Most of my life I have heard and pronounced the word "Kla' -matis." It would seem my country background is being exposed for I am told the correct pronunciation is "Klem' - a - tis."
Sounds rather reminiscent of the Peony pronunciation in this area (Pi' -ney). Could it be too many people are reading English garden books? In any case, we all know what the other is referring to, whatever the local accent. There are few yards or gardens that do not have Clematis in bloom during late spring and summer on into the fall. The large, colorful, showy masses of blooms are recognized by all and the title "Queen of Vines" never seems to be disagreed upon.
While I too have those large blooming hybrids in my garden, I believe my approach is a bit off the beaten path. My first few purchases at local nurseries were of the large flowered varieties planted at the base of a pole or a trellis. Didn't do a thing for me visually.
Something Different
During that period an old hickory tree had to be removed, leaving a large stump too expensive to remove. The stump became part of an extended bed where clematis were removed from the trellis and planted at the base of the stump. They don't completely hide the stump, but rather make a show piece of the rough, decaying bark. Pristine white and rich red now intertwine about the top and sides to make quite a display. |
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Nothing succeeds like success, so I got caught up in doing "something different" with clematis. Now C. X "Nellie Moser" is used as a showy guide to curve a path. The curve is there to go around a tall but almost limbless cherry tree. At first Nellie was tied to the tree. In time the twine rotted and a wind storm blew it to the ground. Too tangled to place back up on the tree, I simply laid it down on the rocks lining the path edge. Stepping back I found it accented the curve and the blooms were much more enjoyable close-up. Years later it remains in that position.
I purchased a Korean Dogwood that refused to bloom for years. Disgruntled with it's reluctance to perform, I planted C. X "Carnabe" at the base and tied a string from a stake to the first limbs. Soon the vine scampered up into the small tree running around the limbs and falling back down at limb's ends. That tree now has an abundance of bloom in spite of its attitude.
Most of these "ideas" were a reaction to necessity as much as a conscious choice but that did not keep me from being proud of my 'ingenuity'. Deciding to find out more about Clematis, I purchased an illustrated book, Clematis by Barry Fretwell. A new world was opened with over 200 Clematis illustrated and described.
Species and Small Flowered Clematis
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The most interesting part was the selections of small flowered and species clematis. Here were some new and exciting areas to explore. Reading the book, I also found my "ingenuity" was nothing new. Clematis do grow in the wild with nature arranging them over boulders, up into trees and shrubs, or across the tops of other plants long before I "thought it up." Actually, the lesson was a bit reassuring in that I was placing them where they should perform best.
Seeing the lovely photos of our native vines, I came to realize how they had to go to another country and return to us before they were appreciated. All of this was new to me, perhaps, but not to more knowledgeable lovers of clematis. Many of our most lovely of species clematis are native to the US.
My experience remains somewhat limited, and I am still in the process of seeking out and experimenting with small flowered and species clematis. Many are difficult to locate even from seed lists, but there remains a large list of vines available at nurseries and catalogs.
C. alpina is a relatively small vine type clematis. Most will only reach six to eight feet in length. Once established they are quite vigorous and trouble free. Two qualities in growth habit set these little beauties apart from the large flowered hybrids. Alpina perform well in a north location so long as the shade is not so dense as to reduce flowering. They also have an early bloom period, beginning in March and peaking the first part of April. When their pendant, bell or urn shaped blossoms have faded, blooms are replaced by silvery seed plumes lasting well into fall.
C. alpina "Pamela Jackman" has flaring, pendant bells of a rich, deep, purple-blue with a center of white steminoides. It is a vigorous performer, very hardy as proved by our winter of '93 when it reached 31 degrees below. Late frost and light freezes do not seem to affect the performance or blooms.
Pamela J. grows out in the open in my garden. The garden is on the north side of a hill, so although it is in the open, the sun received is not full intensity. Planted at the edge of an area containing Crested Iris, it is allowed to scramble across the ground filling the spaces between clumps. There is also a small shrub in the background where it reaches up and among the branches. It should be mentioned that I use pea gravel mulch around the Iris, so Pamela has a clean, well drained, surface upon which to rest.
