier site. At the time of writing I am most excited about the C. texensis that has been growing and flowering in a pot, sheltered by the greenhouse. I have had the plant for two or three years but this year it has just formed its first viable seed. Although I do not often plant seed I am looking forward to sowing these particular ones, when they are ripe. Throughout the year I reflect from time to time on how I am managing the clematis and wonder if there are other things I could do to improve the growing conditions for my plants. We have started to plant new clematis in large bottomless pots sunk into the ground, to give them a chance to form good root systems before they have to compete with the other plants nearby. I seem to remember that this is something that Mike Brown suggested some time ago and, as our garden is now fairly crowded with plants, it should give the clematis a fighting chance. I have also used smaller pots with the bottoms cut out, to protect the stems above ground, but have recently found some green plastic slug guards which do a similar job and do not need cutting. They are invisible where perennials or annuals grow in front of them. I am also considering changing the way I water early/late flowerers, as I think watering them heavily after the flower buds have formed only inclines them more to wilt. I am going to try watering them well in the spring, followed by a covering of mulch to retain the moisture. Finally I must remember to cut away the top growth of those clematis that are exposed to harsh winds in the winter, in order to protect them and the structures on which they are growing. 25

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The Clematis 2010

‘In the Country of the blind…’ Brian Cromie UK ‘Downsizing’

henever I watch daytime television, I hear about older people ‘downsizing’ – usually in relation to house moves, leading to smaller furniture and getting rid of umpteen pictures or collections from more youthful enthusiasms. Now that I have well and truly joined the ranks of ‘older people’, I have already downsized houses and now it is the turn of the garden. One cannot really shrink a garden and we don’t want to move again, so it is more a question of reducing the work-intensive beds and accepting a bit more grass to cut. We have been trying to move, in stages, towards that horticultural myth of a ‘lowmaintenance’ garden for many years with gradual reduction of the flower beds and, last autumn, the garden contractors came in for a third time. This time they removed ten trees and five flower beds, which really should reduce the work required to keep the place tidy and a pleasure to look at. Admittedly, there is still a hectare of grass to cut but we have learnt to accept an appearance which is more like a playing field than a lawn, and mulching machines have reduced the need to collect grass. The only parts of the garden which have remained completely unchanged are the vegetable beds, where my wife, Heather, reigns supreme. With the loss of flower beds, there has inevitably been a marked reduction in the number of clematis in the garden. At our ‘Yellow Book’ peak, we had over 300 clematis; most of them clearly labelled. Now we are down to about sixty and many of those have labels which are so old that the names are indecipherable. Expertise With many fewer clematis in the garden, no more clematis talks to give and a generally failing memory, my knowledge of the subject has diminished. It hasn’t gone completely, but I no longer pontificate on clematis when walking round other people’s gardens, or give unasked-for advice to people looking at the clematis plants in a garden centre… However, being a member of the BCS makes me a marked man, tagged as a ‘clematis expert’ by fellow members of our village garden club and the local HPS branch. I am 26

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The Clematis 2010 certainly not an expert and never have been, but many gardeners find clematis confusing and, as H. G. Wells put it ‘In the Country of the Blind, the One-Eyed man is King’. This means that there is still a regular and continuing stream of queries on clematis, which come at meetings, in church, at drinks parties and whenever two or three people are gathered together in the village. One thing which makes life easier in dealing with these questions is that they nearly all fall into three or four main topics, so that little knowledge or original thought is required. I imagine that most BCS members get similar questions and everybody has his or her answers but I will list them for interest and comparison. Wilt (‘stem-rot’) This big (but largely undeserved) cloud hangs over the perception of clematis in the minds of many gardeners, making them ‘plants best to avoid’. I think that C. ‘Vyvyan Pennell’ and C. ‘Asao’ are the only ones that have suffered definite ‘wilt’ in my garden, although I have seen much more of mildew, snail damage and plants lost due to drought or various unknown reasons. None of that seems to put gardeners off as much as the dreaded ‘wilt’. Prevention is always better than cure and, as I have said elsewhere (The Clematis 2009 p. 21) it is advisable to avoid Group 2 clematis or, at least, to grow them in pots. For most gardeners, Group 3 should really be the core of their clematis growing. Pruning

C. ‘Vyvyan Pennell’

Another black cloud in the average gardener’s mind about clematis is the mystery of pruning. By only recommending Group 1 and Group 3, the process is greatly simplified and by reassuring them that no clematis ever died because it was not pruned, they should feel easier. Of course, the problem area is Group 2, where I usually suggest dead-heading the first flush of flowers and ‘light’ pruning in March, starting at the top and going down to the first or second of the really healthy looking buds. The difficulty is going round the garden in early spring and trying to remember which are Group 2 and which are Group 3. My suggestion is to label Group 2 with yellow plastic labels and Group 3 with white. Then the groupings are clear, even when the names on the labels have faded. People can also be reassured that it is no disaster if you prune the wrong way round: 27

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The Clematis 2010 Group 2 will probably have a later, single flowering and Group 3 might just get a bit straggly. Feeding I’m sure that everyone has their own regime which works for them. We more or less stick to mulching with garden compost in autumn and forking in Bone Meal or Blood, Fish & Bone in spring, followed by ‘Growmore’ or a foliar feed, such as ‘Maxicrop’, in early summer, if we get round to it. If people want more details, I recommend Ruth Gooch’s common-sense book Clematis, The Complete Guide. Clematis in pots need a bit more attention and we find liquid feeds the most convenient, using ‘Maxicrop’ in the watering once every month or so. We move to ‘Tomato Maxicrop’ when flowering is due. However, the greatest hazard with pots is under or over watering, and a soil moisture tester is helpful. It is very important to notice when

A ‘lower-maintenance’ garden!

water seems to go straight through, suggesting that all the soil has been used up and that re-potting, often with root pruning, is needed. Choice Many people have their own favourites that do well in their gardens, and which they tend to recommend when gardeners come up and ask ‘What is the best blue clematis that I can grow up this arch with an ‘Albertine’ rose?’, or something similar. However, not all 28

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The Clematis 2010 gardens are the same and it is a good idea to start with the clematis that have stood the test of time and are universally lauded. The recent list of garden-worthy favourites by BCS members (all Group 3!) or the Clematis for Beginners list, by the International Clematis Society, would be a good start. Many years ago, when we had just joined the BCS, there were a series of talks by gurus, such as John Howells and John Maskelyne, on ‘My Top 10 red clematis’ – or blue or yellow or white. These were a major influence on our early plantings and Heather still has the notes which she took at the time. Perhaps it is time to resuscitate these topics for future meetings. Conclusion One humbling thought at the end of all this is that people often remember what you have said, and have taken it as gospel. On many occasions gardeners have come up and reminded me of things that I said years ago and told me how my recommended clematis are faring. Fortunately, the ones that do this are generally favourable, so I suspect that the owners of disasters are too kind and tactful to let me know! References Clematis That Grow For Me Clematis, The Complete Guide

Brian Cromie: The Clematis 2009 p. 21 Ruth Gooch: The Crowood Press, Marlborough 2001

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The Clematis 2010

Clematis make trees blossom Erika & Aleksei Mahhov Estonia

hen, in Estonia, at the beginning of the 1960s, the interest towards Clematis surged, it was initially only for the large-flowered types. The small-flowered ones were not considered decorative enough. Only now (after some disappointments about the longevity of the large-flowered cultivars and the effort needed to keep them in good health) have people started to see the value of small-flowered clematis and to fully appreciate the richness of their colours and forms, their hardiness to cold and their resistance to diseases.

‘Ballet Skirt’ on a Thuja

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The Clematis 2010 We too, over the thirty-five years of our clematis experience, have lived through these stages. The majority of our collection of one hundred varieties are now Atragenes, Viticellas, Integrifolias and other small-flowered types. In our garden we have tried to use natural and living supports, raising clematis together with other plants, for example through shrubs or into small trees. This is especially suitable for small-flowered varieties, as those are not too demanding in respect of growing conditions and can survive the competition with the host’s roots for water and nutrients. Intertwining with the branches of their companion, they cover the host with a veil of blooms, or give the effect of a second flush of blossoms. Our favourites are those of the early-flowering Atragene Group. We have over twenty varieties of them, growing either as hedges over the fencing, or separately. A pink flowered Canadian cultivar C. ‘Ballet Skirt’ (Macropetala Group) leaning over an old Thuja (Thuja occidentalis) is a true eye-catcher. It flowers abundantly from late May until mid June, followed by a bonus – fluffy, silky seedheads, persisting until late autumn. The plant climbs over the outer surface of the Thuja, its stems only rarely entering the thick canopy of branches, except in order to wrap a few leaf-stalks around, here and there. It has never needed any additional support. As can be seen in the photo above, the plant has grown high and dense, reaching four or more meters. Sometimes, fearing that it could harm the host, we have even thinned the clematis out a little. This is not just a precaution – over the years we have experienced ‘host failures’ from time to time. Usually, Alpinas and Macropetalas are considered to be good partners for conifers 6 to 7 meters high. Based on this belief we planted a pink C. ‘Rosy O’Grady’ (Macropetala Group) at the trunk of a mature blue spruce (Picea pungens var. glauca). The tempered pink was a perfect match to the greyish-blue background of the spruce. It was very nice at first, but after 6 or 7 years we noticed that the branches immediately under the clematis had gone brown. We cut the clematis down, but it did not save the spruce. It became clear that on conifers it is better to plant those cultivars that can be cut down for winter. Otherwise, continuous pinching out and pruning is needed. The host needs some rest. Decorative types of cherry, plum or apple trees serve as excellent support plants. We let ‘Paul Farges’ – a cultivar with small, slightly scented flowers – grow into the high crown of a thirty years old paradise apple tree ‘Dolgo’ (Malus domestica). Its thousands of vanilla-white star-shaped flowers cover the tree like ‘Paul Farges’ on Paradise apple tree snow, inspiring the 31

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The Clematis 2010 commercial name of the variety – SUMMER SNOW. This ‘second blossoming’ of the apple tree lasts from July to October, when the white flowers of the clematis are mixed with bright red apples – a magnificent sight. We could, according to the rulebook, prune this clematis down to 0.5–1 meter, but we have left it untouched. The liane reaches 6 to 7m in height but the long stems mean the foliage is relatively sparse, and it does not burden the tree. ‘Paul Farges´ is not too demanding of nutrients either, and it is healthy and quite hardy. Some years ago, though, during a snowless winter, the stems froze to the ground – however the plant recovered nicely in the spring. The accommodating nature of the Tangutica Group is portrayed by this story about ‘Bill MacKenzie’. There is an old, about 12m high, low-branched birch tree in the corner of our garden. We knew, of course, that this tree with its dense root system and greedy consumption of water and food, would probably not be a good companion for a clematis. But, as it was difficult to find another place for a high-growing ‘Bill MacKenzie’ in our small town garden, we took a risk and planted it next to the birch. The result has been magnificent! ‘Bill’ has climbed up about 7m into the tree, decorating the tree every year with his golden-yellow lanterns of flowers followed by silky seedheads. Each year we cut one side of it back quite hard, leaving the other side almost intact. We alternate the sides each year. The uncut side flowers a couple of weeks earlier than the pruned side. This means it offers a marvellous sight even in October, when the birch has long since dropped its leaves. Only with the night frosts do the flowers become withered; however the seedheads persist for much, much longer. It is a hardy variety, having survived our cold winters without any winter covering. Clematis ‘Anita’ (C. potaninii var. fargesii × C. tangutica) with its small nodding bowl-shaped flowers is a newcomer in our garden. The white colour of its flowers make it an exception among plants related to the yellow‘Bill MacKenzie’ on a birch tree flowered Tangutica Group. 32

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The Clematis 2010

‘Anita’ on a Mountain Pine (Pinus mugo)

It is 3–4 m high, blossoming during the second half of the summer from August to October, often even until the first snows. A mature plant is hardy to the cold, however we have been covering the younger ones in the colder winters with dry leaves and a sheet of waterproof material. The cold climate is a further reason why we cut down all the clematis of pruning group 3 in autumn – the plants are easier to protect from cold. We have noticed also that the plants are healthier when treated this way. By late autumn our yellow Thuja occidentalis ‘Rheingold’ is adorned by the white pitcher-shaped flowers of the world famous Estonian cultivar ‘Kaiu’. Hardy and healthy, ‘Kaiu’ is trouble-free for any gardener. The same Thuja is also carrying a ‘Pamiat Serdtsa’ with its relatively large bell-shaped amethyst-violet flowers. A row of Viticellas next to lilac bushes (Syringa vulgaris) has lost its power over the years, despite the fact that we lined the planting hole with boards, to protect the roots. (See note at end of article.)

‘Princess Diana’, ‘Duchess of Albany’ and ‘Gravetye Beauty’ are displaying their tulip-shaped goblets of flowers on a low Pinus pumila; in addition we have ‘Betty Corning’ and ‘Rooguchi’, which have also found a place on our low evergreen bushes. ‘Rubra’ (Viticella Group) is blossoming nicely on an old cherry tree. These are just some examples of the smaller-flowered clematis adorning trees and bushes in our garden. 33

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The Clematis 2010

‘Kaiu’ on Thuja occidentalis

Photos by Erika Mahhov

(Note from Erika and Aleksei: A lilac is not a good companion for a clematis – lilacs’ roots are too greedy.)

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The Clematis 2010

EXPANDING THE RANGE OF CLEMATIS IN MY GARDEN Joan Dupuis Canada

Joan Dupuis tells how despite having only a limited selection of clematis available in her local region of Canada, she has gradually expanded her collection.

started out with just two clematis, about fifteen years ago. When I bought them they were boxed together as a pair, and I just assumed that they could be planted together. The names on the box were ‘Jackmanii’ and ‘Nelly Moser’. For years, I’d prune them both back hard, as they were a tangled mess each spring, and the only one that seemed to bloom was the purple one called ‘Jackmanii’. I had supposed that they should both be pruned back hard. Later, I moved the one that never bloomed to another spot, and left it alone for a couple of years, and then I started getting flowers! I still didn’t know there were different pruning types until I got my computer and started doing more reading. At first, my browsing was just admiring the pictures of all those large-flowered clematis, but then I learned that different types of clematis benefitted from different pruning treatment. Once I had found the internet site Gardenbuddies Clematis Forum, I became totally hooked on the large-flowered hybrids Incidentally,

Ever-reliable Viticellas – this one, a mystery seedling found growing in the garden

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The Clematis 2010

Look at that magnificent plant - full view of the Viticella seedling

I learned from other computer clematis enthusiasts much later that both of my earliest plants were mis-labelled...I’m told that the purple one looks more like ‘Étoile Violette’ and that the other one may be ‘Kimi’idera’. At least the next one I bought was correctly labelled – ‘Ville de Lyon’ – and I fell in love with the colour of the blooms straight away.

I grow a fair number of small-flowered Viorna Group plants, all raised from seed

Where I live in New Brunswick (Canada) we have only one single year-round garden nursery...the others are seasonal, such as ‘Canadian Tire’, ‘Home Depot’, ‘Superstores’, etc; this means that the range of clematis available to us for selection is quite limited, nevertheless I would strive to add one or two new ones each year. Even among the large-flowered hybrids there are two divisions – early-flowering and later-flowering, so if you buy the right plants you can still get a long period with continuous bloom. 36

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The Clematis 2010 One year at the ‘Superstores’ garden centre, I came across a plant named ‘Princess Diana’. I picked it out more for the name at the time, than the flower, but I must say I have since come to love the form of this plant’s flowers, too. Due to my reading I have since learned that this is a Texensis Group plant, pruning type 3. I bought a further pair, again boxed together, at ‘Asao’ Image© Clematis on the Web ‘Costco’, one year. They were supposed to be ‘Rouge Cardinal’ and ‘Miss Bateman’. Again, they had boxed up a pruning type 2 and 3 together. Why do they do that? A lot of people just look at the picture of the flowers on the box (like I used to), not realizing that they need to be pruned differently! Of course, these are very small bare-root plants which need to be grown-on for a couple of years to get to flowering size. My ‘Miss Bateman’ was correctly labelled, but my ‘Rouge Cardinal’ was definitely not: the flowers being a light purple with a slightly lighter central bar! I have since learned (by posting pictures onto the Gardenbuddies site and having other clematis lovers make comments) that it is a Viticella cultivar. It almost eats up my patio, it gets so big, but I completely love it. 37

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The Clematis 2010 It is sure maddening at times to buy a plant, thinking you’re getting a clematis with red flowers, only to find out in a year or sometimes two, when it has white flowers, that this is not what you thought you were buying! Sometimes of course it can work out agreeably, but you still don’t have the plant you really wanted in the first place. In the last three or four years I’ve developed a liking for the Atragene and the Integrifolia Groups of clematis. Since our local garden centres mostly only have largeflowered hybrids, I have had to resort to postal ordering, or from on-line catalogues; however, many suppliers will not ship to Canada, or the transport costs are as much if not more than the plant itself. Nevertheless, by this means I did find the Integrifolia-type ‘Arabella’ whose wonderful flowers come abundantly, all the way through from spring and right into autumn. One may also come across clematis on one’s travels – while visiting my daughter in Calgary last summer, I happened across, and bought, the Atragene ‘Pauline’. It is often the case that contacts you can make on the internet happen to be very generous people who will frequently offer to share seeds with you, if you’re willing to be patient and try to raise them yourself. Of course, clematis hybrid seedlings often do not resemble the parent, so even if you plant a seed from one particular plant you are likely to get a plant with completely different flowers, or, even better, if you are very lucky, A seedling of ‘Joe Zary’ something that is new and different altogether. I have now grown a fair number of new plants from seed, in order to add to what seems to have become an addiction to clematis. I wish I had fallen in love with clematis twenty-five years ago and knew then what I know now.

