Clematis

Just a few of my 50 clematis.

I read somewhere and it could have been Ray Evison's book that photographs bring out the red that the eye doesn't see, so many of the blue's and mauve's are not quite true to colour. My software does not enable me to adjust.

Barbara Jackman very slow to grow and possibly inadvertently pruned when cutting back the rose it grows in, Goldfinch. Early flowering.

Elsa Spath in a bit too much sun near the front door but a lovely sight when in flower, although less red than showing in this photo. Early flowering.

HF Young grown from a one year old cutting and nursed for many years, it now puts on a lovely show in the Vilchenbleu rose. Early flowering.

Henryi a lovely white face but swamped now by my Passion flower and I may have lost if as it did not flower last year. Earl and late flowering.

Josephine a lovely double flowering early flower that repeat flowers later with single blooms. Bought for me by my mother not long before she died following breast cancer. Mum always called me Josephine if she wanted me to do something special for her.

Marie Boisselot grown to the left of the bench. Early flowering

Nelly Moser a very prolific plant and grown on a wigwam so the flowers are all together. early show.

Niobe although not at all true to colour it is a darker more maroon colour and best grown in shade. Early flowering with occasional later flowers.

Pink Fantasy looking a bit on the pale side, blame that on the photographer not the flower. Early and occasional late flowers. Although prone to fade it is not in a very sunny spot and does keep it's colour well. To the right is Rose Charles de Mills taken from suckers that originated from my Dad's garden. They come true like other gallica roses I have tried, Rosa Mundi and Officinalis.

The President flowers wonderfully on the back terrace under the window in the Banksiae banksiae rose. A good early flowerer but also several more throughout the summer.

Vitecella Soldertalge a very very virulent climber 20ft each year and sadly planted at the foot of a Victoria plum tree which it swamps each year amongst many other plants.

Sunset but the plant struggles and not in the best site probably competing with too many other plants. Again early flowering.

Viticella Venosa Violacea such a beautiful face not vigorous growing and sadly chopped back by accident last summer, not by me. Fortunately it struggled on and did eventually flower.

William Kennett taken from a cutting the original plant died possibly from drought with the roots in too much sun. The rose is Rambling Rector. Early flowering.

Normally as Margery Fish suggested I prune what must be pruned about the 14th February. One year I pruned in early January this resulted in many late flowering clematis flowering with early flowering ones. I have often thought if I had the time to I would try to co ordinate pruning to get a continuous flowering period that I could view from sitting on our bench. Probably just idle thoughts and I dare say I will not get round to doing this.