This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.
Clematis
Hello,
I am looking to plant some clematis to grow up a large garden wall. I would like to plant the clematis in the ground and grow up a trellis - the wall does get full sun but is also in the shade for part of the day.
I have been to my local garden centre and they stock a variety of clematis including: Hagley Hybrid, Justa, The President, Sunset, Corntesse de Bouchard, Piilu, Guernsey Cream. Do you know if any of these are particularly easy to grow. I would quite like something that is evergreen? Any advice would be appreciated.
Thank you Sara
0
Posts
There are semi evergreen clematis of the cirrhosa group that are winter flowering, I have one naupaulensis. You could combine it with another summer flowering variety and get the best of both worlds
Sorry cant help with the ones you have named but this link might help
https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=97
I think the ones you mention are large flowered deciduous ones. I have 4 of them and have just bought "Sunset". Hagley Hybrid died after a few years, but it was in a pot.
It is unwise to mix clematis from different pruning groups in one planting place as their pruning requirements to keep them healthy and flowering are so different.
If you want it to look good all year either go for evergreen honeysuckle or variegated ivies or the winter and spring flowering forms of clematis such as cirrhosa or armandii.
Another alternative is to paint your trellis so it looks good when bare in winter and then grow a mix of either group 2 or group 3 clematis. personnaly, I would suggest the group 3s as they are simply pruned back to about 9" in March, fed and then they regrow and flwoer all summer and just need training in as they grow.
They will lose their leaves and become a woody tangle in late autumn and can then be cut back to tidy them up but your should then mulch the crown of the roots to protect them from frosts.
Sunset, Princess Diana, Blue Angel, Betty Corning (scented), Caerulea Elegans, Huldine, Little Nell, Crystal Fountain and clems from the viticella group such as Etoile Violette will all perform well and be very hardy.
I have Princes Diana, Blue Angel, and Etoile Violette. I've just bought Sunset, Betty Corning and Crystal Fountain. But Blue Angel and Crystal Fountain are Group 2 large flowered. I saw Betty Corning in someone's garden, she said it is easy, has nodding lilac bells. It smelt divine.
I grow Blue Angle and Crystal Fountain as group 3s Busy - winters too cold to keep the top growth - and they do very well as long as they're fed. Betty Corning is fabulous. Pretty flowers, lovely scent and she does it for months. Took mine a couple of years to get going but now she's spreading well.
Sarah5 - make sure that you make your planting holes at least 15inches/40cms and preferably even further from the base of your wall and bury them deeper than they were in their pots, angling them towards the wall and giving them plenty of rich compost mixed in with the soil and then very good drink.
Feed them generously every spring with clematis food and give them a mulch of garden compost to retain moisture.