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The Clematis 2010

My Experiences with Clematis ‘Dawn’ and her Seedlings Finn Røsholm Norway

Growing clematis in Oslo

e live in Oslo, at about 60° North, and are having very different weather conditions from year to year. The summers are usually very pleasant, with warm days from 10° to 25°C, along with periods of cooler weather and some rain. The winters are usually medium-cold with a lot of snow for shorter or longer periods and with a few colder days from −10 to −25°C. On most winter days we probably have temperatures between +10 and −10°C. The spring can be cool and lasts for one to two months, mostly with sunny, agreeable days – but some frost can sometimes occur, even into May, and this sometimes brings us surprises. Our garden is about 850m2 in size and we have around two hundred clematis here. Approximately one hundred are different ones – including some of own ‘production’. We also have a little greenhouse with a small electrical heater, with which we can keep the greenhouse mostly clear of overly heavy frost, in the winter; occasionally the temperature in the greenhouse does fall to approximately −2°C for a day or two, but this does not seem to harm the clematis plants too much. First experiences with ‘Dawn’ in our garden in Oslo

We haven’t always had the widest range of clematis to choose from in the Garden Centres here in Norway. However, Sweden had (in the early days) many Young ‘Dawn’ interesting places and people from which plants could be sourced. Going back to the 14th of July 1986, we were on a trip to Sweden, and among other places we visited probably the most interesting clematis setting of all – Magnus Johnson’s clematis nursery in Södertälje. We did not have a great knowledge of clematis at the time so Magnus recommended to us about four or five different plants and also explained how we should best treat them, to have some fun and pleasure. One of these was ‘Dawn’, and this plant, together with further plants of ‘Dawn’ raised from cuttings and seedlings, have given us great 39

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The Clematis 2010 pleasure for many, many years. Today we still have three plants of ‘Dawn’ derived from the original from 1986, and many cuttings have been gifted to friends and other clematis lovers. In 2005 we had the opportunity to give a plant back to Södertälje, as theirs had died. Basics about ‘Dawn’ ‘Dawn’ belongs to the ‘early large-flowered group’ and was raised by Tage Lundell of Sweden, around 1960 (according to ‘Clematis on the Web’). Its parents are thought to be ‘Miss Bateman’ or ‘Moonlight’, with ‘Nelly Moser’ as pollen parent. Best uses of ‘Dawn’, as experienced in our garden ‘Dawn’ is a very good clematis for general garden use and is probably one of the best of the large-flowered clematis in north facing situations – where poor light conditions can be the norm. We have tried it in various places, here. In strong sunlight it tends to fade more quickly, but in north facing conditions, with much less direct sunshine, it can give you a fantastic show, with almost daily variance of colour. Placed looking to the south, with much more sun, you may have a few more flowers, but they are often lighter and with less colour. Also, the time you get to enjoy the flowers is

‘Dawn’ in north position (close-up above)

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The Clematis 2010

Some seedlings of ‘Dawn’

shorter, when placed in south facing apects – nevertheless it can put on a good show there, as well. Basically they have only one flowering period here in Oslo, normally from the end of June to the mid-to-end of July, this being very dependent on weather conditions, as you would expect. Experimenting with the propagation of ‘Dawn’ We have always propagated plants, using all of the standard methods including layering and cuttings. In addition we have always enjoyed trying new and different clematis and have raised our own new plants from seed. ‘Dawn’ seedlings based on seed production Because from the outset we could see so many positive and interesting factors with ‘Dawn’, we wanted to try to develop some new plants based on its seed. We mainly used the old-fashioned method, just harvesting seed from several ‘Dawn’ plants and planting them in pots with different types of compost. By using ‘open pollination’ we never tried to find out the exact ‘parents’. This would probably have been very difficult and 41

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The Clematis 2010 time consuming in a garden with some two hundred other clematis plants. Systematic pollination would probably have given us too much work and problems in those early days, when family and career took up all the available time. Later we used vermiculite instead of normal compost. This is a very clean and practical material to work with – but you have a ‘critical phase’ when you move the small plants into a normal compost medium. The most promising plants (strong physical characters etc) were trialled as fully as possible, inside (in the greenhouse) and in garden positions outdoors. We were very surprised by the wide range of different plants that resulted. Using ‘Dawn’ as a source of seed has given us great excitement; the seedlings have been very varied and extremely interesting. We have sown some seed of ‘Dawn’ almost every year, and we have done a lot of work to test them out thoroughly and seriously. The pictures shown are only a few examples of the seedlings we have raised and most of the plants were trialled in relatively small numbers. Some seem to have more of the ‘Dawn’ characteristics than others, and with most of them only a few plants have been propagated – they have been used to experiment with, and build up know-how. As always you can never be sure of any plant’s full characteristics until you have tried them for several years – and, if possible, in different growing conditions. There is always potential for surprise.

Another seedling of ‘Dawn’

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The Clematis 2010 Common characteristics among the ‘Dawn’ seedlings? I have confined comments about the seedlings to just a few remarks concerning the flowers. The flowers are the easiest feature to compare, and are the most important and interesting thing to the majority of gardeners. Colour of the flowers: A very wide range of different colours has been obtained – white being much more frequent than any other. Some plants have resulted with the colour and form of sepals similar to those found in both ‘Miss Bateman’ and ‘Moonlight’. Also the ‘pinkish’ colour from ‘Nelly Moser’ seems to occur from time to time. Form and size of the flowers: All the seedlings possess large flowers, some attaining from 15cm to more than 20cm, and that is always impressive. However, some of them may have had better growing conditions and more feeding than others, so one never knows all there is to know about them for sure, unless you have tried them out for many years and, if possible, in different garden conditions and positions. Most plants are, of course, influenced strongly by the conditions they are grown in. Numbers of flowers: The plants we have tried out here all seem to produce high numbers of flowers but this is very difficult to measure or compare, without having standardised conditions.

Finn Røsholm can be contacted at: finn-jutta@hotmail.com Entry in the Post Office, Court, Trade and Scientific Directory 1852 National Horticultural Society, 21 Regent Street, London. Treasurer, Mr. Arthur Henderson of Pineapple Nursery, Edgware Road, London: “C. x diversifolia ‘Hendersonii’ came from this nursery in 1835, the raiser J.A.Henderson was possibly the father of the above.”

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The Clematis 2010

The Beauty of Clematis Seed Heads Bernard Allen UK

he advantage of neither pruning nor dead-heading your clematis plants, but instead letting them complete their natural cycle to produce seed, can be very interesting and rewarding – and sometimes even quite stunning: the fluffy, silvery seed heads can be used as a companion or contrast to whatever is in flower in your garden at any given time and they naturally extend the clematis season as a whole. Further, they are highly valued for the extra dimension they can give in flower arrangements. When reading about clematis it is almost always the flowers and foliage that the author portrays – the size of the flower, the colour, habit or even the fragrance. There is not much to read on the subject

Above: seed and flowers of C. napaulensis

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The Clematis 2010 of seed heads proper, which in some clematis are quite as beautiful as the flower itself and, occasionally, even more so. Let us take a brief tour through several of the most popular clematis groups. Seed heads really are a welcome yet underestimated bonus of the clematis season. The fluffy seed heads of our own native species Clematis vitalba (common name ‘Old Man’s Beard’) or those of the popular Tangutica Group spring to mind almost immediately – but even more beautiful in my eyes are the seed heads of Clematis napaulensis. Not the the most commonly available plant but for many of the ‘out of the ordinary’, rarer clematis, there are several specialist nurseries that will happily meet your requirements by mail order or personal visit. The Atragene Group of clematis (which includes plants such as C. alpina, C. macropetala, C. koreana and many more) provides vivid colours and lovely forms earlier in the season. Their numerous seed heads serve also as attractive companions to the later large-flowered clematis which follow them into flower, and, indeed, to many other types of plants. Typically, the seed heads persist for a very long period of time and this can extend their appeal right through the gardening season.

C. ‘Frances Rivis’ and seed heads

Becoming more and more popular because of their broad range of heights (and consequent versatility) is the Herbaceous Group of clematis, particularly cultivars derived from Clematis integrifolia. For flower arrangers and garden planners the flowers and seed heads of these plants can fit into schemes where other clematis cannot. If you are not familiar with group, you should become so because the beautiful single (usually) bell shaped nodding flowers produced on the current year’s growth come in a range of colours, including white, pink to dark red-purple, blue, violet-purple or purple. The Group also includes the Diversifolia plants: crosses of C. integrifolia with C. viticella. Clematis integrifolia, seen here with its silvery seed heads, makes a magical show in early to mid summer. 45

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The Clematis 2010

C. integrifolia and seed heads

Most of the mid-summer large-flowered clematis produce very handsome seed heads which, generally, are more substantial in form than those of many other clematis.

C. ‘Doctor Ruppel’ and seed head

They offer appeal in the garden and a range of uses in flower or table arrangements. In gardens the seed heads of these plants are often pruned away as soon as they begin to form, in order to promote a second flush of blooms. It can be advantageous instead to 46

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The Clematis 2010 leave some stems unpruned, in order to allow some seeds to be formed, as well as to promote a second crop of flowers on the remaining unpruned vines. The Viorna Group also produces very attractive seed heads and they are often present on the plant at the same time as later-formed flowers. Although the attractive pitcher shaped flowers themselves are small, a beautiful contrast is created with their surprisingly large seed heads. Many species have long flower stalks – ideal for flower arranging and widely grown for this specific purpose in Japan, Europe and the US. The plants of the Tangutica Group are well known for producing masses of superb seed heads. These larger-growing (sometimes rampant) C. ‘Buckland Beauty’ and seed heads plants can often be seen covering hedges, fences, sheds and other outdoor structures/unsightly buildings etc, in late autumn and into winter.

C. tangutica and seed heads

The small but myriad yellow flowers contrast incredibly with the whitish fluffy seed heads, and it is common to see both flowers and seedheads present on a plant at the same time. The attractive and voluminous seed heads are always in great demand for flower arrangements and table displays; these plants are extremely versatile indeed and because of their very floriferous nature they are often included in garden design schemes. 47

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The Clematis 2010 Back to our native clematis, C. vitalba. This large climber is a common plant in many areas of the UK (although many may not be aware it is in fact our only native species). Often, the clumps of seed heads are visible from a significant distance, such is their abundance. The mass persists through winter and frost or snow serves only to enhance their charm further, and make them even more conspicuous among the hedgerows and trees.

C. vitalba and seed heads

(seed heads © John Feltwell)

Almost all clematis seed heads have some appeal and this includes the more exotic types such as the species and hybrids of the New Zealand Group, which produce their flowers and seeds in early spring. They add their own characteristic fascination to both greenhouse and garden. The flowers are of course marvellous but there is also the distinctive finely-cut foliage, which is so appealing to the eye, and which contrasts marvellously with the eye-catching feathery seed heads.

C. ‘Early Sensation’ and seed heads

So, enjoy your clematis to the full – seed heads and all! 48

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The Clematis 2010

The 2010 Clematis Festival at Wolfheze Everett and Carol Leeds UK

n Thursday, 12th August 2010 Carol and I left home and drove down to the Channel Tunnel en route to The Netherlands. We were not doing it because we couldn’t stand the thought of the opening day for shooting grouse but to attend and help out at the annual clematis festival at the De Boschhoeve Nursery and Garden, Boschhoeve 3, 6874 NB Wolfheze, The Netherlands. (www.boschhoeve.nl) On Saturday, 14th August, other BCS stalwarts Sylvia Currie, Beryl Wells, Alec and Denise MacDonald, Pam and William Davies, were all making their own way there by various routes by sea and car. Thursday afternoon (it took about 3½ hours drive from Calais) we all met up at the nursery of Jan van Zoest at Boskoop and were greeted by Wim Snoeijer, our great friend and prodigious clematis hybridizer, and Ton Hannink, another dear friend (and currently the Chairman of the International Clematis Society). The next few hours were akin to being let loose in a sweet shop! Row upon row of clems from which to choose and, even before going to Wolfheze, our vehicles were taking on the look of bamboo forests! Later that evening we all adjourned to a restaurant in Gouda, next to a lake, where we were joined by Ton’s partner Marjan. The food was great! That night we stayed at the local Campanile Hotel, Gouda. On Friday we did the tourist bit – visiting a town dissected by a canal with lovely old buildings mostly built when William of Orange was invited to oust James II from the English throne. We then made our way to the Bilderberg Hotel near to Wolfheze, ready for the big day on the morrow. So, the day of the event arrived and we all reached the venue early so we could get everything ready before gardening folk arrived. We were greeted by our host, Dineke, in a wheel chair (she had recently had a nasty accident and broken her leg). It has become a tradition over the past eight or nine years that the BCS attends with the sales table, 49

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The Clematis 2010 following the first such venture by Margaret Morris many moons ago. Our place in the courtyard has always remained the same – under the open fronted machinery sheds together with the local flower arranging club on one side and the International Clematis Society on the other. In the courtyard three or four clematis growers were displaying their plants which ranged from 6 to 12 Euros and practically all had flowers on them. Discussing this aspect with Willem Stravers, one of the exhibitors, he said he prunes his plants quite hard about 7 weeks before a show and this gives a good show of flowers by the due date. Willem had some interesting plants from his own hybridising. C. ‘Flip’ – a very good Integrifolia crossed with a dark late flowerer – had produced a bloom rather like C. ‘Rooguchi’ but, I was assured, did not suffer mildew. I imagine this will be classified under the Diversifolia Group when it is registered. Willem has also played with the Viorna section and I managed to buy one called C. ‘Debby’. Interestingly he said because not many people knew about that section they were not a good commercial item. However, the half a dozen plants he had brought along were all sold by the close of the day. Together with clematis for sale, several herbaceous plant nurseries were there too, together with garden tools and memorabilia. The café did a roaring trade and free food was brought round at regular intervals for all the exhibitors. The show garden attached to the site was again looking absolutely splendid. Similar to the UK many of the clematis had gone over, even by August, but the herbaceous display and the general design of the garden and the structures therein was fantastic. Adjacent to the show garden there was a densely planted field of gladioli and these were also being sold, as cut flowers, inside the courtyard – such an amazing range of colours. We brought some home with us and they lasted well over a week – great value. Many customers came over to us saying they bought clematis seed last year or the year before and luckily for us they were tales of joy, not woe. One person remarked that they could buy flowers in The Netherlands but our stand was the only place where they could buy seed, books and other clematis related items. Whilst William was standing by his car a man said to him ‘You know you are standing on sacred ground’. Will said, ‘How’s that then?’ The man replied that these were the fields where the gliders and parachutists landed to try to capture the Arnhem bridge. A visit to the museum at Arnhem will certainly bring a lump to the throat, as we found on a visit we made on a previous occasion. So, a very successful expedition in every respect. The Netherlands is a lovely country with plenty to see and do and if you make a holiday of it at the same time it is well worthwhile. How about you flying the BCS flag next year? 50

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The Clematis 2010

Touring Gardens in the South of England Sue Reade UK

n June of 2010 my husband John and I joined a party from the Lakeland Horticultural Society on a coach tour of part of the South of England. I had joined this society some time earlier, when I was preparing for the first BCS weekend visit which I had organised for the Northern members of our Society. Ann and Richard Taylor were most helpful in pointing me in the right directions around the Lake District and took me around some of the gardens. I was so impressed with Holehird Garden (and the fact that it was run entirely by volunteers) that I decided to join, thinking that in retirement it would be no problem to pop up to Windermere to help out in some way. Several years down the line and I still haven’t managed to sign up for anything. Until this year I had never seen the famous Great Dixter, though I had attended the talk by Fergus Garrett organised by the Lakeland Horticultural Society. I was duly impressed and once home reached for my copy of Gardening Year by Christopher Lloyd. I read with interest the sections which dealt with Clematis and longed for an opportunity to see the garden. So, when the newsletter arrived – describing a tour of gardens in the south of England including Great Dixter, with a guided tour by Fergus Garrett (and also Sissinghurst) – I persuaded John that we would enjoy such a holiday. No driving, no heated arguments about the route, no worries about finding the hotel or where to get lunch. It was all expertly done for us. This would be a holiday ‘superior’. I packed my camera in anticipation of many photo opportunities. The first came on our way down when we stopped at Coughton Court Gardens, Alcester, Warwickshire. Some of us got into trouble in this garden trying to find the names of the clematis, as

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The Clematis 2010 there were many on central obelisks in the herbaceous borders. But alas we could find no labels and so were reduced to guesswork. Worse was to come – I left my camera in the coach which necessitated using my phone camera; with the brightness of the day the images did not turn out well. After what seemed like a long journey, arriving at our hotel was indeed welcome and with very little time to shower and change it was a rush to get down to dinner on time. Whether it was the acoustics of the room or the fact that little interaction had taken place during the day, dinner seemed a noisy affair with a definite sense of anticipation of the gardens we were to view on the morrow. The first of these was The Manor House at Upton Grey in Hampshire. Now, Gertrude Jekyll’s name had cropped up many times on my RHS courses so I looked forward to viewing the restoration of her garden. I think my disappointment stemmed from large numbers of blowsy peonies in the formal gardens, though there was one that caught my eye. There were a couple of Clematis recta (image at foot of previous page) looking magnificent but other than that, Gertrude did not appear to favour the vine.

