I wouldn't have expected Belle of W to be considered rare. My favourite Clematis Man here stocks it.
I just like clems and have had about 50 in the garden but not all have coped with severe winters so down to about 30 now. Alpinas, montanas and macropetalas can't cope with our cold springs either as they want to be flowering when there are still nasty frosts about.
I love Betty Corning for colour, flower shape and perfume, Princess Diana for colour, form and vigour, Chrystal Fountain, Niobe, I Am Red Robin because it's such a good doer and has great flowers and seed heads, Red Ballon because it's climbed up a tree with no bother, alba luxurians and caerulea luxurians, Omoshiro, Huldine, Little Nell, Etoile Violette, Blue Angel, Nelly M and Ravarahinne and loads more.
My recent purchases are of the smaller flowered kinds with perfume and I bought seeds for 4 kinds of koreana at Chelsea. Watch this space.
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)."
Thanks for the pictures and clematis stories - really interesting. I'm learning loads about clematis and finding out about lots of lovely new plants. Maybe Belle of Woking isn't that unusual - I hadn't come across it before but I'm very much a clematis beginner! It was just that Mr Evison said he thought it was unusual and wasn't sure if it was still commercially available, but sounds like it is.
Yes he was really helpful and it was interesting to follow his investigations. I was grateful that he made time to look into it for me, especially as I hadn't expected it.
Of course you don't t need to just choose one clematis - very good point. I suspect the more I learn about them, the longer my last will be!
It's been great looking up al the cultivars which people have mentioned as their favourites - thanks so much :-)
I particularly love Daniel Deronda and Rouge Cardinal, and the idea of having a garden with 50 clematis in it makes me feel lightheaded - that must be a very special garden indeed :-D
I was going to recommend you take a look at Taylor's site dwdays, but you will have to remortgage the house, sell your wife and children (if you have them) and sell your body on the streets because you'll want at least one of EVERYTHING on it ! They are highly addictive
Other specialist clematis growers are available...
Evison's (as you already know) Thorncroft, Hawthornes etc
Richard (who runs Hawthornes) is a regular contributor here on the forum, and will be able to help you with specialist advice too, along with loads of other forumites with personal experience. Some with challenging conditions to grow them in, like obelixx.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I planted Freckles last autumn to grow through a yellow climbing rose. Its looking very promising and I'm hoping to get some flowers this year. Can anybody recommend an herbaceous variety? Vyvyan Pennell has been absolutely stunning. Sadly, I didn't get any photos but I will put some up of Freckles when it produces!
Posts
I wouldn't have expected Belle of W to be considered rare. My favourite Clematis Man here stocks it.
I just like clems and have had about 50 in the garden but not all have coped with severe winters so down to about 30 now. Alpinas, montanas and macropetalas can't cope with our cold springs either as they want to be flowering when there are still nasty frosts about.
I love Betty Corning for colour, flower shape and perfume, Princess Diana for colour, form and vigour, Chrystal Fountain, Niobe, I Am Red Robin because it's such a good doer and has great flowers and seed heads, Red Ballon because it's climbed up a tree with no bother, alba luxurians and caerulea luxurians, Omoshiro, Huldine, Little Nell, Etoile Violette, Blue Angel, Nelly M and Ravarahinne and loads more.
My recent purchases are of the smaller flowered kinds with perfume and I bought seeds for 4 kinds of koreana at Chelsea. Watch this space.
Nelly Moser possibly Patsy?
obelixx- it crossed my mind too that B of Woking wasn't that rare, but I enjoyed the story
Rouge Cardinal is another favourite of mine and I might get one for this garden. Like EV, it flowers profusely and for ages.
I'm less keen on the large flowered types as they get battered by the wind here.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Daniel Deronda is one of my favourites
but they all make me smile
Last edited: 02 July 2016 14:36:00
Thanks for the pictures and clematis stories - really interesting. I'm learning loads about clematis and finding out about lots of lovely new plants. Maybe Belle of Woking isn't that unusual - I hadn't come across it before but I'm very much a clematis beginner! It was just that Mr Evison said he thought it was unusual and wasn't sure if it was still commercially available, but sounds like it is.
Yes he was really helpful and it was interesting to follow his investigations. I was grateful that he made time to look into it for me, especially as I hadn't expected it.
Of course you don't t need to just choose one clematis - very good point. I suspect the more I learn about them, the longer my last will be!
It's been great looking up al the cultivars which people have mentioned as their favourites - thanks so much :-)
I particularly love Daniel Deronda and Rouge Cardinal, and the idea of having a garden with 50 clematis in it makes me feel lightheaded - that must be a very special garden indeed :-D
""It's been great looking up all the cultivars which people have mentioned as their favourites -""
It has not indeed. It just made me rush to Taylor's website!!!!
Last edited: 03 July 2016 09:10:09
Be afraid pp - be VERY afraid!
I was going to recommend you take a look at Taylor's site dwdays, but you will have to remortgage the house, sell your wife and children (if you have them) and sell your body on the streets because you'll want at least one of EVERYTHING on it ! They are highly addictive
Other specialist clematis growers are available...
Evison's (as you already know) Thorncroft, Hawthornes etc
Richard (who runs Hawthornes) is a regular contributor here on the forum, and will be able to help you with specialist advice too, along with loads of other forumites with personal experience. Some with challenging conditions to grow them in, like obelixx.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Ah - I don't really grow any paler ones other than whites, but it seemed a good shout as it's a popular clematis!
So many are similar though - and they vary in colour at different stages of the flower too.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I planted Freckles last autumn to grow through a yellow climbing rose. Its looking very promising and I'm hoping to get some flowers this year. Can anybody recommend an herbaceous variety? Vyvyan Pennell has been absolutely stunning. Sadly, I didn't get any photos but I will put some up of Freckles when it produces!