Clematis has been a garden favorite for centuries. By the end of the 1800s, in fact, there were more than 500 clematis cultivars available for garden use.
Of these classics, nearly 50 are still marketed, including the 1858 'Jackmanii' cultivar. Beautiful alone on a support or as a companion for roses, this antique hybrid with purple-blue flowers remains today's most popular clematis cultivar.
British nurseryman George Jackman, who introduced this large-flowered perennial in 1858, recommended training it to grow over tree stumps – which is certainly easier than removing the stumps. Not everyone has or wants old stumps on their property, so some 19th-century gardeners used 'Jackmanii' and other clematises as weaver plants. They would peg clematis to the ground to direct the vines to weave through the open spaces between flower beds.
There are many "genteel" clematises perfectly suited for easy management in compact gardens. Profiling 150 of them is Raymond J. Evison's goal in Clematis for Small Spaces, a sumptuously illustrated, deeply informed book that features shorter-growing, disease-resistant and long-flowering clematises ideal for borders, patios, decks, hanging baskets and even indoor containers.
Mr. Evison, who owns a clematis nursery in England, raises key issues when considering which species or cultivars to purchase: vine height, blooming period, flower size and color. He also offers ample cultivation advice, which can be applied to North Texas conditions.
Perhaps the biggest problem with growing clematis in North Texas is the need to offset the effects of summer heat and drought. The lack of adequate and regularly available moisture damages clematis foliage and flowers. It can also produce symptoms that mimic fungal wilt.
Clematis thrives on rainwater and insists on cool roots. One simple way to manage this requirement is to locate the vine on the northern or eastern side of a structure, such as a fence. This structure will shade clematis roots during the hottest hours of the day. You also can mulch it heavily and plant small, leafy plants at clematis' feet to shade the roots.
China might be the epicenter for clematis – most certainly originate there – but America has its own clematises. Leatherflower (C. pitcheri), for example, is a lavender-hued native of East Texas thickets that has been hybridized for gardens.
So has scarlet clematis (C. texensis), a low-climbing Edwards Plateau wildflower. It is not the easiest clematis to maintain in North Texas, but it stands out as the only known wild red-flowered clematis species in the world.
Bill Scheick is a garden writer and professor of American literature and culture at the University of Texas at Austin.
Clematis for
Small Spaces
Raymond J. Evison
No comments:
Post a Comment