Borders at The Manor House, Upton Grey

The afternoon garden was quite different for me. West Green House (near Hartley Wintney) was very colourful with many clematis to be seen on obelisks in the borders of the walled garden. The most interesting part for me was the vegetable garden, which was 52

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The Clematis 2010 far from ‘serried ranks of lettuces and carrots’. Stepover apples bordered one of the areas, inside which were groups of lettuce and other crops, interspersed with flowers. I didn’t manage to establish whether this was ‘companion planting’ or not! The fruit cages were of bespoke design, which added to the attractiveness of this area of the garden. (For pictures and information go to www.westgreenhouse.co.uk on the web). Afternoon tea was rather nice, too – there were a number of areas to wander around; Marylyn Abbott, the Australian lady owner, has spared no expense in restoring the house and garden. Everything suggested vision, knowledge, taste, energy, expertise and imagination and Marylyn certainly has all these qualities. She learned her At West Green House gardening in New South Wales, where her garden in Mittagong was the most visited in Australia. She recently featured in the BBC’s Gardeners’ World programme Around the World in 80 Gardens. There is quite a story behind why it was virtually a ruin when she bought it (on a 99 year lease from the National Trust in 1994). The following day was somewhat frustrating. First we went to Longstock Nursery for coffee, before the main purpose of our journey – to that area which was the Longstock Water Gardens. The frustration arose because adjacent to the nursery was a garden with a quite magnificent herbaceous border; next to that was a very long archway housing a National Collection of viticellas. I was dragged away when half way down, as the coach was moving on to the water garden. Muttering away I approached the garden with little enthusiasm, as ponds and streams are not my favourite. However I was soon mollified as this garden, which was developed by John Spedan Lewis, founder of the John Lewis Partnership, was very peaceful and yet stimulating. ‘The central lake was formed when previous owners dredged gravel from the River Test, and Spedan Lewis added islands and bridges, creating the effect of a mini archipelago. Houseguests were summoned to stand in different positions around the garden so that he could visualise the effect of his plans. Because the waterlogged soil had to be dug by hand, it took six long years to complete the design, overseen by the Head Gardener Jim Saunders. For the planting, 53

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The Clematis 2010 Spedan Lewis worked closely with botanist Terry Jones, to create a gradual shift in mood from the formal elegance of the garden’s heart, to the more natural areas at the edges.’ (From the Longstock Water Garden booklet published by the John Lewis Group) The day would have been perfect if I could have gone back to the nursery to complete viewing the Viticella collection, then browse round Above and below images: At Longstock Water Gardens the nursery (as they had a broad range of plants at reasonable prices). However it was onward and upward to Mottisfont Abbey where I found one or two clematis lurking amongst the roses. There were in fact two roses I might be tempted to find room for, if I had half an inch to spare, but I have not, so I’ll just admire the pictures. Andy McIndoe (Managing Director of Hilliers plants) gave a guided tour around the rose gardens, which thrilled the enthusiasts.

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The Clematis 2010 Next day we went to Andy’s private house for a tour of his own garden (image below). Very interesting but his excuse for ‘no clematis’ was ‘unsuitability of aspect and soil’ and I didn’t feel too qualified to argue the point. From there we went on to the nursery, which we toured on the coach, as it is so vast. The mechanisation was very interesting and obviously necessary – they provide plants for many of the garden centres in the country. In the middle of our spring heat wave we wondered how they managed to irrigate such large areas of plants, so he showed us the reservoir and the channels which collect any spare water and return it to the reservoir. The afternoon destination was the Sir Harold Hillier Garden and Nursery where Andy gave us a further guided tour. Trees were a main feature of the garden – it covers more than 180 acres. One or two clematis were spotted. The following morning we left our hotel to travel eastwards to Perch Hill Farm, which is Sarah Raven’s garden. She gave us a guided tour which included her ideas about growing herbs and salad vegetables particularly. Cutting back, to get fresh growth, seemed to feature strongly with herbs. I was very taken with her method of growing willow for supports – I might even have a corner to do this myself; her ‘standard’ gooseberry bushes make picking fruit much less painful on the back, at least. Lunch was delicious (especially the dressing on the cucumber which had mustard seeds and sesame seeds in it). On then to Wakehurst Place and the Millennium Seed Bank. The Cornus trees here were in stunning full flower. As ever, time was short and we didn’t get to go inside the Millennium Seed Bank – I understand our Chairman is busy making sure they have more than one species of Clematis in there. I found a couple of clematis in the garden too, but again no label, so I hesitate to name them. There was some way to go to Maidstone and our new hotel but I didn’t mind the journey as I was eager to reach the pinnacle of the tour gardens the following day. We were to do Great Dixter in the morning and Sissinghurst in the afternoon. I could hardly sleep as I was so excited about finally getting to see these two very famous gardens. I had read articles on the group arrangement of pots (image next page) at Great Dixter and was not disappointed with those on either side of the main door. The building is 55

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The Clematis 2010 very impressive at firsthand, but I was not anxious to see inside (as some were). Our group was so large that we had to be split into two for the guided tour and this was the nub of our main disappointment. Fergus was too busy to take us round himself and the ‘substitute’ was a designer, not a Plantsman – however he had been associated with the garden for a number of years and had some interesting tales to tell about Christopher Lloyd. The one I remember well was that CL would often sit by the pond and eavesdrop on people’s conversations as they walked past. He was always interested in people’s views on the garden. The long border was not at its best as the dry spell had taken its toll on the plants, and we were whisked past it and on to another area. We viewed the exotic garden from a high point since there wasn’t time to go down to view it at close quarters. I really must return some day when there isn’t a coach to hurry back to. The day was saved by Sissinghurst and I’m sure it needs no introduction to you. I marvelled at the many clematis in wonderful condition, all labelled (though I didn’t take notes as I should have done). The planting in the white garden is impressive too. It really was a worthy climax to a wonderful holiday. At Sissinghurst

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Great Clematis Websites – Clematis on the Web Penny Vogel USA

ike many people addicted to clematis I use Clematis on the Web almost on a daily basis. Whenever I have questions about any particular clematis it’s the first place I look, and it’s rare that I don’t find the clematis or the answer to my question. http://www.clematis.hull.ac.uk/index.cfm But there are many other features that I enjoy as well. I really take pleasure in reading ‘the new and updated entries’ section – what a great way to see new introductions – and to be reminded of how much I like a certain well established older clematis. One of my favorite aspects of using CotW is the variety of ways I can search, other than by the name alone. For example, if you’re looking for clematis raised by a certain breeder, or of a particular pruning group, from a particular country or even a particular color, these are all means by which you can research. Each of these criteria produces an accurate and detailed list of selected species and/or cultivars. What better way to pass a rainy afternoon than using this facility to add to my ever increasing ‘want list’?

I know how much time and effort goes into keeping CotW up to date and I appreciate it, and Richard Green and Ian Lang, every time I use it. 57

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SECTION III: CULTIVARS/SPECIES/GROUPS

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Wild populations of semi-double flowering Clematis occidentalis var. grosseserrata Alison Merritt Canada

ast spring, during a walk in a still-natural area of southern Alberta, Canada I was delighted to find the beautiful blue flowers of the Western Blue Virgin’s Bower, Clematis occidentalis var. grosseserrata. I had searched previously for this species in the same area without success, but this time there was no difficulty locating them – once they were blooming. They are amazingly inconspicuous otherwise. The habitat is a white spruce forest: the vines are quite sparse, scrambling along the ground until they contact vegetation which allows them to climb toward the light. The lower sections appeared to be essentially devoid of leaves and each plant had only a few flowers. The seeds were mostly gone by the time I returned last autumn, but it seems enough are produced to allow the colonies to thrive. I wasn’t too surprised to see variations in colour, but wasn’t expecting to find flowers of semi-double form.

Map courtesy of Bengt Sundström from The Genus Clematis: Magnus Johnson: Magnus Johnsons Plantskola AB, Södertälje, 2001

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The semi-double form

The vines were fairly widespread, so there were fairly large natural populations of consistently semi-double flowers. One must assume that they come true from seed since there were a number of discrete areas of semi-double plants, with the typical single-flowering plants growing between these groups. The flowers were semi-double in the same areas as last year, so appear to be reliably of this form in these populations. A typical Atragene, Clematis occidentalis var. grosseserrata flowers from buds on the old wood and sometimes also produces terminal flowers on the current shoots, occasionally blooming for a second time in August to September. In nature it is distributed through the Western North Americas from the Rockies south to Utah and Colorado, south west Yukon, the Cypress Hills in Saskatchewan and Edmonton and the Spirit River area of Alberta. The flowers are blue to violet-blue, rarely white, the tepals lanceolate-ovate in form with the tips long-pointed and usually slightly recurved, with wavy margins. 60

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Above, the seedhead Left, typical habitat (flowers just visible near top of image)

Single form

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Above and below: more images of the semi-double form

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Clematis tianshanica N. Pavl. Vojtěch Holubec Czech Republic Introduction

lematis sibirica is a prominent clambering shrub growing in a large area of Siberia, Central Asia, reaching also into the European part of Russia. During flowering-time it is a very noticeable plant in the shrubby vegetation and in open forests, usually in wet and cold places, along rivers. Even if the plant is very decorative, it is seldom in cultivation in Europe. I have seen this Clematis frequently, on northern slopes of the Khangai Mountain Range, and Kharkhiraa, Mongolia, clambering on Junipers, golden bark Caragana bushes and Siberian Larches (Larix sibirica). In the Russian Altai Mountains, I have found it tends to grow on the northern slopes using the support of Siberian cedar pines (Kedr, Pinus sibirica). In the Siberian Baical area it grows in open birch taiga. There is a noticeable variation within the species Clematis sibirica sensu lato (= in the broad sense) around the distribution area. While most Russian authors keep the original Linnean concept, Pavlov (1955), the editor of 63

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The Clematis 2010 Flora of Kazakhstan and recently Borodina-Grabovskaya et al. (2001), divided the original Linnean species into two species, separating the mountainous forms of the Kazakhstanian Tien Shan to a new species, Clematis tianshanica, and recently Borodina-Grabovskaya et al (2001) kept this concept as well. This species represents probably the best of the variations of the former species. The plant is very useful in ornamental gardening and a valuable genetic resource for breeding. Description Clematis tianshanica (N. Pavl.) N.R. Cui Syn.: Atragene tianshanica N. Pavl., pro parte Atragene sibirica L., Clematis sibirica Mill., Atragene speciosa Weinm. Shrub 2–8 m, stem and branches clambering, scattered hairy. Leaves with long petioles which twine around any available supports, twice ternate, leaflets ovate to lanceolate, long acuminate, irregularly serrate, with long hairs on nerves on lower side. Flowers solitary on 10–12 cm long peduncles, sepals 5–6 cm long, 1–1.5 cm wide, white, ovate to lanceolate, shortly puberulent on both sides, stamens linear, 3–4 times shorter than sepals, as long as the anthers. Fruits shortly hairy, with styles 3–4 cm long, feather-like hairy. Fl. V-VII, Fr. VII-VIII. Habitat: clambering on shrubs along stony banks of mountain creeks, on mossy rocks in mountain valleys, in open leafy or coniferous forests, up to 3000 metres. Distr.: Endemic to Tien Shan: Dzhungar, Zailiski and Kungei Ala Tau, Ketmen, Terski and Kirgyzski Ala Tau. Distr. of C. sibirica: Central Asia, European Russia, Siberia, Mongolia Observation C. tianshanica differs from C. sibirica by: having larger flowers; sepals pointed, 5–6 cm long for the former and acute, up to 3.5 cm long for the latter; by flower colour: white for the former and yellowish white for the latter; sepals white, wider, emarginate for the former and yellow, narrow, entire for the latter. Both species are characterized by large tetramerous flowers differing from the mostly pentamerous flowers of other Clematis species. The plants of C. tianshanica were seen in Zailiski Ala Tau above Almaty in clearings of forests of Picea schrenkiana in altitudes 2500–2800 metres. It grows among large boulders or uses the support of young spruces or medium bushes like Lonicera, Juniperus etc. It penetrates also to disturbed areas of ground, covering open soil on deforested ski piste banks, and masks the large pipelines of hydro-electric power stations. C. tianshanica was seen also in Dzhungar Ala Tau, the remote mountains on the Chinese border. The characters and variation was nearly the same as in the Zailiski Ala Tau. It was seen growing along rivers on stony deposits, using the support of bushes and small trees of Picea schrenkiana. 64

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The Clematis 2010 Both C. sibirica and the derived C. tianshanica are valuable and vigorous ornamental plants. Selection of good forms especially of C. tianshanica could considerably enrich clematis collections. All images © Vojtěch Holubec References Borodina-Grabovslaya A.E., Grubov V.I. Mikhailova M.A. 2001. Rastenia Centralnoi Azii. (Plantae Asiae Centralis) Vyp. 12. Izd. SPCHFA, St. Petersbug: 86–89. Pavlov N.V. (ed.) 1955. Flora Kazakhstana, Tom IV, Izd. AN Kaz.SSR, Alma Ata: 69–70. Vvedensky A.I. (ed.) 1955. Flora Kirgyzskoi SSR, Tom VI, Izd. AN Kirg.SSR, Frunze: 76–77. Vvedensky A.I. (ed.) 1972. Opredelitel rastenii srednei Azii. (Conspectus florae Asiae Mediae), Tom III, Izd. Fan, Tashkent: 196.

An entry in The Garden, Vol XIX May 14 1881 p.512 Clematis cirrhosa - A good supply of this year’s seed has just reached me from Algiers. There is more than I can use, and I will gladly send some on receipt of an addressed envelope, to any amateur or private gardener who wishes to grow this graceful winterflowering species – Miss Jekyll, Munstead, Godalming, Surrey.

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Florida’s Secret Jewels – The Native Species of Clematis Frederick B. Essig USA

Kindly supplied by Dr Essig, this article was first printed in Florida Gardening Magazine, April/May 2000: Volume 5, Number 4. Florida Gardening Press Inc.

he name ‘clematis’ conjures up images of big, spectacular blue or purple blossoms growing on luxuriant vines in places far away from Florida’s sultry summer heat. To be sure, most cultivated varieties of clematis were developed for temperate gardens and fizzle quickly when imported to the subtropics. Yet the genus Clematis consists of hundreds of species that are found in varied habitats from alpine meadow to tropical rain forest. Some of the tropical species, which can become substantial lianas (vines), are too cold-sensitive to survive in central Florida, but there are many subtropical to warm-temperate species that ought to grow nicely in the Sunshine State. Few, however, have been tested. There are actually six species of clematis native to Florida. One of them, C. virginiana, is a rampant, almost weedy vine, native to eastern North America, that is spreading along road cuts and disturbed areas in central Florida. It produces masses of small white flowers in late summer, followed by heads of feathery-tailed achenes (seeds) at the end of the season. A restrained relative, C. catesbyana, has similar flowers in mid summer, and can be found in the wild mainly on limestone outcrops and sinkholes. Both species are readily cultivated and require little care, other than to keep them in bounds! The other four species native to our state have bell- or urn-shaped flowers in delicate shades of blue, pink, purple, or magenta, that are pollinated by bumblebees. These vines die down in the winter and resprout vigorously in the spring. They are rarely grown, even by wildflower enthusiasts, and remain some of Florida’s best kept wildflower secrets. Two of these species are quite Clematis catesbyana 66

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The Clematis 2010 vigorous, attractive vines that produce an abundance of flowers in mid- summer. Clematis glaucophylla is a relatively rare species in the wild, found only in the floodplain of the Apalachicola River in northern Florida and Georgia. If grown in full sun it produces luxuriant foliage and waxy pink and green blossoms in summer. The most attractive of our native species, it can be grown quite readily in rich, well-watered soil, climbing quickly in the spring to the top of a trellis or chain-link fence. The other easily cultivated native is Clematis reticulata, found in dry woods throughout the state. Although rarely noticed in the wild, when planted along a fence it can produce a striking display of small, purple, bell-shaped flowers throughout the summer. It requires virtually no care, surviving for years on natural rainfall and the sparse nutrients found in our sandy soil. Modest fertilization and watering just make it all the more luxuriant. After the blooms, the vines are covered with pinwheellike heads of feathery-tailed achenes.

Clematis glaucophylla

Clematis reticulata

Other species require a more specialized habitat. Clematis crispa is found along rivers and prefers soil that is always damp. Beautiful blue flowers are produced very sparingly throughout the summer. It is of limited use as a landscape plant, but can be grown in a tub as a conversation piece. Hybridization of this species with C. reticulata results in a vigorous, hardy plant similar to the latter species, but with flowers somewhat larger and more like C. crispa. Clematis baldwinii, sometimes called ‘pine hyacinth’, is found sparingly in pine flatwoods or in grassy areas along roadsides. It is unusual in that it is not a vine. The 67

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Clematis baldwinii

plants are sometimes erect, sometimes rather floppy, and 1–2 feet tall. Beautiful pink to blue flowers are produced in March. Their short stature and non-vining habit suggest 68

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The Clematis 2010 that they might be bred into interesting border plants for flower beds. Many wildflower enthusiasts enjoy growing these species just as they come from nature – as unpretentious, delicate jewels. The ease with which the various species can be hybridized, however, suggests a large, untapped potential for developing new horticultural varieties Achenes of Clematis baldwinii suitable for growing in subtropical areas. A relative of the Florida species, Clematis texensis, has already been bred with some of the large-flowered temperate varieties, imparting to them its brilliant red colour. Clematis species are not difficult to grow in pots or outdoors, if given sufficient water, ample sunlight, and, for the vining species, something to climb on. Seed can be very slow to germinate, especially in species with bell-shaped flowers. Generally, if planted fresh in the autumn, germination will begin in the spring, but may take longer. Finding seed of these native species is still something of an adventure. Some may be obtained from native plant nurseries, from botanical gardens, or in the gardens of native plant enthusiasts. Dr Frederick B. Essig is Associate Professor Emeritus of Biology at the University of South Florida in Tampa.

