The first time I ever really noticed clematis was during the time I lived in England. In early spring, there was no way you could miss the Clematis montana var. rubens that covered one entire side of 3-story brick townhouse just a few blocks away from my house. And have you ever seen clematis growing through trees in the United States? In Britain, clematis are often planted to climb through lilacs -- varieties that will bloom after the lilac flowers have faded.
In his new book, Clematis for Small Spaces (Timber Press, 2008), the renowned British clematis breeder Raymond Evison shares his vast knowledge about which vines are best for climbing trees and shrubs, which ones are suitable for walls and fences, at the back of the border, scrambling around at ground level, growing up on tripods or in containers.
Evison concentrates on 150 cultivars that are easy to grow and disease resistant, with the largest blooms and longest flowering periods. They are all suited for smaller gardens, from tiny townhouse patios to suburban settings. Each clematis is described in detail, with information on size, color, leaf description, and hardiness zone.
Throughout the book, Evison recommends companion plants for each type of clematis and how to plant them for greatest effect. For examples, he says Clematis 'Mrs. George Jackman' works well with the open framework of Camellia sasanqua, and Cotinus coggygria 'Royal Purple' looks great with purple Clematis 'Royal Velours' or the nodding pink flowers of C. CONFETTI 'Evipoo36.'
There are separate chapters on cultivation, propagation, and yes -- pruning. It's always hard to remember exactly which clematis falls into which pruning group -- but this book has handy lists of each to help you keep things straight.
There are beautiful photos of many featured species that will make it hard for anyone to decide which ones to acquire. This is an extremely useful book that every designer should have on the reference shelf.
(click on image to purchase book)
Comments
You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.