My next alpina was "Willy". Same size and performance as Pamela, but the blooms are a pale mauve-pink with a contrasting darker pink blotch at the base of each petal. The petals are also a bit longer, more narrow and widely flaring. This one is planted at the base of a Dogwood. I feel it looks best resting in the morning sun, accompanying the early blooming wildflowers. As it is reaching its peak the Dogwood blooms are just beginning to show their whitest smile.
A couple of others you may want to pursue for your garden are "Frances Rivis" and "Ruby". "Frances" is the largest flowering of the Alpina, same size and vigor of growth. The flower color is light to mid-blue, with bell shape hanging downward. "Ruby" carries all the qualities of the rest, but with blooms of a dusky rose-pink.
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There are many other fine hybrid alpina clematis, but I have listed only the easiest to locate. All of the above appreciate a rich, well drained soil for best performance. I work lots of leaf mold or decomposed hardwood mulch into the soil with generous amounts of composted manure. One is mulched with pea gravel, the other with chopped leaves.
Alpina blooms on the previous year's growth. If you feel the need to prune it should be done by no later than July. This will give the vine time to recover with new growth, harden off before winter and set buds for next year's blooms. The only trimming mine receives is to make cuttings for new plants. Fresh seed planted in a cold frame this year will germinate next spring.
My next area of exploration was what I refer to as the "bush types." These remain small in height and do not vine. To date I have had excellent results with two.
C. integrifolia is a favorite and quite fascinating to me. There is no confusion about when and if to prune integrifolia. Nature takes care of that by the plant being herbaceous. Each winter it dies back to the ground, starting anew from the awakening crown each spring. It is one of the few clematis to behave in such a manner.
Height is a maxim of 2' in my garden with it slowly forming a larger clump each year. Each spring a mass of thin wiry stems arise. The tip of each stem has a pair of leaves folded like hands in prayer. They open and a solitary bud arises on a stem. The bud enlarges and nods over to become a hanging bell shaped flower. The bell consists of four petals of blue, coming to sharp points.
As the flowers age the tips turn and twist, reflexing. Color is darkest near the stem and along the veins, slightly less so near the petal tips. The stamens are a creamy white. Leaves have no stems and are in opposite pairs along the main stems.
Mine grow at the base of the old stump, with the larger flowered hybrids on top. One I have in a tomato cage, the others are allowed to do as they wish. Hardy Geraniums are near by and Integrifolia usually lays over on them as stems reach sufficient height to flop. They are in full sun and on the east side of the stump performing equally well.
Besides the species, there are white, various blue shades, pink and rose with one close to a red. Some also have more than one flower per stem, larger size blooms, making very showy plants.
They are very easy to grow from seed and will bloom the second year. You will probably find volunteers in your mulch a couple of years after growing this species.
C. recta "Purpurea" is more noted for its foliage than bloom. When emerging in spring (another herbaceous vine) the new foliage is a deep purple-bronze. As the leaves age they lighten to a bronze-green. The leaves are divided, up to six inches long and each of the five to seven leaflets are somewhat oval in shape.
The individual blooms are tiny, cross-shaped and pure white. The individual blooms make up in number what they lack in size for they are in terminal and auxiliary panicles during May and into June.
This is another "flopper", so you may want to put it in a tomato cage or stake it. Mine is at the edge of a rock ledge and I am hoping it will fall over the edge (if not, it will receive encouragement to make the leap). Size should be about three to four feet in height.
Some of the North American species I have my sights set upon grow close by. C. crispa is from the southeast and a herbaceous climber. Color range is from light blue to purple-blue. The center of each petal is white, following the mid rib to form a star. Flowers are individual bells, almost nodding, cut, flared, ruffled and reflexed.
C. texensis is from Texas. There are many hybrids and a range of bloom shapes based upon the bell. This one is also easier to locate at the better nurseries and catalogs. "Dutches of Albany" and "Etoile Rose" are two to seek.
C. versicolor is from central USA and absolutely exquisite. Pendant urns with gently pinched necks, then softly flaring, going from purple pink to a rosy-mauve pink to creamy-white at the tips. A small climber of five to seven feet, it looks good in small shrubs. Flowers July through September.