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Clematis 'Freckles'

Lizzie27Lizzie27 Posts: 12,494
in Plants
I'm so surprised and delighted that this has been flowering since October 18th this year and shows no sign of stopping. Last year it was in full flower on Christmas Day and a lovely fat bumble bee was making the most of it. Even when the petals drop, the fluffy pale creamy-white seedheads remain so it still looks good from our dining room window.
North East Somerset - Clay soil over limestone
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  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    That's beautiful Lizzie.  I have a baby one of those in a pot that I'm growing on before planting out.  I hope it does as well as yours.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • Guernsey Donkey2Guernsey Donkey2 Posts: 6,713
    Yes that Freckles does look lovely and I wonder how old the plant is Lizzie27?  I have two, one planted this year and one last year and they are both flowering for the first time, but are far inferior to your lovely plant - my plants are very small.
  • KT53KT53 Posts: 9,016
    Ours are still in flower too.  They seemed to start flowering late, and with a mass of flowers from the very beginning.  We'd been on holiday and when I looked into the garden I couldn't initially work out what the mass of flowers was.
  • Lizzie27Lizzie27 Posts: 12,494
    They are supposed to be winter flowering ones - Jan/Feb but I guess they're all confused this year. Not sure how old mine is, we moved in nearly 12 years ago so perhaps 10 yrs or so. It did take a while to get going and I have to hack it about occasionally. It's grown along the fence about 4 panels wide and is trying to climb up into the birch the other side of the fence. I absolutely love it as it's evergreen as well so a nice backdrop. 
    North East Somerset - Clay soil over limestone
  • Guernsey Donkey2Guernsey Donkey2 Posts: 6,713
    I look forward to mine being as prolific as yours is Lizzie.  They are a breath of fresh air to look at on these damp, gloomy days.
  • Lizzie27Lizzie27 Posts: 12,494
    Have you seen my pic of my lovely snowdrops out yesterday (in the thread about snowdrops)?  Made my day and cheered me up no end - Spring is coming! 
    North East Somerset - Clay soil over limestone
  • RubytooRubytoo Posts: 1,630
    edited December 2018
    That's lovely Lizzie27.
    Ours has had flowers for around a month or so this year, but I think ours always do, and it has not been as good as past years.
    It might also depend on if they have had a bit of a trim, the flower times can vary a little bit too.  Maturing stems being a bit earlier or later along with weather conditions.
    We have had them from similar times to you  and though some years into early new year months.
    But Lansdowne Gem (also a purpurascens is a sport of/like Freckles) is going over I think.

    C. balearica is also covered in flowers now, you might like that one, kind of pale yellow with red speckling inside of flowers with very different pretty cut leaves.

    I really like the seed heads on Freckles as well, they are so silky and the way they dangle and sway in the wind is almost as nice as the flowers.

    Just checked and Hull site says they can flower Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan and Feb..... Think mine has been reading the site :D
  • nultyphilip224nultyphilip224 Posts: 923
    Delighted to see so many members growing 'Clematis Freckles',..i fail to remember how old my plant is though its many years,..one of the darker blooms and it is in full bloom since October,..there are blooms throughout the year but the colder months produce the more bloom.

    To the right of 'Mahonia japonica'.






    Philip
    glengarry23 - YouTube
  • Lizzie27Lizzie27 Posts: 12,494
    That's lovely Philip, it looks slightly darker than mine. I wonder if that's down to differet soils perhaps.
    North East Somerset - Clay soil over limestone
  • RubytooRubytoo Posts: 1,630
    edited December 2018
    It is nice, but with the greatest respect :) I think that part of the reason is the photography and light levels too.   Cameras or whatever recording technology is used  ( android phones etc. can vary greatly, plus operators.
    There can be some variations in growing conditions. But yours looks a lovely speckly one Lizzie just a lighter position or lighting.
    Philips looks to be in a darker position or perhaps a darker day when photographed?

    And as Lansdowne Gem is a sport of Freckles where the red fused so I wonder if Freckles is not stable either.
    I was convinced I had a piece of both mixed in one pot for ages until I discovered recently it can revert and have both flowers on one plant.

    I was going to try to put a photo of mine on from January a few years ago that looks just like your Lizzie, but other times a photo looked like Philips. Technical difficulties.
    It does not matter though they are all lovely to have this time of year :)
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