Wednesday 2 June 2010

EARLY FLOWERING CLEMATIS

The President is looking lovely at present so no apologies for showing him off with three photos.



Nelly Moser is looking particularly good again this year despite having had a few weeks of rather bright sunshine and heat which does tend to make stripey clematis fade more noticeably.





Josephine is always a favourite of mine because my mum bought it for me not long before she died. She would often call me Josephine if she wanted to wheedle me into doing something.

Marie Boissolet has a slightly unusual shape to it's petals more rounded than many clematis.


and that lovely hint of green stripe down the middle of each petal.


Poor Niobe was damaged a bit in the autumn accidentally pruning it when trying to tidy up the ivy. So far this is the only flower and as you can see a bit ravaged.

A new acquisition last year Bell of Woking, a bit miss formed but rather a big blousey clematis which has grown quite rampantly. Living not far from Woking I decided it was a nice one to add to my collection. I think my collection totals 50 at the latest count but I am sure I will find the odd spot for more.



Not an especially good photograph of HF Young but it has grown into quite a big clematis from a one year old seedling that was given to me. You can see the perennial problem I have with columbine and this is after I had pulled out arms full of it.

Mrs N Thompson is a great colour and does well in a fair bit of shade because it helps to keep it's lovely colour.

The colours are not so obvious in the first photo with wet petals as it is in the next.

Wadas Primrose is a fairly new acquisition, a couple of years ago, the plate sized flowers are really quite striking

Quite a good colour which works well under the Gleditsia especially as it's leaves tend to be a similar shade of green.

The final one flowering is Special Occasion, it is one in it's third year and really struggling to grow. I don't think it was meant to be very vigorous and another that has had it's petals eaten I suspect by earwigs but not sure. I have planted it at the base of a Eucalyptus thinking the colours would be great together. Although I will keep the Eucalyptus well pruned I doubt this poor soul will ever get up into it's lower branches for the colour scheme to work.

Last years post can be found here here here here and here so lots for me to look forward to.
In the first clematis post I seem to have called Wadas Primrose, Gillian Blades so apologies to anyone who may be confused by this wrongly named clematis.

14 comments:

  1. I believe I may be the only gardener online who does not have any clematis !! At present i don't have anywhere for it to climb, so I must go in search of a spot. thanks, Gina

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  2. Your photogrpahy is wonderful Joanne...stunning and beautiful series....I am in love with clematis now! I love the purply ones!
    kiki

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  3. Dear Josephine~~ I do believe I've finally found a Clematis connoisseur with a collection actually larger than my 26 varieties!!! Hooray! I just cut back my 'Multi-Blue' and 'Nellie' today. 'Josephine' still looks divine and 'Niobe' is just getting started. She doesn't get very tall in my garden for the number of flowers she flaunts. I've got a white 'Henryii' [I think] that is on steroids thanks to all the rain.

    Your photo of 'Josephine' dangling down to the weathered bench is magazine-worthy. As is the third photo of 'Nellie.' I don't have very many early large flowered varieties focusing more on the viticellas and texensis-es and other species. Of the earlies, I really wouldn't mind getting my hands on 'Wadas Primrose.' But where oh where would I put it? And I suppose it's similar enough to my manic 'Polish Spirit' that I should stop being a plant glutton already. Nah.

    What a treat to see your Clematis beauties. No apologies required but I hope you'll receive my gratitude. One question if I may: What is the plant growing beneath the third photo of 'Wadas'? Is it another Clemmie?

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  4. I love the Marie Boissolet! Gorgeous. Of course all your flowers are stunning, to say the least!

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  5. Great pictures. Love President - one of my favourites.

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  6. I never imagined there could be so many different kinds of clematis. Even after seeing them all last year it still amazes me!

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  7. Gina there is always time to find room for a clematis, my Dad has a few growing up pyramids in the back of his herbaceous beds and of course some are herbacious and ground covering rather than climbing. For me the climbing ones are good because they help clothe the walls and fences.

    Kiki The purpley ones are particularly a common colour with clematis especially amongst the viticellas

    Grace great to hear you are also a great fan of clematis. My Dad is also a fan and i suppose we have encouraged each other in a slightly competative way. He has a few more than I have although is having to sell up and move in with us now he is nearly 90.

    I lost a great Henryii overgrown by a Passion flower but last year got another one it is in a very large pot but not so sure if it will do well from a pot if it is meant to be rampant.

    Josephine is dangaling more because I had to trim back the Jasmine she was growing in.

    Yes I agree Polish spirit is prolific I accedently bought two and have one in the Laburnum and one in the Albertine rose at the back.
    Cerastium tomentosum (Snow-in-summer) is growing under the Wadas Primrose.

    Dominique yes Marie Boisselot is a stunner but aren't most of them.
    Hermes yes the President also repeat flowers during the summer after it's initial main flowering.

    Hi Alison yes you need to sit and rest so I will keep you busy looking at blogs. I have a walk in the Wild woods and some bird song as well as another post of the garden awaiting me to upload so no excuses rest and gentle exercise is the best treatment.

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  8. Joanne, I love your clematis, great pictures. I don't have much luck with the large flowered clematis but that is partly because I have lots of snails (which climb) they not only each the flowers but also 'ring bark' the stems. Now I don't have removed a wall covered in ivy, it was replaced with a fence, the problem isn't so bad.

    Best wishes Sylvia

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  9. Hi Sylvia

    Yes slugs can cause havoc as the clematis start to grow in the spring far worse on those that are pruned each year which is why I admit to generous sprinklings of slug pellets to give them a good start. Many of my clematis grow up through other climbers including ivy and do seem to cope very well.

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  10. I've been enjoying your vine extravaganza over the last few posts. You haven't had a lull in between blooms. It's helpful to see the photos of your clematis collection. Mrs N Thompson has a great colour.

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  11. beautiful, especially the marie boissolet...

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  12. Clematis are so beautiful, colourful and large. I have never seen real ones though. Yours are gorgeous!

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  13. Excuse my commenting here, but I couldn't work out how to email you. I copied your Search thing (PAX) because I was just at that moment wondering how to search back and find references to Gooseberries in my blog. But mind doesn't find anything, whereas yours does. What settings do you have to have for it to work? (I have chosen not to be found or indexed by Blogger. Is that why?) Or does it just take a day or so to show up properly?

    E
    x

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  14. I've just discovered your blog accidentally!
    But it was worth a visit.
    Your clematis are beautiful.
    I don't have any early flowering varieties but a few others waiting in the wings.
    Jo

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