References Florida Native Plant Society P0 Box 690278 Vero Beach, FL 32969-0278 www.fnps.org Clematis crispa

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Why grow Clematis florida? Brian Collingwood UK

f you’ve never grown Clematis florida before, you are really missing out! I recommend that you take steps to get hold of a plant or two at the earliest possible opportunity. In this article I refer mainly to the single form, generally with six beautiful, shapely white sepals; however, the other versions of C. florida are, in my experience, quite similar in cultivation requirements. Seed is easy to obtain from the British Clematis Society seed exchange (thanks to the continuing generosity and dedication of the treasured regular seed donors and sorters) and will germinate fairly readily without special treatment. Plant them in 4” pots, about a dozen per pot, two or three millimetres below the surface of the medium, and cover the surface with fine gravel, if you can get hold of it. If you can’t, don’t worry about it, the seeds will germinate just as well without it, but the gravel helps stabilise the seeds’ environment over longer periods, should this be necessary. Give each pot a flush of water or, better, a general fungicide, and allow it to drain for an hour. Then put the pots where you will store them. Personally, I put them into trays and store them under the staging in the greenhouse, covered over with cardboard, to protect them being ‘cooked’ or dried out by any direct sunlight which may find them. Germination (in my experience) usually takes about 170 days for the first seedlings, but further plants will arise during the next 300 days or more. It is all relative; these times relate to germinations in my north of England location and climate, in pots of compost, away from the light but exposed to the natural cycle of temperatures, through the year. Once germinated, seedlings come on quickly and make rapid progress. If all proceeds without hitches a young plant can produce enough root to easily fill a 1-litre pot by the end of the first season proper. Even from the outset the newly-germinated seedlings are stocky and tough, and built to survive. If seeds germinate as winter comes on (just to be awkward, I am sure they do it on purpose) they are equipped to withstand a fair degree of frost (over worryingly long periods) almost from the start. I keep new seedlings almost exclusively outside (in the greenhouse), usually with no protection, and they are not hurt at all by frosty conditions (which may last many days) even at this early stage.

Seedlings appear

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Development is rapid

If you really wanted to be extra careful you could bring them indoors during the coldest spells, especially if an extended period of ‘arctic’ weather comes around, or is forecast. By and large you won’t have problems. Sometimes seeds are very obliging, and germinate just after winter, in which case you have eight or nine months of rapid growth into well-developed young plants. At the end of the first season some plants may produce a few flowers even at this stage, later in the season. Clematis plants, even young ones, will always try to produce flowers at the first opportunity they get. As long as they can freely produce vine material, and the nutrient is adequate, and the moisture roughly correct for how the roots like it, they will always try to bloom.

They come on quickly and are stocky and tough. They rapidly produce shoots which soon begin to extend. They can be pruned soon and it won’t harm them at all

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The tiny seedlings poduce new shoots in 10 days

If the seedlings are exposed to frost early in their life, don’t worry if the early foliage dies away, and rots off either partly or wholly, in due course. They will come back strongly, soon. During this early phase the efficient roots gather in from the rich medium enough stocks of nutrients to launch the seedling into rapid development as soon as opportunity permits. Once past the first few months the seedlings have largely passed beyond most of the early perils of seedling life and become well established. These plants will almost always succeed in reaching maturity in the fullness of time. In a reasonably clement year it is an easy task to go from seedling to young plant, even for the first time raiser. By the second summer the plants can be moved up to 2-litre pots and they will flower abundantly even at this early stage in life. Clematis florida is a woody semi-evergreen to deciduous climber. In my Manchester UK location the plant will, given a mild winter, retain its leaves and continue to grow well into the new year and beyond, if you allow it to (if you don’t prune it). The very dark brown stems are more slender and wiry than in, say, C. patens and some of the C. lanuginosa-related cultivars, but they are deceptively robust, and will extend to 4–5 metres in a season. The foliage of C. florida is a joy to behold. It is the most attractive shade of lush mid green, and the leaves, divided, toothed and sometimes lobed, have a lovely symmetry, at times also with a glossy sheen, very pretty on the eye. As the foliage

3rd year plant. Gradaully wind the vines around stakes. The foliage will hide all, later.

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The Clematis 2010 comes on and the plant gets into the full flow of growth, it soon becomes clear that the flowers are not far away. From April to mid May the forming buds become abundant and it is evident that C. florida is a prolific flowerer. The buds become obvious as soon as they begin to form. They have a strikingly symmetric conical form, and enlarge steadily, pushing into the void at the top of long, projecting stalks. The stalks are long enough to project the flowers out beyond the foliage. In some plants the buds later develop a strong red colouring in the last third, which brings on a most enthralling sense of anticipation. There are many plants whose flowers are beautiful, and, of course, we all think differently. But I will more or less guarantee that anyone watching, for the first time, a Clematis florida coming into flower, is in for a treat! In my location it is usually around the end of May that the splendid buds have reached the stage where they are ready to open. At this point they then seem to pause for a day or so just prior to unfurling. You get the feeling that they are just taking one last big breath before they go on stage, and then the buds begin to break, and the sepals start to come away from one another. The first noticeable thing is the boss of central stamens which, for the time being, is still tightly packed, and so dark in colour as to look almost black. The newborn sepals are folded at first and appear to be narrow, and off-white, but over the next few hours they unroll and flatten, and take on a more creamy colouring, as they begin to expand into their final form. The most amazing transformation then takes place! Over the next 24 hours the six now-overlapping sepals develop into a stunningly beautiful creamy white flower. The 73

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rich, soft white colour gradually builds in intensity over the following day or so, and the flower suddenly becomes stunningly beautiful, a mesmerising process, once seen never forgotten! When you witness this happening right in front of your eyes you will be 74

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The Clematis 2010 absolutely knocked out, such is the impression these flowers create. The stamens now begin to unfurl and as they do so the very dark colouring is transformed into the most splendid contrasting purple hue, shiny like coal can be. As it expands to roughly twice the original volume the purple mass assumes a greater and greater importance to the overall look of the flower. If you are fortunate, in some flowers some of the stamens can be transformed into staminode-like secondary sepals which often have a striking vein or veins of deep purple, adding to the show. The mature blooms bask in all their splendour while others follow at various stages of opening. The whole plant becomes smothered in gorgeous creamy blooms with a central purple eye, and the effect is scintillating! In my greenhouse, plants will flower abundantly (and non-stop) all the way through from May to around August, and by then the earlier flowers have gone through the cycle and produced their clusters of densely packed green seeds with short, sharp styles. As the seeds mature they steadily darken and become shiny. Despite the fact that the plant can be full of seeds by August, flowers often continue to be produced and by October the plants can once again be back in full flower, this time to continue through from October to December, and if conditions permit, they will continue on (if you don’t prune them), sometimes into January. From packs of seed obtained via the BCS seed exchange I have many times had both the single and the very double form of C. florida appear. The double form is quite different – but just as incredibly beautiful – but that’s another story! 75

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C. ochotensis of Mount Fuji Mariko Nakanishi Japan

had an opportunity to encounter Clematis ochotensis, which grows on Mount Fuji, the best known mountain in Japan. Mount Fuji is the highest mountain in Japan at 3,776m (12,388 ft). Together with Mount Tate and Mount Haku, it is one of Japan’s ‘Three Holy Mountains’. Mount Fuji is an active stratovolcano (ground formed of many layers, one on top of another) that last erupted in 1707–08; it is located just west of Tokyo and can be seen from the city on a clear day. Mount Fuji’s beautifully symmetrical cone is a renowned symbol of Japan throughout the world and it is frequently represented in art and culture, as well as being visited by countless sightseers and climbers each year.

Terrain of Mount Fuji – a very steep climb, no easy ascent route, fast-changing weather

The C. ochotensis were growing strongly on the rough ground, with small flowers and shorter tepals, in very severe environmental conditions. I was greatly impressed with the beauty of the flowers’ appearance and decided to introduce this particularly special plant into cultivation. There are four routes to climb to the peak of Mount Fuji: Fujimiyaguchi, Subashiriguchi, Kawaguchiko and Gotenbekou. Wild C. ochotensis were growing near the Kawaguchiko, north of Mount Fiji, 2300m above sea level. The C ochotensis growing on the east side of Mount Fuji can be seen around 2400m but they disappear from about 2500m. 76

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The Clematis 2010 We enjoyed our mountain climbing in search of the plant. Mount Fuji is very beautiful from a distance, but the cold mountain air, unpredictable cloud formation and unstable weather conditions make it a very dangerous place to climb. Although the ascent routes are well established, it is important to be very cautious and thoroughly prepared in order to scale the mountain safely. Every year some climbers lose their lives. Even during summer, the temperature at the peak is generally between 0°C–5°C and long-sleeved shirts, warm jackets and windbreakers are necessary to protect oneself from the severe weather conditions. One must also be aware of, and take measures to counter, altitude sickness. (Please see this website for information on climbing Mount Fuji – http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6901.html) The ground of Mount Fuji is itself dangerous for walking. The soil consists of scoria (cinder) and lava. The rough surface

where the scoria is exposed is unstable, and is eroded by landslides, rain, strong winds, avalanches and ice. In general terms, C ochotensis is of course a member of the Atragene Group and this is reflected in its synonymy eg, C. alpina var. ochotensis. It has a wide distribution, with 77

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populations present in Russia, north east China, North Korea and here in northern Japan. The leaves are of a rather yellowish green and are generally twice ternate with variable lobing and coarse teeth. The plant is a strong and determined climber and can attain between 2–3 metres in stature, with bell-shaped nodding flowers. Ovoid hairy buds open to display four beautiful outer sepals which can vary in colour from pale violet blue to indigo, dark purple, pinkish lilac or rosy purple or even (very rarely) white; the staminodes can range from creamy white to yellow-green. The seedheads are freely produced and are typical of the Atragene Group, forming into a tightly wound spherical downy mass with a clump of light-brown achenes at the centre. Because of the landslides and erosion on Mount Fuji, the roots of 78

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It is interesting to note the size of the flowers at various locations and heights

plants can become exposed to the sun and wind, causing dehydration, and even those plants which have been growing for a long time may eventually die off. When such soilanchoring plants disappear, the earth is more easily washed away and ground collapse is even greater. This is the cycle of the soil of Mount Fuji; therefore some areas have been designated as conservation areas. Even in spite of these difficult conditions, many types of plants on Mount Fuji can survive if landslides and erosion are prevented and the soil foundations of the natural habitats are protected. In order to prevent or reduce further erosion, preventive structures have been built in the conservation areas. Growing and thriving under such severe conditions illustrates the very special and adaptable qualities of C. ochotensis. C. ochotensis was for many years grown by Magnus Johnson and he made various selections, some of which have become well known and fairly widely grown, such as ‘Carmen Rose’, and ‘Chastity’, amongst others. It is also thought to have contributed to some hybrids, for example, ‘Frances Rivis’ and, possibly, ‘Frankie’. 79

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Clematis flammula L. John Feltwell UK

‘T

he Fragrant Clematis’ is a delightful sprawling clematis that follows Clematis vitalba with its floristic beauty (Feltwell, 2009). ‘It is native to the Mediterranean’ (Polunin, 1972) ‘and extends east to Iran’ (Bailey & Bailey, 1976). The flowers are variously described as ‘fragrant’, ‘sweet scented’, and ‘smell of bitter almonds’. They are larger than those of C. vitalba, at 12–30mm in diameter, and are borne in panicles up to 25–30cm long. There are several varieties known: C. flammula var. maritima with long leaflets, C. flammula var. acutisepala with pointed sepals (Kuhnholtz-Lordat, G. & Blanchet, G. 1948), and C. flammula var. rotundifolia with broader, almost round leaflets (Bailey & Bailey 1976). The latter authors also recognise the cultivar C. × triternata ‘Roseopurpurea’ with rose coloured flowers. William Robinson spoke of three varieties of note, C. flammula ‘Rubella’ with ‘flowers red outside’, another with the ‘pedicels more slender and free’ and a third, the vigorous C. flammula var. robusta (Robinson, 1912) ([Ed.]this name now appropriated in the International Clematis Register and Checklist as a synonym of C. terniflora). Its growth habit is more sprawling than climbing and it can be found in the wild

A foaming feast of native Clematis flammula exploding from a traditional Anduze jardinière in the Jardin Botanique in Montpellier.

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The Clematis 2010

Distribution of C. flammula in Europe & Asia: The Genus Clematis: Magnus Johnson courtesy of Bengt Sundström

as small clumps or small strips of plants intertwined with brambles, wild carrot and the like. When opportunities arise for climbing it will do so to up to 15 feet (Bailey & Bailey), though in the wild is usually never found more than a metre tall. The area in which I find the species, and to which my ecological observations refer, is the Cévennes National Park in southern France, where the species grows well on stony ground with micashist, granite and conglomerate. C. flammula appears to be more vigorous in the garden than in the wild. It foams out of pots and will scramble over pergolas and arbours. Gertrude Jekyll’s little trick in the herbaceous border was to grow C. flammula behind delphiniums, and after the old delphinium inflorescences were cut down their sturdy stems supported the magnificent C. flammula up to 4–5 feet high (Jekyll, 1982).

From The Genus Clematis: Magnus Johnson courtesy of Bengt Sundström

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The Clematis 2010 C. flammula is a pioneer species that grows best on open land, either artificial or seminatural habitats, so that includes such habitats as roadside verges, grazed terraces and wildflower meadows, steep hillsides that have constant erosion, and rocky outcrops where there is very little vegetation cover but plenty of cracks. As a perennial, once established it is a regular late summer and autumn feature along roadsides and on mountain tracks. Its only demise comes when denied sunshine after plant succession progresses. As a drought-tolerant species it is supreme. Sometimes it is the only plant in flower on hillsides whose sparse vegetation has turned to golden straw in the heat of full open sun (this is not unusual at 34°C in the shade). As C. vitalba has gone to fluffy white seed head, C. flammula is in full flowering mode. Where everything else has turned off for summer and flowered in May and June, the flowers of C. flammula are ablaze as bright as snow on a summers’ day. Whilst tarmac melts C. flammula is completely in its element. Stearn refers to ‘flammula’ as meaning ‘little flame’, though in this case bright white, rather than a burning red. There are over thirty suppliers for this species in Britain and it does well when grown as a climbing plant up an arbour. William Robinson reminds us that this ‘Fragrant Virgin’s Bower’ was first cultivated from 1596 and can easily be ‘grown over walls, orchard trees, bush or brake’. In my own patch in France I do not have to grow it, as it grows itself everywhere. References Bailey, L.H. & Bailey, E.Z. 1976. Feltwell, J. 2009. Jekyll, G. 1982. Kuhnholtz-Lordat, G. & Blanchet, G. 1948. Polunin, O. 1972. Robinson, W. 1996. Stearn, W.T., 1972.

Hortus Third, A Concise Dictionary of Plants Cultivated in the United States and Canada; Macmillan Publishing Company, New York. Clematis vitalba: The Clematis 2009. p. 109–112. A Gardener’s Testament, A Selection of Articles and Notes. Macmillan, London. Originally published by Country Life in 1937. Flore des Environs Immédiates de Montpellier. Tome II. Les Végetaux Vasculaires et leurs parasites cryptogrammes; P. Lechevalier, Paris. The Concise Flowers of Europe; Oxford University Press, Oxford. The Virgin’s Bower; British Clematis Society. Fascimile of the First Edition of 1912. Stearn’s Dictionary of Plant Names for Gardeners; Cassel, London.

