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{Design Expert} Late clematis

Clematis create such a spectacle in the late summer garden, taking over where the roses have flowered earlier. Whilst June is for roses, July and August are for the late flowering Group 3 clematis including the viticellas from Europe, the yellow tangutica/orientalis types from Asia and the texensis from Texas.

Plant any of these late flowering clematis so that they can use the roses as a climbing frame, scrambling up, attaching themselves and then creating a dazzling show. The great news is that the clematis should be cut down to around 15-30cm every winter, and as you pull off the old growth the roses are sturdy enough not to get spoilt and anyway at this time of year you may well be pruning the roses to tidy them up a little.

The viticella and tanguitca/orientalis cultivars are easy to grow in any position facing north, east, south or west whereas the texensis definitely like a warm sunny sheltered spot.

For a rich dark intense picture choose ‘Romantica’ or velvety ‘Black Prince’. Romantica is paired with our climbing rose ‘Gertrude Jekyll’ whilst ‘Black Prince’ is climbing through the pink rose ‘Constance Spry’.

For glorious pale blues choose from ‘Blue Angel’, ‘Prince Charles’, ‘Emilia Plater’ or old fashioned ‘Perle’Azur’. Of these ‘Blue Angel’ has delicate fimbriated edges to the sepals, and at this very moment is looking gorgeous against the spent blooms of Rosa ‘ Mme Isaac Pereire’. Just one more you have to have is ‘Mary Rose’, a gorgeous double, dusky blue. Perfect through yew, or wisteria or draping over an oak balustrade.

For sheer volume of flowers, however, I have to say that ‘Emilia Plater’ is hard to beat with hundreds of blooms covering a metal 1.5m obelisk. The small climbing rose underneath gave up the ghost two years ago; the two were definitely incompatible. It just shows care needs to be taken when planting them. Choose a vigorous rose and allow space for the rose to grow; moreover give it a head start of two or three years to allow the framework to build up. Then plant the clematis and allow it to be a companion, not a smotherer!

There is one clematis which will grow twenty feet in just a summer and produce hundreds of tiny scented flowers. It is a species called Triternata rubra marginata or TRM for short. It needs a sunny spot and will take poor soil. We have it growing up the front of our stone farmhouse and it is scrambling up Rosa ‘Alexander Girault’.

The yellows are slightly later to flower but have a very long flowering season with a show well into August/September followed by silky seedheads which light up the early winter garden. ‘Golden Tiara’ is one of the best with its yellow fly away petals and dark stamens. Plant a white Japanese anemone below and enjoy the companionship.


We have over a hundred of these late flowering clematis in our garden at Stevington (near Bedford) with a map to give out to our visitors. Come one Tuesday afternoon in July and August for a 2pm tour and enjoy them for yourself; or on Sunday July 25th 12-5pm for our special clematis day. For more information see my website.

Kathy

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