Clematis cover-up

Sunday Sun; Newcastle-upon-Tyne (UK), Jul 25, 2010 | by Anonymous

AMONG the glories of my garden are clematis – I love the big showy flowers of the hybrids as well as the early season types, such as C. macropetala, cascading over walls and fences or scrambling up shrubs.
In fact, there are clematis for virtually every setting, whether you want them to hide a structural eyesore, or providing colour and interest intertwined with evergreen shrubs. There are even clematis specifically bred for containers, which will add a flourish to your patio.
Combining clematis with other choice plants, such as roses, can create a focal point in the garden which will be colourful from spring to autumn.
Roses and clematis are particularly good plant partners as they have similar feeding and cultivation requirements. I have a gorgeous shrub rose, Rosa Gertrude Jekyll, which is heavily scented, bearing double, dark pink flowers in summer and autumn, growing up an obelisk, combined with C. Nelly Moser, an early to mid-summer flowering clematis with pink striped petals which fade in the sunlight. It makes a fantastic focal point and as the clematis starts to fade the rose comes into its own. DEEP RED: C.
Early season clematis, such as C. alpina and C. macropetala, have bushy habits which are naturally suited to training up and hiding the bare stems of climbing or rambler roses.
Early to mid-summer flowering clematis, including C. Lasurstern and C. Marie Boisselot, are better if thinned to five or six shoots before being tied into a rose because then the flowers will be larger and more evenly spread, making a better display.
Evergreen and deciduous shrubs can be perked up when planted with largeflowered hybrids, viticellas and compact species clematis, which flower from mid-summer to autumn. But bear in mind the flowering time of each plant and how they will complement each other. Mid-season, large-flowered hybrids will happily grow through evergreen shrubs like rhododendrons, while early to late-summer blooming clematis with shorter stems and closer flowers, such as C. Fuji-musume and the lilac-coloured C. Josephine, are more suited to combine with smaller shrubs with compact crowns. The dramatic, velvety deep red flowers of C. Niobe will climb happily through the popular evergreen shrub Choisya ternata, while many hebe cultivars make a good foil for clematis.
Timing is important when growing clematis through trees or shrubs, if you want maximum colour impact. Plant C. montana var. rubens with Ceanothus arboreus Trewithen Blue and both will flower at the same Niobe time, from late spring to early summer, the pink clematis making a striking show with the purple ceanothus. Directing the stems of the clematis through the ceanothus should maximise the overall effect.
Similarly, star-like pink blooms of C. alpina will pepper the crown of small, flowering apple trees.
You can also buy more compact varieties of clematis which will engulf a wigwam or other support in a pot.
I have one beautiful lilac-flowered compact Raymond Evison variety, C. Parisienne, which grows to around 1m (3ft) and produces a profusion of blooms in late spring and early summer, but there are many more from which to choose.

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