Opening image of C. flammula flowers courtesy of Ian Lang: ©Clematis on the Web

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The Clematis 2010

Clematis parviloba var. bartlettii Aidan Armitage UK

lematis parviloba var. bartlettii, a very attractive winter flowering species of the Pierotii Group, is confined to North Taiwan where it grows in forests and on wooded slopes at approximately 1100–2500 metres. My plant came from Crûg Farm, from a seed collection made by Sue and Bleddyn Wynn-Jones in northern Taiwan. What is remarkable is that since 2008 it has proved hardy in a sheltered corner in my garden in West Yorkshire and has survived through temperatures of at least −8°C (last winter, measured at midnight on my garden thermometer). Clematis parviloba var. bartlettii is a deciduous climber with olivegreen ribbed stems and grows to a relatively modest 3–4 metres. It has delicate papery toothed (biternate) leaves, also olive green, with 9–15 leaflets. The flowers are white with four small fleshy sepals about 28–45 mm across, with a large boss of white anthers with purple-brown tips; the flowers have a lovely delicate scent reminiscent of jasmine. It did not do too well during its first winter of 2008. All seemed fine in early November when the flower buds started forming. Then a sudden sharp frost descended, killing the buds, although, strangely, the leaves stayed on the plant throughout the winter. This made me think it was semievergreen, though it did not flower again that winter. In late October 2009 I noticed the plant was again full of forming flower buds. Throughout November there was still no sign of a severe frost so I kept my fingers crossed that the flowers would open in time. They did so in early December and for certain they were very special flowers. Though small, they 83

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The Clematis 2010 more than make up for their lack of size – the large and prominent white stamens with purple-brown anthers, which spread widely, are the most showy part of the flower. To cultivate C. parviloba var. bartlettii successfully it needs to be grown in a sheltered spot preferably with some shade (mine grows into a Hawthorn tree), and in well drained soil. In the winter a heavy mulch (such as bark chippings) should be put around the base of the plant to protect the roots from freezing. I don’t think the plant would survive if the soil were to become too wet through the winter The plant does not need any pruning and will re-shoot from lateral buds on the old wood. Last winter the cold killed all the foliage on the plant and I thought I had lost it, but in early February it started into new growth again, from the previous season’s wood. As I write this (August) the plant looks healthier than ever and, providing we don’t get a late frost, I am looking forward to another wonderful display in December. From the Register: Flowers 2.8–4.5 cm across in clusters of 5-many. Sepals 4, white, usually green tinged, 1.5–2.5 × 0.5–1.2 cm, elliptic, pointed, spreading, downy outside. Stamens 0.6–1.7 cm. Achenes ovoid, 2.5–3 mm long, hairy; styles red-brown, to 3 cm. This is a deciduous climber with leaves pinnate with 5 Clematis parviloba var. bartlettii primary divisions that are often ternate, or the leaves are 2-ternate; the leaflets are toothed and densely downy, beneath. Flowering time July – November: North Taiwan. 84

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The Clematis 2010

News from ‘By The Way’ Valerie Le May Neville-Parry UK Introduction

he death of my dear husband, Chris, on New Year’s Day was the worst event of my life. That, coupled with the atrocious weather of the 2009–10 winter has made this last twelve months a massive struggle for me. Without the wonderful support of friends I fear I would have sunk into deep depression months ago. Thank you all – you know who you are. PRUNING CLEMATIS AT THE WRONG TIME OF YEAR

The frequent wild storms during late autumn 2009 blew many of the posts and twentysix fence panels at the top of our north bank clean out of the ground. During the snowy and freezing weather of January and February the four Montanas along the fence had to be cut and tied back (totally the wrong time!), deep holes dug, concrete mixed and wheel-barrowed back and forth over the frozen ground, before concrete posts and kick boards could be lowered into place, and fence panels slotted in. Then all was ready for me to tie in the truncated stems of four Montana cultivars. My main concern was C. × vedrariensis ‘Hidcote’ (right) – a superb six years old plant which had flowered intermittently into the autumns of both 2008 and 2009. Having to be brutally cut back at the wrong time of the year, in the snow and freezing cold, and planted perilously close to the fence, with a newly concreted-in post sited within 10cms of the main stem, I feared I would lose the plant – which has the largest of all Montana flowers in my collection. A prolonged hot spring and summer drought following the wet and freezing winter has subsequently made loosening the soil, extracting the dropped and solid concrete, watering, feeding and mulching, incredibly hard 85

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The Clematis 2010 work, especially given that they are sited at the top of a steep slope. Without the help of fellow BCS member Julian Noble, I doubt I could have managed to save C. × vedrariensis ‘Hidcote’, ‘Alexander’ (newly planted in summer 2009), ‘Prosperity’ and ‘Doctor Penelope’ (both planted 2008). As I write in late August, C. × vedrariensis ‘Hidcote’ has several strong new stems from ground level, just over a metre tall and the other three cultivars look to be recovering well. Indeed ‘Prosperity’ currently has a beautiful white, perfumed flower. PRUNING MATURE, WOODY CLEMATIS CULTIVARS My compost surround is 14 metres long. The fence support and plants had been blown down twice in the last two years and most plants were in serious need of rejuvenation. In early June, Julian and I spent several days pruning back massive climbers, including a 17 years old C. armandii ‘Snowdrift’, a C. cirrhosa var. purpurascens ‘Freckles’ of the same vintage, together with rampant honeysuckles, roses and jasmine. If the plants were to survive major surgery this was a good time to get cutting. And so it turned out. You will see from the pictures that there are several new shoots emerging along the 2cm thick C. armandii ‘Snowdrift’ stems (above image) and a new vine has emerged from below ground. Several stems had previously wound themselves into an adjacent mulberry tree and they currently have sprays of flowers which contrast prettily with the wine red ripe fruit and bright green leaves. It looks determined to live. Also C. cirrhosa var. purpurascens ‘Freckles’ has rooted along the ground and there is healthy new growth emerging from at least half a dozen points – this augers well for 2011. PRUNING YOUNG MONTANA CULTIVARS Many of you will know that some of the recent Montana Group introductions are not so rampant as older varieties. I decided to try growing a very beautiful C. ‘Van Gogh’ 86

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The Clematis 2010 in a 50 litre pot on the bedroom patio, which faces due south and is the warmest, most sheltered place in our very exposed garden. Planted in the summer of 2008, the first flowering in 2009 was promising. Its beautiful wine red stems, dark green leaves and deep pink flowers (with a delicate perfume) attracted much attention and admiration. In 2010 it flowered profusely for over six weeks. It was the first to flower (15th April) and almost the last to lose its flowers in early June. On 16th June Julian and I cut back all four stems to about a metre, fed and watered it well and waited. Two months later there

are rampant new growths sprouting to over three metres, from all four old stems, plus four new stems from below ground. My plan is to cut it back after flowering each year in order to keep the glorious colour of the new stems, keep it compact and avoid old wood. I aim to re-pot it in another year or two in order to keep a good bed of fresh compost round the roots. CUTTINGS FROM OLD MONTANA CULTIVARS Julian took four cuttings from my ten years old ‘Broughton Star’ on 8th June. They have all taken root. As they are in slightly deeper pots than those of the ‘Van Gogh’ plants, I’ll leave them until March 2011 before potting them on. I was asked to identify an ancient Montana growing outside the library of Florence Nightingale’s old family home, Embley Park, Romsey. It is a spectacular specimen of C. montana var. grandiflora. I took several cuttings on 19th May and one is sprouting well with a good root system. I have also shown several school staff (Embley Park is now a public school – my Chris was a pupil there!) how to take cuttings. Hopefully there will be at least one other success. Drawings made over a hundred years ago (Florence Nightingale died in 1910) indicate that it was already a mature plant at that time. (Embley Park also 87

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The Clematis 2010 houses nine Champion Trees of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, i.e. the best example of their type.) The site boasts hundreds of acres of mature woods and parkland and we were lucky enough to hold our February 2010 Wessex BCS meeting in the house. Another very old cultivar, the C. ‘Ludlow’ Montana, featured in the 2009 Journal pp.62–64, now has some strongly rooted cuttings which I expect to flower well in 2011. Jenny Dawe succeeded in rooting five cuttings, despite not taking them until the end of July 2009 and the parent plant being over 50 years old. Jenny and her husband Michael travelled from Ludlow to the New Forest in May this year, bringing me two excellent young plants and she has kept three for herself. Well done Jenny. In addition the parent plant is still in situ – the Council has not contacted her since last summer! CUTTINGS FROM YOUNG MONTANA PLANTS ‘Van Gogh’ cuttings take very easily. On 27th July 2009 I took three cuttings (rather late). All three rooted well and were potted on just before the AGM in late March 2010. All produced at least one flower this year. Julian took more cuttings on 16th June 2010 – all have rooted and were potted on in early August. They have healthy new foliage and are shooting well as I write. They are outside each day and night when no rain is forecast (which is the norm!). I will keep them on the dry side over winter, probably in the cold frame or on the floor of the cold conservatory (to keep them out of the clutches of slugs and snails!). Let me know if you would like one! MONTANA BABY BOOM… follow-up (Ed.) Readers may recall that Val’s article in the 2008 Journal was entitled BABY BOOM at ‘BY THE WAY’ (as a reminder, the first paragraph of the article from 2008 follows): There has been a baby boom of Montanas in our garden this year. Anyone wishing to grow one on is welcome to have a seedling to nurture. There are dozens with potential white or pink flowers. I have found batches in the two year old leaf mould, in the gravel under ‘Broughton Star’, ‘Freda’, ‘Miss Christine’ and C. montana var. rubens, and a few more in our poor, stony soil. By the time this is published I will have attended the November Indoor Meeting (15/11/08) to which I will take a batch, in the hope of finding some good foster homes. You never know, you could raise ‘a winner’. (Val writes:) Dear Brian, I have just re-read a letter about the BCS Autumn Meeting – Kidlington – from Sue and Olly Holbrook, on the back page (p.24) of the August 2009 Newsletter. It mentions their ‘montana baby’ in the penultimate paragraph. I would be most interested to hear from anyone else who has had a baby from me if they would be so kind as to contact me. Also, I have quite a few other seedlings needing homes – perhaps I will take them to the November meeting at Romsey? I reproduce below the letter to me from Sue and Olly, dated 23rd September 2010:

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The Clematis 2010 ‘…here’s the story so far. When we brought 2008-0051 home it went into a tray with the other infants (then in the greenhouse because they had been soaked outside) and stayed there all winter. It died back so severely we thought we had lost it, but in spring 2009 it burst forth joyfully, and increased its pot size until I put it into a Tesco ‘value’ bucket in late August ’09. These buckets, with drainage holes, are cheap, lighter than terracotta, and have the advantage of a handle! It was obviously content on our back fence, where Olly has made a duck board and put wiring on vine eyes for similar residents. We left it out over winter this time – it had a firm grip! – and it appeared not to mind being snowed on, frozen, and generally ignored. In spring it had the most beautiful flowers, six or seven, ‘Apple Blossom’ in bud, pearly cream inside when open. The plant has deep red stems and the leaves – deep green – develop reddy-brown edges later, reminding me of vine leaves. The Adventure: having shortened its runners two or three times to discourage it from strangling its fellows it was obviously time for a new, permanent home. Now, I help out at ‘Cricklade Bloomers’ where we compete for ‘Britain in Bloom’ out of an old garden. We were fortunate in winning gold (again!!) this year. But, of course, it is difficult to find a new slant each time to impress the judges. I had offered a ‘Paul Farges’ to go over an old wall, but consensus rules that it will go through an ancient crab apple tree instead, where it will look spectacular. One of the ladies wanted it to go up a telegraph pole-sized post, which supports bird boxes and a weather vane, in a rather plain corner. ‘You want a Montana for that’ I said. Inspiration struck! Just the place for Montana Baby 2008-0051. Olly took him to his new home yesterday (22nd September), and he was planted with due consideration and bonemeal. He was looking quite cheerful by the time we came home, having been wrestled from his former supports the day before. His situation is sunny – a corner near dry stone walling – sunny all day, from SE in the morning to SW in the afternoon. He is planted deeply with a choice of pole or bracing struts towards the walls for his future travels. With your permission we will use ‘2008-0051’ as a feature next year – on the lines of ’Here is a Montana which came as a foster seedling from the National Collection of Clematis Montana Group.’ I hope you approve of ‘2008-0051’s life so far.’ Best wishes – Sue www.crickladeinbloom.co.uk ollyholbrook476@btinternet.com] (Val continues:) Anita – sounds a great idea. I would feel honoured to think that 20080051 will feature in your display and would, of course, make you very welcome here if you are ever in this area – the beautiful New Forest – my collection is usually at its most beautiful in early May. Best to contact me nearer the time if you would like to come. Best wishes – Val.

Images in this article courtesy of Tom Hewett

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The Clematis 2010

Clematis chiisanensis Aidan Armitage UK

lematis chiisanensis belongs to the Atragene Group and is a cousin of Clematis alpina and Clematis macropetala. It is native to South Korea and the island of Cheju-do. It shares many characteristics with Clematis koreana, particularly C. koreana var. lutea. The botanical description given by Magnus Johnson in his book The Genus Clematis (page 190) states that Clematis chiisanensis has thick yellow sepals (he calls them tepals) with purple dots on the outside, seldom with a purple tinge, sometimes with strongly conspicuous caruncles at the base of the nerves. He describes C. koreana (page 210) as having thick tepals with small fleshy caruncles at the base of the nerves, displaying individual variation in colour, with red-violet and yellow-tinged forms. Johnson describes the flowers of both species as nodding and more or less open-campanulate, 5–7 cm in diameter and flowering in May – July. Both are cited as climbers reaching a height of about 5m. Brewster Rogerson, in his ‘Clematis of the month’ article on C. koreana var. lutea (March 2001 – website: www.clematisinternational.com) is of the view that the bell of Clematis chiisanensis ‘is likely to be fatter and very heavily ridged along the sides, whereas C. koreana var. lutea has a spruce look, being usually slender and just slightly recurved at the tips’. Wim Snoeijer, however, believes the differences do not outweigh the shared characteristics and are insufficient to justify separation into different species. For this reason Wim is of the view that Clematis chiisanensis is a synonym of C. koreana. My own experience adds to the confusion over the correct nomenclature of C. chiisanensis. I obtained my plant from Crûg Farm Plants as Clematis koreana var. lutea, from South Korea, but since Flowers of my Clematis chiisanensis posting photos of it on the BCS Clematis Forum website, Roy Nunn has advised me that it is in fact C. chiisanensis! The inner and outer sepals of my clematis are a very attractive pale primrose 90

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The Clematis 2010 yellow with bulbous pale yellow staminodes about half the length of the sepals. The sepals are thick and heavily ridged but they also have small fleshy caruncles or spurs at the base of the nerves. The sepals had a faint dusting of purple-brown speckles the first year they flowered, however this year the speckling has disappeared completely. Flowers can appear sporadically throughout the summer and are sometimes slightly hidden by the foliage, because the leaves are quite large. The mottled dark green and slightly toothed leaves are reminiscent in shape (but not in size) of those of grape vines (Vitis). The seedheads are silvery at first, then turn very fluffy-white like cotton wool, and are easily blown away by strong winds.

My plant is very hardy and survived the freezing temperatures of last winter (with a mulch around the base) without any problem. Both C. koreana and C. chiisanensis are similarly robust and have been known to survive outside in the cold temperatures of Stockholm (Sweden). To give them the best chance of survival they should be planted in free draining soil and the roots should not be allowed to become too wet over winter. They can be planted in the sun or the semi-shade and belong to pruning group 1, and therefore do not require much pruning. As to the question of whether Clematis chiisanensis and Clematis koreana are separate species, my conclusion is that although there are differences between them, these could fall within the natural variation to be expected in a species. I am therefore inclined to agree with Wim Snoeijer’s view that Clematis chiisanensis is a synonym of Clematis koreana although I am sure this will not be the end of the debate! Regardless of what my plant turns out to be I am still very pleased to have such an attractive specimen in my garden. 91

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Section IV: Propagation and Hybridisation

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The Clematis 2010

Unusual Clematis from Wild Collected Seed Aidan Armitage UK

ince 2008 I have been growing clematis from wild collected seed from Nepal and China. My interest started in 2007 when I bought some clematis plants from Crûg Farm in North Wales, which had been grown by Sue and Bleddyn Wyn-Jones, from wild seed they had collected on their plant-hunting expeditions. Although I had successfully grown clematis from BCS seed and my own clematis plants, the possibility of growing unusual clematis seldom or never seen in cultivation intrigued me. The more I researched this subject the more I realised how little published information there was on these rarer species forms, particularly regarding hardiness in Britain, descriptions, images and time of flowering. I found Magnus Johnson and Chris Grey-Wilson’s books usually contained some information, but not always in relation to how these plants would respond to our climate. Other information came via internet forums from experts including Ton Hannink, Roy Nunn, Brian Collingwood and Everett Leeds who had grown some of the rarer forms from seed.

Seed labeled C. orientalis var. tenuifolia = C. tibetana subsp. vernayi?

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The Clematis 2010 The next step was to get hold of some wild collected seed. I found Yu Liangliang (China) via the Gardenbuddies.com website. Yu traded some of his wild collected seed from China for seed I had obtained from the BCS and from my own clematis. Yu labelled the seed packets with the names of different clematis species but as I later learned, these were not always accurate. At the same time further internet research led me to Chris Chadwell, a modern day plant hunter who specialises in annual seed collecting expeditions to the Himalaya. For £30 I purchased a clematis-only share, for which I received, over the next year, a total of nineteen packets of seeds collected either by Chris or by Til Jung Rai, his main collecting partner. These were collected in different parts of Nepal at varying altitudes. The seed packets arrived with a collection number, altitude details and general notes about the region where they had been gathered.

