Clematis (Ranunculaceae)
The famous vining plant that has enchanted gardeners for 200 years when breeding of this plant took off with the introduction of Jackmanii from England. It is hard to resist, especially when you see a beautifully grown specimen gracing someone’s door yard. It can be tricky to grow, however, and with an endless wave of cultivars coming out every year, it can be a bit daunting to find a good one. The most typical problem is a fungal disease known as clematis wilt (go figure). The best bet is careful variety selection; rich, well amended soil; yearly fertilizing; and a site that keeps the root zone cool, but grows in a sunny and airy site. We have found that cultivars that have ‘viticella’ in their parentage are better suited to our humid climate.
The famous vining plant that has enchanted gardeners for 200 years when breeding of this plant took off with the introduction of Jackmanii from England. It is hard to resist, especially when you see a beautifully grown specimen gracing someone’s door yard. It can be tricky to grow, however, and with an endless wave of cultivars coming out every year, it can be a bit daunting to find a good one. The most typical problem is a fungal disease known as clematis wilt (go figure). The best bet is careful variety selection; rich, well amended soil; yearly fertilizing; and a site that keeps the root zone cool, but grows in a sunny and airy site. We have found that cultivars that have ‘viticella’ in their parentage are better suited to our humid climate.
The famous vining plant that has enchanted gardeners for 200 years when breeding of this plant took off with the introduction of Jackmanii from England. It is hard to resist, especially when you see a beautifully grown specimen gracing someone’s door yard. It can be tricky to grow, however, and with an endless wave of cultivars coming out every year, it can be a bit daunting to find a good one. The most typical problem is a fungal disease known as clematis wilt (go figure). The best bet is careful variety selection; rich, well amended soil; yearly fertilizing; and a site that keeps the root zone cool, but grows in a sunny and airy site. We have found that cultivars that have ‘viticella’ in their parentage are better suited to our humid climate.
We have quite a few different varieties and species. Some of my favorites so far are ‘Polish Spirit’ (large blue flowers), ‘Betty Corning’ (small, light blue, nodding flowers) C. paniculata (small, white flowers in fall) ‘Huldine’ (best white flowering), C. integrifolia (a bush variety with small nodding flowers). We are experimenting with some unique species plants and hope to offer more soon.