It's not uncommon for a Montana type clematis to be grown up into the canopy of an old tree, particularly an old fruit tree that doesn't fruit well any more. It can look wonderful and apart from a bit of a tidy up occasionally it shouldn't need much attention.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Dove, I love that second photo. Im thinking of growing a clematis up a Magnolia tree in my garden, its flowers don't last long so a clematis would give it a welcome lift.
Mmmm I'm not a magnolia grower so I'm not sure how happy your magnolia will be with a lodger - I would only grow a big clematis up a tree that was past it's best but where it's presence was still needed to contribute height or provide screening.
I suppose you could use one of the smaller types that need cutting hard pack every year - a viticella might work perhaps?
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Would it damage a horse chestnut tree if I netted the trunk and trained a winter flowering clematis to climb it? As you can see it is very ugly and stark when bare.
I've had clematis (a montana) growing up a Laburnum in a previous garden - both were fine, although I always thought it was an ugly combination, but it would depend on the climate and conditions as to whether they would do well.
I think it would be difficult to establish anything other than a montana there Mary. They're tough, whereas many of the other types would need better quality ground and conditions to thrive. You'd have to plant far enough away from the trunk and be prepared to water well for a long time to get it going. The ones I mentioned had been in the ground together for a long time, and had been planted together. That makes a big difference too, as they were both starting from the same point, if you know what I mean.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
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It's not uncommon for a Montana type clematis to be grown up into the canopy of an old tree, particularly an old fruit tree that doesn't fruit well any more. It can look wonderful and apart from a bit of a tidy up occasionally it shouldn't need much attention.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Dove, I love that second photo. Im thinking of growing a clematis up a Magnolia tree in my garden, its flowers don't last long so a clematis would give it a welcome lift.
Mmmm
I'm not a magnolia grower so I'm not sure how happy your magnolia will be with a lodger - I would only grow a big clematis up a tree that was past it's best but where it's presence was still needed to contribute height or provide screening.
I suppose you could use one of the smaller types that need cutting hard pack every year - a viticella might work perhaps?
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Would it damage a horse chestnut tree if I netted the trunk and trained a winter flowering clematis to climb it? As you can see it is very ugly and stark when bare.
I've had clematis (a montana) growing up a Laburnum in a previous garden - both were fine, although I always thought it was an ugly combination, but it would depend on the climate and conditions as to whether they would do well.
I think it would be difficult to establish anything other than a montana there Mary. They're tough, whereas many of the other types would need better quality ground and conditions to thrive. You'd have to plant far enough away from the trunk and be prepared to water well for a long time to get it going. The ones I mentioned had been in the ground together for a long time, and had been planted together. That makes a big difference too, as they were both starting from the same point, if you know what I mean.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Thanks Fairygirl, I quite like montanas, but would it die as it wouldn't receive any light when the tree is in leaf?
Is there a way I could deleaf the tree permanently? Just have the skeleton of the tree, similar to the photo above?
The winter flowering clematis tend to be evergreen, so I think that might be a bit overpowering for the tree.
The only way to de-leaf a tree is to kill it ................ I suppose you could ring-bark it .... but there's no way back after doing it ....
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
It's just that the tree has been so hacked over the years, and as a result looks so unnatural when bare, but I do like it when it's in leaf.