C. confusa originating from Crûg Farm

The most important task after receiving the seeds was to germinate them and the method I use is to put the seeds between layers of damp kitchen paper towels in a closed Tupperware container. The seeds have to be checked regularly and the paper moistened if it starts to dry out. This is a quick way to check if the seeds are viable: if they are not viable they tend to rot fairly quickly. Chris had warned that there was no guarantee that all wild collected seed would germinate. He was right. The proportion of seeds that failed to germinate, compared to those that did, was high – only about seven packets out of the nineteen produced any germinations. Generally the fresher the seeds are, the greater chance they will germinate. Clematis seed can be viable for up to five years if stored in optimum conditions, but wild seed is subject to extremes of weather before it is collected and this is a factor in determining whether germination will occur. I was really excited when my first seeds began to sprout. I had put them in the Tupperware containers in November 2008 and achieved my first germinations in February and March 2009. The next stage was to pot them up as quickly as possible – the paper towels hold the moisture but of course do not of themselves provide any nutrients for the sprouting seeds. I immediately potted them up, into a good medium. 94

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The Clematis 2010 The seedlings grew strongly and in July 2009 I took a chance in planting them out in the garden, even though they only had small root systems and just an immature stem structure. I was quite surprised when, in September, a seedling from Yu Liangliang’s seed produced a solitary flower. This was from wild seed collected in the Sela mountain area, Linzhi This and following images CC6192 district, south east Tibet. The seed was labeled C. orientalis var. tenuifolia, but the flower resembled that of C. tibetana subsp. vernayi. I wonder whether this is in fact more likely, because it is very different from cultivated C. tibetana on account of its very unusual and distinctive foliage. It is a climber to about 3–4 metres with extremely fine, narrow leaflets. The flower is yellow, bellshaped with thick fleshy sepals, the stamens having purple filaments, altogether an extremely attractive plant. It is hardy too: I have two plants in my garden and both survived the exceptionally cold winter of 2009/10. Only one other seedling of wild origin flowered, in November 2009, also producing a solitary flower. This was from Chris Chadwell’s seed, CC6192 collected by Til Jung Rai in the Khumbu/Makalu region of Nepal at an altitude of 3750 metres. The Khumbu region in north eastern Nepal is rich in flora and home to some of the world’s most spectacular landscapes, including Mount Everest, the elevations ranging from 3,300m to more than 8,800m. The stems, leaflets and flower were similar to CC5478 grown by Ton Hannink (see page 128 of ICLS Journal Clematis International 2009). It was clear from the internodes and flower that this plant belonged to the Connata Group as it had many characteristics similar to C. confusa. I was very lucky to have a C. confusa from Crûg Farm, which was flowering for the first time, so I was able to compare it with 95

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The Clematis 2010 CC6192. There were noticeable differences in the stems and flowers. The C. confusa had reddish-brown flowers with triangular-ovate sepals (with a much paler inside colouring) which ranged from 10–13mm long and 5.5–7mm wide. It also had a recognizable disc at each node where the leaves join. CC6192, on the other hand, had purple-flushed stems with much larger cone-like leaf nodes. The flower had very dark purple-brown sepals, and was much more narrowtriangular, about 18mm long and 6mm wide, with a deep maroon inside colouring. Accurate identification is difficult because so little is known about C. confusa and its variants. I am inclined at present to think that CC6192 is either a natural variant of C. confusa or is in fact a new species awaiting identification. Unfortunately neither CC6192 nor my C. confusa survived the recent cold winter. The good news is that I have another CC6192 seedling that did survive, in a pot, as well as two seedlings of CC6247 and one CC6163, and a cutting of the C. confusa, so I look forward to reporting on these in due course. As further explorations are completed in these remote and difficult-to-access regions, and more wild seed collections are made, our knowledge of these rarer clematis species will grow, and new species and natural hybrids will be identified. Growing wild collected seed has a valuable part to play in adding to that knowledge.

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The Clematis 2010

My Clematis from Seed Tetsuya Hirota Japan

(Ed. The plants featured in this article have not been officially named and registered at the time of writing, however I have added their prospective names in inverted commas – some or all may of course be subject to amendment in due course of time.)

ost of the clematis I grow from seed are hybridized naturally, so only the mother plants’ identities (the seed parents) are known. It is quite some work to germinate, grow, select and maintain clematis, however, I find the more effort I put into it, the more pleasure I receive from it! I plant as many seeds as I can with the aim of expanding the overall range, in order that the results are as interesting as possible. I also take the following steps to lighten my workload in growing large numbers of seeds: I select seeds so as to offer the best likelihood of getting the best possible flowers, and take great care of them after they sprout. It takes less time to select good plants this way, and it makes it easier to get higher numbers of them. I have two methods which I term the ‘ordinary care method’ and the ‘specific care method’. The following illustrates the differences between the ordinary care “Atsuhime” method and 97

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The Clematis 2010 the specific care method: for the ordinary care, plants are put into black pots and grown for one year after sprouting, and then they are transplanted into fields or gardens, and, later, the flowers are checked and selections are made. For the specific care, plants are put into black pots and I let them grow for a year, and then transfer them to bigger pots; then

“Jewely Rose”

the flowers are checked and selected. Plants tend to grow slowly in small pots and it takes too much time before flowering occurs, so plants are transferred to bigger pots to promote their rate of growth. In the ordinary method – transferring them to a field or to gardens, it is easier to water them, and they do not take as much space as those planted in pots. Also, plants tend to be stronger, and flower earlier. On the other hand, in the ordinary method, after plants have been selected, it is more difficult to propagate them. The usual method of propagation in Japan is by means of cuttings, however, cuttings from plants that grow in the gardens or fields tend to be harder to succeed with. In order to get a higher success rate, plants should “Kaguya” be transferred to 98

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The Clematis 2010 pots, and the vines that grow after pottingup should be used for making cuttings. The cuttings from the plants in the open ground take longer to root. In addition, there can be failures when the small plants are transferred from ground to “Se-no-kaaze” pot. The advantage of the specific care method is that there is less handling, and therefore less risk of loss due to disturbance. The most important plus is that when good flowers are spotted, it is easier to get cuttings from those plants. Therefore, there is less chance of loss during propagation and the plants can be maintained well. Some disadvantages of the specific care method are that it is labour intensive in terms of watering and the management and accommodation of the vines. It also requires a larger space to store a lot of pots. For these reasons, I use the specific method for the seeds which I think are more likely to produce the best flowers, and the ordinary method for the others, since the ordinary method requires less effort. With accumulated experience of raising plants you will gain insight into which seed-parent plants tend more reliably to produce offspring with very good flowers. It is very important to use these particular plants “Shizuka-TH” as future seed sources. 99

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The Clematis 2010 Some points of note when selecting seeds for the specific care method: with the experience gained from many successive sowings and raisings you will develop good insight into the possible outcomes, so be mindful of and refer back to your records – from accurate long-term records you can soon build up a keen awareness of which parent plants are more dependable in terms of producing offspring with attractive flowers. Go on with the cycle and raise plants from the seeds of these new plants, and, in due course, from the seed of their next and subsequent generations. Some plants produce seed only very rarely – but they do produce some, from time to time , nevertheless – all such seed should be collected and grown. If ever a plant arises with relatively unique colours, or a recognisably different flower form, definitely grow the seeds of these particular plants. Any seedlings which have particularly different leaf characters, or leaf shape, or colour – grow the seeds of these plants too. For the specific care method, these are prime candidates. Further reflections Lately I have been planting more seeds by the specific care method, but the number of plants that I grow in the ordinary way is still much larger. The number of plants that I select and retain is much higher from the specific method seedlings. Therefore, I am sure that the specific care method is more effective. Recently, I have added a new idea to the ordinary method – although it is more costly, I have changed the type of soil I use to a much more workable, softer mix. I wanted to make digging plants out easier, to reduce losses “Something Blue” when selecting plants. I always feel that being well prepared and having everything set up in advance, so I can work whenever I want to, is key to getting the best results. Otherwise, great opportunities can be lost.

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Variations on a Theme of Clematis viticella – Raising New Plants from Seed John Skill UK

uring a visit to the Harrogate Spring Flower Show in April 2008 I bought several packets of donated seed from the British Clematis Society display stand. Having retired from my work in education in 2006 I decided it was time to try my hand at growing these amazing plants from seed – something I had always wanted to try, but time had always been against me! Among the packets were several ‘large flowered mixtures’ and one packet of ‘C. viticella mixture’ bearing number 64 from the BCS Seed Exchange list, previously dispatched to members along with the regular newsletter. This article considers the germination and subsequent development of flowers, over a two year period, of plants grown from this C. viticella seed mixture. Having previously read Brian Collingwood’s articles in previous editions of The Clematis and his step by step no-nonsense guide to hybridisation and seed planting, and particularly his web site dealing with this subject (www.bcollingwood.com), which is guaranteed to inspire longing in even the most jaded grower, I was fired up and ready to have a go! Furthermore, the wise words and excellent guidance of former BCS Chairman and seed growing expert Mike Brown proved to be a driving force in this venture, now that I had the luxury of time on my side. The fresh C. viticella seeds were planted two days after purchase, in new J. Arthur Bowers multi-purpose compost – with added alpine grit and perlite to ensure good drainage. The seeds were sown thinly into six new 9cm pots and labelled with details of name, date and source; then the medium was covered with alpine grit and, finally, drenched with a proprietary protective fungicide. After the pots had drained they were placed in separate re-sealable plastic bags and stored under the staging in a cold greenhouse. No further watering was required until seed germination the following spring. Aftercare of the new seedlings followed the systematic advice set out on Brian Collingwood’s invaluable website on this subject. For the purpose of this brief article I selected four random robust seedlings, with the intention of tracking their development. The following set of photographs reveal flowers from the same four plants as they appeared in 2009 and 2010. Throughout the growing seasons they were liquid fed every week using Chempak No.8, feeding being discontinued once the first flower buds had appeared. Incidentally, fifty three seedlings germinated from the C. viticella mixture and most were grown on to initial flowering. Following critical appraisal of garden worthiness for my small plot (and trust me, you really need to be ruthless here), many failed to make the grade and were duly discarded. The first flowers of the selected plants (one from each) can be seen below. Each plant was allowed to develop one single vine which proceeded to attain approximately one metre in length. All the photographs were taken with an Olympus U700 digital AllWeather camera, 7.1 megapixels.

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The first flowers of the selected plants

The next set of photographs of the same plants, taken one year later (early summer 2010), give a good indication of the substantial size of the plants after a further year’s growth. This time, each plant was allowed to produce two vines and these vines ultimately achieved between 120cms and 130cms in length. The feeding regime was the same as in the previous year. The final photos are close up shots of some of the flowers. In terms of actual size they are slightly smaller than the usual C. viticella type. However, this may increase as the plants mature. All four flowers show some C. viticella traits. My intention is to plant the four clematis in the garden in spring 2011 and monitor their development in a less controlled environment, over the coming two or three years. 102

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Dipping my toe in the fascinating water of raising new clematis from seed has been exciting and rewarding. Brian Collingwood’s website ‘did it’ for me and got me galvanised into action. Do visit it if you haven’t already done so! I wholeheartedly agree with Joan Dupuis (see page 88 ‘Growing Clematis from Seed’ The Clematis 2008):‘Thanks to Brian Collingwood for sharing all his great information on this matter. He makes growing clematis from seed sound like it’s as easy as making toast for breakfast’. Follow Brian’s advice and I guarantee you will not be disappointed with the results. And in the meantime, while you are waiting, enjoy the toast. 104

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Some Notes on Raising Clematis from Seed Brian Collingwood UK

eeds from C. ‘Jackmanii’ (and this applies to most other hybrid clematis) won’t give you more plants of ‘Jackmanii’, although the results could be similar; but equally they could be very different, or anywhere between! And that’s the beauty of it – you get to raise original, different, new plants more or less every time, and you are the first person to see the new flowers. If you raise seeds over a reasonable period of time, if something particularly good eventually comes along you can give the plant a name, and, you never know, with luck, patience and (God’s own) persistence you might even be able to earn something from it commercially, in due course. But that’s not the main aim – the fact is, most clematis (I am not saying this because I am biased!) produce beautiful plants with beautiful flowers that will give you a lot of pleasure – that is the main aim. Whatever, once the seed is germinated you are past the biggest hurdle and with a little more work you can soon have brand new plants, producing brand new flowers, and I don’t need to tell you, that’s terribly exciting! By the method that I use, seeds of most of the ‘Jackmanii’-types, and other larger flowered hybrids, take between 200 (conservative) and about 400 days to germinate. You occasionally get some coming relatively quickly - about 180 days, but I would say the average is about 250–300 or so days; most (but not all) will have germinated by 400 days. But you don’t know in advance how long a given batch will take, so it is prudent to plant them in a manner that will ensure they are kept in good condition until they do germinate. So, sow them into small pots, a dozen per pot, water (better, a fungicide solution), allow to drain, and cover the soil surface with a layer of grit to a depth of one quarter inch or so - this helps preserve the moisture and helps suppress the growth of some mosses, liverwort etc. Enclose each pot in a top-sealing plastic bag and store the pots in trays for easy handling. For certain, keep them away from direct exposure to the sun’s rays. Best to keep them covered and out of the way. (Personally I do this even for the quicker germinating seeds too, but you may decide that these specific types perhaps don’t need as much preparation). Yes, it’s a little more effort, but these measures alone will ensure your seeds will keep in excellent condition without problems for two to three, or more, years - plenty of time to germinate most types of seed. Vince Denny never threw a seed pot away before allowing it at least three full years of observation and wisdom. (Just as an aside: he was a great bloke. He was so generous to me with clematis plants. I never left his house without him cramming plants into the boot of my car. He gave me a lot of the Viorna Group – he knew I was completely addicted. I will never forget it.) Once the pots are stored you can commence checking for germinations after 6 months, then weekly thereafter, until you notice the sprouts. There is then a critical period of three months while you bring the germinations from tiny sprouts to small plants. After this, the plants will largely look after themselves in terms of survival, but of course you will need (and want) to tend them throughout, otherwise, as with any other plants or young seedlings, neglect will lead to problems and losses. 105

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There is a way you can speed up germination which I would recommend you try. It was covered in the last issue of The Clematis so I won’t go into detail here. Instead of compost or soil you mix the seeds with moist vermiculite, and enclose in a top-sealing plastic bag. The seeds tend to sprout that much quicker, and in some cases, even for seed which is difficult using the traditional method, germination can occur after only a very short period. It is a great method and you should definitely use it. Whatever method you use, if they germinate in spring, so much the better, because you will have all the coming season (with its clement weather) to follow, while they are getting established. If they germinate during, or just before, winter, that makes things a little more difficult since you have to keep them going during the coldest periods – this makes things slightly harder, but by no means is it difficult – it just requires a little more care. Once they are established, even young seedlings are tough, and in due course they will do their level best to flower for you as soon as they physically can. You just have to give them a little regular TLC and attention. When seedlings begin to produce flower buds for the first time the anticipation becomes massive, and as the flowers form you’ll find yourself speculating on the possible outcomes! Not only are they brand new flowers, they are YOUR OWN new flowers! Never seen by anyone, ever, before! Bear in mind, species seeds, as long as they have not cross-pollinated with other clematis growing nearby, will produce daughters which are quite similar to the parents – they ‘come true’, whereas seed from hybrids will produce offspring that can be similar to, but, much more likely, will show marked differences from the parent = they usually WON’T ‘come true’. So, seeds gathered from wild plants where clematis exist as discrete populations, will more often than not ‘come true’, whereas seeds, even species seeds, derived from garden situations, where other clematis may be growing in the vicinity, may not come true, because the bees and other insects introduce pollens from other sources to the flowers (clematis are insect pollinated). So, even if you receive seed from somewhere where a particular known pure species plant is grown, be aware that the seed may still produce some hybrids, if the plant from which the seeds are gathered is growing near other, different but compatible, clematis plants. You’ll find the smaller, thinner-walled clematis seeds are easy to germinate and grow on. So, any of the Tangutica Group species (C. tangutica, C. serratifolia, C. tibetana etc), and hybrids (‘Golden Tiara’ etc); and many of the alpinas and macropetalas, and so on, will germinate after 30–90 days and be up before you know it. And (with best care) you can 106

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have flowers sometimes even within a season, or, at absolute most, two seasons, from them. The Viorna Group – C. texensis, C. viorna, C. carrizoensis, C. crispa, and others, and their hybrids, are more like the large-flowered hybrids, in that their seeds tend to be thickerwalled, tougher, and take longer to germinate. Some might require periods of cold to help them germinate, but that’s no problem – store your trays of seed pots where they feel the outside temperatures. I keep mine under the staging in the cold greenhouse – during the colder months they freeze and thaw in tandem with the natural cycle. That leaves a large batch of species, and hybrids of species etc which take, on average, roughly 100 to 200 days or so to germinate – in other words 3 to 6 months or slightly more. No matter what type you raise, treat them all the same in the first year after germination. There is no need to make anything more complicated than it needs to be. And just because some need shorter periods to germinate, it doesn’t follow that they are any less enjoyable or beautiful than those which take longer – they are just different types of plants. Some of the Tangutica Group plants (the small-yellow-flowered group) will give seedlings which will fill a two litre pot with roots, and flower beautifully, even in the very first season after germination, even for the first-time raiser. So ideally you could start with a mix of several types of seeds, some of which will come relatively quickly, along with some that will take longer – that way you can be seeing germinations quickly, and then tending young plants, and bringing them to flower, even while you are waiting for the others to germinate. However much effort you put into it I can promise you that the results will always more than outweigh the work. This is just a brief summary, so I have not gone into too much detail. If anything seems unclear there is some further info on the web site Clematis from Seed. If you have access to seeds which are new to you, have a look at the germination data (on the Germination page!), and just see what ‘group’ (as defined above) of clematis your seeds fall into – that will be sufficient for you to get a good idea of how long they might take. Most of us start with seeds of large flowered hybrids from our own garden plants, and they are certainly a great way to start. You will get fantastic new plants with exciting and novel flowers from every plant. You can look out for sources of species seed as you go along; but do also try the Tangutica Group, the alpinas and the macropetalas – you will be rewarded quickly and soon get bitten by the bug.

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Section V: Clematis registered between July 2009 and June 2010 Duncan Donald - International Clematis Registrar UK

accepted eighteen applications for new clematis cultivar names in the second half of 2009 and the first half of 2010. These emanated from six countries, as follows: Poland 5, Estonia 4, Japan 4, The Netherlands 3, UK 1 and USA 1. Szczepan Marczyński has registered five new cultivars. Two are Viticella Group: ‘Krakowiak’, with flowers opening light reddish purple with a deep pink bar, maturing to purplish pink with a red bar; and ‘Oberek’, with pale pink flowers increasingly marked towards the sepal margins with purplish pink veins. Two are Early Large-flowered Group, white-flowered with purple connectives: ‘Beautiful Bride’, a ‘Mrs Cholmondeley’ hybrid with star-shaped, mostly 6-sepalled flowers; and ‘Królowa Jadwiga’, with almost circular, usually 8sepalled flowers. The fifth is Late Largeflowered Group: ‘Vistula’, with mostly 6-sepalled, purplish blue flowers. I am happy to report that two breeders have registered cultivars they introduced commercially several years ago: there is no time limit within which registration must occur, and it is always good to have such records from the people who know these plants best. The Kivistik family have maintained their exemplary record of ‘Sara’

registering all their ongoing new introductions by submitting ‘Aksel’ and ‘Jaan’ – both Viticella Group, 6-sepalled ‘Carmencita’ hybrids named after family members – the former with vivid violet flowers, the latter with pale violet flowers; and ‘Triibu’ and ‘Viola’ – both Late Large-flowered Group, the former a ‘Marcel Moser’ hybrid with pale 108

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The Clematis 2010 pink flowers with a broad purplish pink bar, the latter a ‘Lord Nevill’ hybrid with dark blue-violet flowers with a paler bar. Kazushi Miyazaki has registered four Early Large-flowered Group cultivars which he and Fukutaroo Miyata raised together: ‘Aria’ [previously wrongly transcribed as ‘Maria’], with 6-sepalled, pale pink-violet flowers; ‘Kaiser’ , a double-flowered sport from ‘Allegro’, with flowers opening yellow-green at the centre, ageing/shading to , with 6–8-sepalled flowers dark reddish pinkclear pink; ‘Nocturne’ purple with a paler bar; and ‘Stagione’ , with 6–8-sepalled flowers clear blue with a paler bar. Wim Snoeijer has registered ‘Zospi’ SPIKY, a Viticella Group cultivar with double, violet-blue flowers; and ‘Zotwi’ TWINKLE, an Integrifolia Group cultivar with the outside of its sepals white with a glossy, violet-blue flush at the base. Ton Hannink’s very beautiful new cultivar, ‘Vitiwester’ is a Viticella × ‘Westerplatte’ hybrid, with 4–6 dark red sepals. Dan Long from Brushwood Nursery has registered ‘Miguel Viso’, to commemorate his friend who died earlier this year: a Late Large-flowered Group cultivar, it has 6–8 sepals which open lavender, then mature to mauve, with a wide, white bar. Last, but by no means least, our Editor Brian Collingwood has registered ‘Sara’, a pitcheri (Viorna Group) hybrid first illustrated in The Clematis 2007: flowers have 4 sepals, pink outside; inside deep pink at the tips, with a yellowish throat.

‘Vitiwester’

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VI: The Viornae

Clematis Flowers in Small Packages Carol Lim USA

y recent relocation from Pennsylvania, mid-Atlantic region, to the mountains of North Carolina has given me the opportunity to explore a new native flora and to compare the growth of garden plants in new conditions. I joined the North Carolina Native Plant Society and was fortunate to meet a local member with a five acre garden along the Broad French River in Henderson County. Alan invited me to see his native plant collection. Many plants, such as Clematis viorna, were growing wild on the site. The vines grow in dappled shade beneath a high canopy of oak (Quercus alba) and tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera) in clay loam, where seasonal flooding occurs. Companions for the clematis are Passiflora lutea, a host plant for butterflies [yellow passionflower is often good for butterfly gardens, as it is a host for gulf fritillaries (Agraulis vanillae), julia butterflies (Dryas julia), and zebra longwings (Heliconius charitonius)], and wild cucumber vine. Also on the site are wild rhododendron, Hydrangea arborescens and Leucothoe. The soil is acidic. Nature created beautiful, leathery and colourful bells which turn into ornamental seed heads. Clematis addisonii, to my eyes, has flowers that shed their sepals and produce metallic tails on their flower heads. The flower colour is variable, ranging from deep violet to purple. Now, after a dry spell has ended, the plants are rejuvenated and producing more buds and flowers. When garden visitors see this subgenus of Clematis in bloom, I suggest to them that they closely examine a flower. They are amazed at the weight and thickness and easily understand why the term ‘leather flower’ was coined. The swamp leather flower, Clematis crispa, with its scented flowers, does not flower in profusion, but at a steady, reliable pace, all summer long. Just recently I came across a posting on an internet gardening forum requesting assistance to identify a plant. I jumped with glee at seeing a very nice form of Clematis crispa. The owner sent a picture of the vines growing on her large property, along a stream in Curie, North Carolina, not far from the coast. I was fortunate in that she later gave me some seed from the plant and I’ve called this form ‘Big Sombrero’; it has a ‘brim’ so wide that it makes one take note. It is reported to be highly fragrant, too! It will take some time to grow plants from this seed so that I can compare it with my own C. crispa (which came from Louisiana from a ‘plant rescue’ in 1999, and was taken with me when I moved to North Carolina). (Native plants are ‘rescued’ in order that they are not destroyed by construction work etc. I belong to the North Carolina Native Plant Society and have taken part in a ‘plant rescue’ with a group of members. Where land is going to be built on and developed, all 111

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Flowers of some of Carol’s recent Viorna Group plants

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The Clematis 2010 plants would usually be lost. This was the same for the Louisiana rescue, where a friend dug up the plants. It’s not poaching! It’s rescue! They would be lost, otherwise.) That particular vine grew well in Pennsylvania, planted in ordinary garden conditions. Since moving here last year, it has been growing in a moist spot, and seems to thrive. How hardy are these Viorna types? I have seen comments from gardeners in USDA Zones 3 and 4 indicating that some species are quite able to survive in far northern gardens. If Clematis crispa transplanted from steamy Louisiana (Zone 8) grows well in Pennsylvania (Zone 6), the genetics must be well adapted for colder climes. Since it is my experience that all Viorna types are herbaceous, not woody, they seem well adapted to survive severe conditions, not seeking to maintain old growth. The most problematic species, for me (and from the reports of others) is Clematis texensis. After repeated trials with both seed-grown and purchased plants, the results were not spectacular. One seedling produced pale pink flowers but disappeared, never to reemerge, after just one season. C. texensis generally seemed a feeble grower in my former garden – compared to Clematis glaucophylla, which was extremely vigorous and climbed atop an Aesculus pavia, while producing hundreds of flowers and seedheads. Contrary to what I’ve heard about Clematis glaucophylla, my plants have never had mildew. C. texensis has performed better here in the clay soil of North Carolina. I would love to know if anyone ever finds a white form of C. texensis from a batch of seedlings! Viorna types have the best engineered flowers in the clematis world! Despite heavy thunderstorms and wind, the nectar and pollen is protected, and honeybees, bumblebees and hummingbirds eagerly visit the flowers; whereas other clematis and most other garden plants are awash with Wire baskets around the base for rabbit protection water, and the flowers 113

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The Clematis 2010 are useless to birds and other pollinators. The range of colours found in these bell-shaped flowers is enormous. Pink, violet, purple, red, hot pink, blue lavender and red are all in the mix. For more colour still this year I’ve sown seed of Ipomoea quamoclit (the hummingbird vine) to grow on the same trellises with C. viorna and a C. pitcheri hybrid. “Big Sombrero”

Although I’ve had Clematis fremontii in my garden for a number of years, I’ve not found it easy to flower. After transplanting to a hypertufa trough (looks like a stone trough but much lighter) in a sunny position two years ago, now, it has grown very well – but without flower buds. Clematis ochroleuca has flowered, but at present is still in a pot awaiting an appropriate spot in the garden. With regard to pests and diseases, I’ve found rabbits are the biggest problem. Not only will they sever the entire vine at ground level, they won’t even bother eating it! Finding a plant that looks like it has clematis wilt, but actually has rabbit damage, is so infuriating! For protection at the base I’ve now put coated wire baskets around many of my plants. They are inexpensive and by selecting the least obtrusive colour (green, black or brown) they are not overly apparent to the eye. They make it inconvenient for the varmints to chew. We’ve also discovered a new pest – the mole. The tunnels separate the roots from the capillary action of the soil. Moles are almost impossible to eradicate. One early problem I had was some nightly insect activity which was defoliating both Clematis crispa and a variegated Parthenocissus quinquefolia. However, it was a chore to head out with a flashlight to hunt down the culprit, so instead I resorted to using a Pyrethrum based spray application. That did the trick! No wonder John J. Wurdack (Curator Emeritus of Botany, head of the US National Herbarium) collected seed of these native beauties in the wild, and shared them with many people (including Mr. Ozawa of Japan and some European clematis growers). Other than one gardener in New England, I’ve not heard of other Americans growing plants from seed originally collected by Dr. Wurdack. If you have more information on John Wurdack, I would love to hear it! 114

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The Clematis 2010 It is definitely worthwhile locating species in the wild, and even in other people’s gardens, as the variations in form are very wide indeed. Mike Miller of Illinois states he has a Clematis pitcheri which is fragrant. Scent is one trait that generally seems to be unreported in the write-ups by botanists about the various species. The Flora of North America (on-line version) makes no mention of fragrance at all. If time allows, my travels might take me to search for clematis in the wild. Tennessee has many species and it’s not too long a drive for me. Virginia has many of the small non-vining species including C. addisonii, C. viticaulis, etc so it is within the realm of possibility that I may visit these areas with the collection of such plants in mind.

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Once upon a time in America Keith Treadaway UK

A brief review of some of the people behind the names of those who discovered, described or are honoured in the names of the species in the American Viorna Group. A standard author abbreviation is given in brackets after each name, where known to me. Not in alphabetical or date order.

n my research for this article I quickly became aware that most of the individuals involved were famous and influential throughout the field of botany in general, rather than in Clematis solely. I found it necessary to research via the internet in many instances (particularly from Wikipedia) since I live some distance from specialist research facilities. As you will be aware, Wikipedia accepts input from its users and therefore on occasion may possibly present information of slightly variable exactness. For this reason I would be delighted, in fact grateful, if you would contact me (keithatredberth@ btinternet.com) if you happen to spot anything which conflicts with your understanding of the ‘facts’ hereto presented, or indeed if you can augment this article in any way. I have put down my pen after reaching Doctor Erickson with the idea that the personalities involved after this point in time may well make suitable subject material for a further article in due course, for which I hopefully may, in some cases, be able to include details of further new plant discoveries. Linnaeus. (L.) Let us begin with an exception. Although obviously not an American, nor specifically working from a New World viewpoint, it would be impossible if not downright rude not to mention the work done by this Titan, who included both C. crispa and C. viorna of the American group, as well as C. integrifolia from eastern Europe, in his Species Plantarum of 1753, the work which established the basic rules by which we classify plants to this day. Thomas Walter. (Walter) c.1740–1798. British born American botanist, Walter described C. reticulata in 1788 in Flora Carolinia – a comprehensive work on the flowering plants of Southern Carolina. William Aiton. (Aiton) 1731–1793. Scottish botanist who described C. ochroleuca in his Hortus Kewensis of 1789. Trained as a gardener, went to London in 1754 to become assistant at Chelsea Physic Garden, then in 1759 became director of Kew which had recently been established, remaining there until his death. Meriwether Lewis. (Lewis) 1774–1809. American botanist and collector of C. hirsutissima along with William Clark. Lewis was Thomas Jefferson’s secretary: Jefferson asked Benjamin Barton to train Captain Lewis in botany for a joint expedition with Clark in 1804–06, to explore the 116

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‘Burford Bell’

Clematis ochroleuca

CHINOOK ‘Evipo013’

Clematis crispa hybrid

‘Fascination’

Clematis fusca 117

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The Clematis 2010 resources of the Pacific Coast (which had been exchanged as part of the Louisiana Purchase). During this successful undertaking they collected many plants, however several hundred of the specimens were unfortunately lost owing to various disasters along the way; some 237 specimens of all types from this expedition are still extant. The losses brought on a state of depression in Lewis (who, in the field, would often sketch comprehensive notes on his finds) and in due course it was necessary for him to engage Frederick Pursh to catalogue the collections made. Lewis’ depression compounded and he finally committed suicide in 1809. It is rather poignant that in spite of all this he commanded huge respect as co-leader of the expedition. William Clark. (Clark) 1770–1838. Co-leader of the Lewis and Clark expedition, referred to by Lewis as ‘Captain’ but in truth at the time a second lieutenant. He was later promoted to Superintendent of Indian Affairs at St. Louis, and in due course attained the rank of Brigadier General of the Militia for the Louisiana Territory. Frederick Pursh. (Pursh) 1774–1820. Born in Germany, a botanist who departed to the USA and by 1805 was collecting plants for Benjamin Barton. (As noted above) Pursh was invited to evaluate and collate the records of the Lewis and Clark expedition, a task he completed within a couple of years. In the process he recognised and described for the first time Clematis hirsutissima (1814) from amongst the plants collected. David Douglas. (Douglas) 1799–1834. Scottish botanist and explorer. After working for William Hooker he was sponsored by the Royal Horticultural Society (1823) for his first trip to North America, which was a success. He was engaged by the RHS again in 1824 for a joint expedition to the northwest coast of North America with the Hudson’s Bay Company, stopping off at the Galapagos Islands on the way. In 1825–27 he travelled over seven thousand miles, bringing or sending large numbers of plants and seeds back. Following these expeditions he was accorded hero status, and gained various honours (such as being elected Fellow of the Geological, Linnean and Zoological Societies) a far cry from his roots as a poor Scottish gardener. He continued with his explorations – navigating the Columbia river; to California; to Hawaii (1830). He returned to Hawaii once more (1834) where he died in mysterious circumstances at the tragically early age of 35. On a trip to explore Mauna Loa he fell into an animal trap where he was trampled to death by a steer which had fallen in before him. He is remembered in the naming of many plants (the Douglas Fir possibly being the most well known) and in the course of his work in 1826 he rediscovered the previously catalogued C. hirsutissima. Believing it to be a new species he named it C. douglasii. This name is still occasionally cited in the literature but the plant is now much better known under its original designation. 118

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The Clematis 2010

Asa Gray

David Douglas

William Aiton

John Bigelow

John Torrey

John Charles Frémont

119

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The Clematis 2010 Édouard Spach. (Spach) 1801–1879. French botanist. He was the first botanist to recognise Section Viorna as a distinct section or subgenus of Clematis, in his Histoire Naturelle des Végétaux (1839). John Milton Bigelow. (Bigelow) 1804–1878. American surgeon and botanist from Ohio. Bigelow discovered a number of new species during his travels with various expeditions. He is remembered in the naming by Torrey of the species C. bigelovii, in Torrey’s Pacific Railway Report of 1856. Samuel Botsford Buckley. (Buckley sometimes Buckl.) 1809–1884. Naturalist, geologist and botanist who managed to assemble a herbarium of around 6,000 specimens. This collection is now part of the herbarium of the Missouri Botanical Garden. Buckley brought C. texensis to its current epithet in 1862, in the Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, after Asa Gray had first described it as C. viorna var. coccinea in 1853. John Charles Frémont. (Frém. or Frem.) 1813–1890. American celebrity in his lifetime, and like so many celebrities, not without controversy. He was a surveyor who in 1938 went with Nicollet to survey the area between the Missouri and Mississippi rivers. Nicollet taught him the basics necessary for running an expedition and gathering scientific information. Frémont went on to lead five expeditions to the West between 1842 and 1854, travelling over 20,000 miles, mapping vast areas including the Great Salt Lake area (and inspiring the Mormons to settle there) as well as collecting several thousands of plant specimens, many of which he rather carelessly lost. Nevertheless he still managed to bring back over a thousand specimens, employing Kit Carson as a guide, while in the process. He managed to pack a vast amount into his life. He married in secrecy Jessie Benton (then 17 years of age), became a senator (though only for six months), supported the anti-slavery movement, gained the Republican Party nomination for president (he lost the election to Buchanan), was subject to a court martial (he was convicted of mutiny), made and lost millions in the Gold Rush, and was eventually regarded by many of his peers as an egotist who would have achieved much more if only he had been able to spread both responsibility and credit around. He is remembered in many ways including several plants named for him: Senecio fremontii, Mahonia fremontii, Populus fremontii (Torrey and Gray) and of course Clematis fremontii – named by Sereno Watson in 1875. Sereno Watson. (S.Watson) 1826–1892. American botanist who graduated from Yale in 1847; drifted through various occupations until he joined the Clarence King expedition, becoming its botanist. He became the assistant to Asa Gray in 1873, and, later, curator of the Gray Herbarium, until his death. It was Watson who eventually named Clematis fremontii. 120

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‘Garnet’

Clematis hirsutissima var. scottii

Clematis fusca

Clematis ianthina

Clematis ianthina var. kuripoensis

‘Pastel Pink’ 121

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The Clematis 2010 Asa Gray. (Gray) 1810–1888. American botanist, generally acknowledged to be the most important of his age. His best known book, Manual of the Botany of the Northern United States, from New England to Wisconsin and South to Ohio and Pennsylvania Inclusive commonly known as Gray’s Manual, many editions later, remains a standard in its field. He was born in New York, and went on to study medicine, graduating as a doctor. However, this field was soon put aside for botany, and in 1842 he became professor of natural history at Harvard, where he stayed until 1873. Through his donation of his huge library of books and plant collections, Gray was directly responsible in founding the Harvard Department of Botany, and the Gray Herbarium is named in his honour. He had been a pupil of Torrey and worked with him in publishing the Flora of North America. He described C. baldwinii and C. pitcheri with Torrey in 1838. Gray travelled to the west of America in 1872, and again with Hooker in 1877, on both occasions bringing back many plant specimens to Harvard. Gray was introduced by Hooker to Charles Darwin, at Kew, and became a great friend, admirer and advocate, arranging the first publication of On the Origin of Species in America. Gray demonstrated that it was possible to be both theist and evolutionist, a theme he propounded in his book Darwiniana. In reciprocation Darwin regarded Gray as one of his greatest and most valued friends, dedicating his book The Different Forms of Flowers on Plants of the Same Species (1877) to him in 1881. He is particularly remembered in the botanic world – ‘Grayanotoxin’ (a toxin found in rhododendrons and other plants of the family Ericaceae) and Gray’s Peak (the highest mountain in the Front Range of the Southern Rocky Mountains in the US state of Colorado). In 1984 the Asa Gray Award was instigated to honour career achievements for living botanists. This is the highest award of the American Society of Plant Taxonomists. Doctor John Torrey. (Torr.) 1796–1873. American botanist. Born in New York, he qualified as a doctor in 1818, but obviously preferred botany, with which he had become fascinated when learning natural history from Amos Eaton, a colleague of his father. In 1824 he issued a Flora of the Northern and Middle States, and was appointed to the Chair of Chemistry and Geology at West Point Military Academy. In 1827 he became Professor of Chemistry and Botany at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York. During 1836 he became botanist to the state of New York and in 1843 produced his A Flora of the State of New York, comprising full descriptions of all the indigenous and naturalized plants hitherto discovered in the State; with remarks on their economical and medicinal properties. From 1838 to 1843 he worked on the Flora of North America with help from his student, Asa Gray. In 1853 he became chief assayer to the US Assay Office, and continued teaching botany until his death. In 1838, in association with Gray, he published the first descriptions of C. baldwinii and C. pitcheri. In 1860 he gave his herbarium and library to Columbia College, then founded what would later become the Torrey Botanical Society, of which he was the first official president in 1873. 122

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‘Princess Diana’

‘Purple Treasure’

‘Swedish Bells’

‘Tapestry’

C. texensis ×C. pitcheri cross

Clematis texensis 123

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The Clematis 2010 He is commemorated in a number of plants, e.g. Pinus torreyana and Torreya taxifolia, but his true legacy is probably the inspiration that he provided to so many of his students and friends, some of whom would later become associated with species from the Viorna Group of clematis. The Torrey Botanical Society This society was set up informally in the 1860s under the guidance of Columbia College professor Dr. John Torrey, and included both professional and amateur botanists as well as students, and, indeed, some non-botanist members who simply liked to get out into the countryside. It was first referred to as an Organisation when its first publication, the Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club appeared in 1870. Many of its members were actively involved in setting up what became the New York Botanic Garden. The society thrives to this day. Addison Brown. (A.Br.) 1830–1913. An American lawyer with an interest in botany who became a member of the Torrey Botanical Society and a founder of the New York Botanic Garden. He was made a Judge in 1881, and remained in this calling for two decades before retiring. He served a term as president of the Torrey Botanical Society, and worked with Britton on Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States, Canada, and the British Possessions (1896). Anna Murray Vail. (Vail) 1863–1955. Botanist. A native New Yorker, who was a student of Britton, a fellow member of the Torrey Botanical Society. It would appear that Vail was often responsible for writing up the notes of their findings. She was active in helping to found the New York Botanical Garden, and in 1896 donated to it her herbarium of 3,000 specimens, later becoming its first librarian from 1900 until 1907. She then moved to France where she was active in the American Fund for French Wounded during the first World War, while keeping up her library work over many years. She suffered poor health in later life, eventually passing at the age of 92. Nathaniel Lord Britton. (Britton) 1859–1934. American botanist and taxonomist, a graduate of the Columbia University School of Mines, where he later taught geology and botany. A keen member of the Torrey Botanical Society, he married Elizabeth Gertrude Knight, a fellow member, a bryologist interested in a specialised area of botany, and they were life-long collaborators in botanical research. He wrote Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States, Canada, and the British Possessions (1896) with Addison Brown, the man after whom he named C. addisonii in 1913, which had first been noted as C. ovata Torr & A. Gray, in 1838. Britton retired as director of the New York Botanical Garden in 1929. 124

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Clematis versicolor

C. pitcheri hybrid

‘Buckland Beauty’

C. crispa hybrid

‘Peveril Peach’

‘Kaiu’ 125

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The Clematis 2010 Edward Palmer. (Palmer) 1829–1911. Botanist and collector, working in the south-western USA and in Mexico. He collected more than 100,000 species, of which some 1,000 were new to science. He is now recognised as one of the first people who practised ethnobotany, and was one of the most successful collectors ever. He is remembered in Clematis in C. palmeri, named for him by Rose, in 1891. Joseph Nelson Rose. (Rose) 1862–1928. American botanist, collaborator in many articles with Nathaniel Lord Britton, and first to recognise and describe C. palmeri, in 1891. John Kunkel Small. (Small) 1869–1938. American botanist who became the first Curator of Museums at the New York Botanic Garden, from 1898 until 1906. He then became Head Curator until 1934, and from then until his death, Chief Research Associate and Curator. His doctoral dissertation was published as Flora of the Southeastern United States in 1903. He described C. glaucophylla in 1897 and C. beadlei (as C. viorna beadlei) in 1933. This latter was redesignated in 1943 by Erickson as C. beadlei, its current name. Chauncey Delos Beadle. (Beadle) 1866–1950. Canadian botanist and horticulturalist, working in the USA in the southern states, he was appointed to temporarily run the Biltmore Estate nursery in 1890. He so impressed that he stayed there for 60 years, right up to his death. His main interest was azaleas, and over 15 years he and companions travelled over the eastern states, collecting and studying. He donated his entire collection to the Estate. He wrote various scientific papers, not only on azaleas; in Clematis we remember him in the name C. beadlei, first published as C. viorna beadlei by Small in 1933, known latterly by its current name (redesignated by Erickson) in 1943. Edgar Theodore Wherry. (Wherry) 1885–1982. American mineralogist, scientist and botanist, with an interest in ferns and Sarracenia. After a career in mineralogy he taught botany at the University of Pennsylvania from 1930 through to his retirement in 1955. In addition to his work on ferns he recognised and designated Clematis albicoma, in 1931, after its previous misnaming as, among other epithets, C. ochroleuca, originally in 1833. Doctor Ralph O Erickson. (Erickson) 1914–2006. American botanist, who, after working in various botanical posts (as well as at least one spell as an assistant chemist) became a research associate at the University of Pennsylvania in 1947, going on to become Associate Professor in 1949, Professor in 1954, finally in 1985 becoming Professor Emeritus. In the field of the Viornae he is remembered chiefly for his Taxonomy of Clematis Section Viorna in the Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden of 1943, in the course of which work he gave C. hirsutissima var. scottii its current designation, and also characterised another variant, C. hirsutissima var. arizonica. 126

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The Clematis 2010 Bibliography Dennis, W. M. 1976.

A Biosytematic Study of Clematis Viorna Subsection Viorna. Ph.D Dissertation. The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee Taxonomy of Clematis Section Viorna. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden. 30: 1–62. Clematis The Genus. Timber Press, Portland, USA and Batsford, London, UK. 200–205. The Genus Clematis. Magnus Johnsons Plantskola AB, Södertälje, Sweden. 527–559 The International Clematis Register and Checklist 2002, RHS, London, UK.

Erickson, R. O. 1943. Grey-Wilson, C. 2002. Johnson, M. 2001. Matthews, V. 2002. All portraits: Wikimedia Commons. All other images: Keith Treadaway

Websites www.bl.uk/eccles/americanbotany.html www.efloras.org

Various references Clematis in Flora of North America. (see Flora of North America Vol. 3 (Ranunculaceae, Clematis). www.dir.yahoo.com/Science/Biology/Botany References to US Botanists /Botanists/famousamericans.net/Wikipedia

Doctor Ralph Orlando Erickson 127

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The Clematis 2010

A Hard Scrabble Life Fran Palmeri USA

n early spring on a strip of land between a railroad track and an ever-saturated road in Sarasota, the aristocrats consort with the meanest of weeds. Florida’s elegant endemic, Clematis baldwinii – the pine hyacinth – flourishes in sun and shade amidst a tangle of Virginia creeper, sandspur and catbrier. A more unlikely spot I could not imagine. Just a few yards away, tractors rush down the road, while jets scream overhead, landing gear down. I’m here with John Beckner, a Florida botanist, formerly an orchid curator at the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. Years ago, he found the site and he’s been keeping an eye on it, as did other botanists, attracted by the bright red leafless beaked ladies’ tresses orchids (Sacoila lanceolata) which, over several decades, averaged 150 plants in bloom. It is now a threatened species in Florida but, back then, an attention-getter along Route 301. Years of mowing and spraying of herbicides have created a botanical minefield in what once was pine flatwoods, a characteristic habitat of the southeastern coastal plain, where many wildflowers occur. I pick my way through thorny brambles, stinging nettle and poison ivy. Fire ants swarm from light-colored mounds. A thicket of sabal palms, Carolina willows, sand live oaks, red bay, wax myrtle, buttonbush and invasives such as Brazilian pepper and Melaleuca, offers some protection from the road. For an hour I’m oblivious, marveling at the pure white, light pink and white striped, mauve and dark pink flowers of the C. baldwinii. Their diversity within this small area amazes me – the variations in both the shape and the colour of the sepals, the leaves varying from very narrow to fairly broad, plus the marked differences in growth habits. Some plants sprawl across the sand; others grow upright or even sideways, seeming to defy gravity. Their long stems twirl around, or support, other plants. C. baldwinii gets along with its neighbours. 128

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Soon I’m hooked. I can’t pass the place without stopping. In April and May, I find seed heads resplendent in the noonday sun but just a few flowers. Then on a Sunday afternoon in early June, it’s devastation. The County mowers have been here. I can see the wavy lines of their giant machines where they passed over the area, plus the railroad has spread fresh stone along the tracks. They’re thinking ‘cleanup’, I think ‘loss’. This is close to desert conditions — the heat index is in the triple digits – and rain is a distant memory. It’s fire season. Once, wildfires raged unchecked across the peninsula, revitalizing fire-dependent ecosystems like pine flatwoods. But no longer. Lightning fires are put out; controlled burns are carried out mostly in parks, on a strict schedule. Along this railroad track, any fire would be quickly extinguished. Walking is easy with everything gone but beggarticks and just a few sun-burnt ladies’ tresses, nothing like as in their glory days. No wildlife is in evidence today though in years past the area was home to a Florida panther, a species on the edge of extinction. This one lived under one of the abandoned warehouse buildings in the nearby industrial park, surviving on rats and other small animals. Nestled in the shade of an oak, I find a few seed heads. I drop to my knees for a close-up. The sand burns through my jeans. On Independence Day the drought has still not broken. Nature seems to be holding its breath. I find a few blooms and buds waiting in the wings, then, a week later, what a difference! We’ve had a couple of long hard rains and the clematis have responded by coming back more beautiful than ever. I photograph dozens as the sun dips towards the horizon. Also vying for my attention are showy butterfly weed, southern gaura, beach dune sunflower and black-eyed susans. I spend an hour feeling I’m in my own garden. It’s peaceful though rush hour traffic is just steps away. 129

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Towards the end of July growth slows down. The first of the Virginia creeper has turned bright red, a bellwether of autumn though south Florida won’t see a cool down until mid-October. The site has been mowed again but now I’m thinking that mowing may help revitalise these fire-deprived landscapes. Not many C. baldwinii though one that 130

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The Clematis 2010 I spot has a tiny hairstreak pollinating it. I’m pleased to see other natives cropping up: mistflower and the inaptly named elephant’s foot. In Florida I’ve learned to think small. Landscapes appear huge but many wildflowers are Lilliputian. On an August afternoon a Florida sandhill crane welcomes me. After weeks of rain I expect a fine showing of C. baldwinii but find the lot taken over by dog fennel along with rattlebox and wedelia, all noxious weeds. Still, I’m cheered by a checkered skipper butterfly basking. I find only one C. baldwinii bloom, no seed heads, and I traipse a quarter mile down the tracks to no avail. Is this the ‘last rose of summer’? I’ll be back next spring. Will my garden still be here? Survival of any given lot in Florida is tenuous. I’m always looking over my shoulder for bulldozers. The whole state (some would say the whole planet) is up for grabs. I’m thankful for these remnants of a once glorious wilderness. Fran Palmeri can be reached at www.franpalmeri.com

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International Clematis Society 2010 Ken Woolfenden UK

he International Clematis Society (I.Cl.S.) has members in more than 25 countries around the world. The Society holds one meeting each year, changing the country each time to offer every member an opportunity to participate. The Society was sad to receive the news of the death of one of our Honorary Fellows, Brother Stefan Franczak, in 2009, after a number of years of failing health. However Brother Stefan left a wonderful legacy of superb clematis cultivars. The Society published a number of articles in tribute to him in Clematis International 2010. In September 2010, the Society will hold a Conference and Constitutional General Meeting in Portland, Oregon USA. This will be only the second time the Society has met in the USA. Of the many visits planned to private gardens, nurseries and other places of interest, one that I’m sure many attendees are looking forward to is the Rogerson Clematis Collection at Luscher Farm, now owned and managed by the Friends of the Rogerson Clematis Collection. Lectures will include one from Brewster Rogerson, whose “nearly ninetieth” birthday we will celebrate one evening. The Society has to plan our meetings at least a year or two in advance in order to give all members the opportunity to organise and plan for their attendance. Consequently we already have detailed draft programmes for our visit to Belgium in 2011 and to China in 2012. The Society has not been to Belgium before and the draft programme proves just how much there is of horticultural interest in this country. We will spend a week in mid June 2011 mainly visiting private gardens but also some nurseries, historic Ghent, and a Nature Reserve. Note that one or two destinations are in Germany and the Netherlands, but none are particularly far from where we will be staying in Turnhout, a small historic market town between Antwerp and Eindhoven, known as the “town of the playing card”. A visit to China will be a unique opportunity for attendees. Our President, Ton Hannink, took the lead in planning this trip since he has established clematis contacts in China. He has also retained the services of Harry Jans, Dutch plant hunter and botanist and a regular visitor to China, to lead the group. We will start in Kunming in Yunnan Province. From there we take an internal flight to Dali where we start our coach journey through this central province of China. We hope to spend some time plant hunting and botanizing as we head for Zhongdian - I believe this has been recently renamed “Shangri-La”! - where we fly back to Kunming and onwards home. The visit is currently planned to take place during the first two weeks of June 2012. Visiting China does present potential challenges beyond those of most other destinations. One must be prepared for short notice changes to the programme, and whilst many hotels in China are of a very high standard in all respects, other facilities, especially whilst in the countryside, may be somewhat more basic than many members would wish. However for those who accept this challenge, this will be an unforgettable experience. 133

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Quick Clematisword

Across 1. Home to Bleddyn & Sue? (8) 6. The Scarlet Lady (8) 10. The sepals are always reflexed on this yellow-small-flowered (10) 13. _____ Lindmark (3) 15. The next event for the seed (11) 16. Ivan ____ (6) 17. Betty? (7) 134

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The Clematis 2010 18. 19. 20. 21.

Roanoke native species (9) Mike Brown’s group (10) The world’s best-known clematis (9) Entrancing small white blue-tinged bells in profusion on a vigorous vine (12)

Down 2. The most precious metal Tangutica Group headwear (6,5) 3. BCS former chairman, in city in the north? (7,5) 4. Ian & Richard’s database, Clematis on the ___ (3) 5. Celebrated Estonian breeder (5,6) 7. The unique, archiclematis? (9) 8. Petiole and blade together (4) 9. Gentleman Jim (4) 11. Bill who? (9) 12. For his life-long clematis work he received Illis Quorum Meruere Labores (6,7) 14. Much-missed great UK breeder (5,5)

Clematisword answers Across 1. 6. 10. 13. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21.

Crûg Farm Texensis Orientalis Jan Germination Olsson Corning Addisonii Herbaceous Jackmanii Campaniflora

Down 2. 3. 4. 5. 7. 8. 9. 11. 12. 14.

Golden Tiara Everett Leeds Web Erich Pranno Alternata Leaf Fisk Mackenzie Magnus Johnson Vince Denny

135

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The Clematis 2010

Bengt Sundström

A great day dicusssing clematis – Bengt and Denise at my greenhouse, 2007

Another great day – at the IClS meeting in Cambridge in 2004 136

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The Clematis 2010

Acknowledgements I should like to express my thanks to the following people who have contributed to or assisted in the preparation of this Journal. Front cover – Fran Palmeri: Clematis baldwinii, Florida’s endemic pine hyacinth, photographed in Sarasota, Florida on April 16th, 2010 see www.franpalmeri.com Bernard Allen Aidan Armitage Mike Brown Brian Cromie Duncan Donald Joan Dupuis Glenis Dyer Frederick Essig John Feltwell Richard Green Charne Griffiths

Ton Hannink Charles Hills Tetsuya Hirota Vojtěch Holubec Ian Lang Everett Leeds Carol Lim Denise MacDonald Erika & Aleksei Mahhov Alison Merritt Mariko Nakanishi

Val Le May Neville-Parry Fran Palmeri Susan Reade Finn Røsholm John Skill Bengt Sundström Keith Treadaway Ken & Fiona Woolfenden

I would like to acknowledge to Karin Sundström and family my gratitude that Bengt at the outset of compiling this Journal once again granted me use of scans and other material from The Genus Clematis: Magnus Johnson: Magnus Johnsons Plantskola AB, Södertälje, 2001, which appear throughout the text. Particular thanks to Ian Lang and Richard Green (Clematis on the Web) for providing many images, over the last four years: I am very grateful for this. Thanks also to our Advertisers – every advertisement is much appreciated. Thank you to Bernard Allen for slide processing, and to proof-readers Glenis, Sue, Val, Everett, Keith and Mike. And of course, great thanks to all Authors.

Dedicated to Bengt Sundström and Chris Le May Neville-Parry 137

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The Clematis 2010 NOTES

138

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139

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140

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The Clematis 2010 NOTES

141

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