Gardener and Photographer with a love of Roses and a magpie-eye for all things Horticultural
Evergreen Clematis armandii 'Snowdrift' Pure white, almond scented, propeller shaped blossom, in the hundreds, smother this evergreen climber in early spring (March - April). Thick, waxy leaves add year round interest and excellent screening - it can grow to 20' quite comfortably. There are clematis for every month of the year and such a variety…
Continue reading ➞ Snowdrift – and other winter clematis
C. cirrhosa var. purpurascens 'Freckles' Clematis cirrhosa species is an early-flowering, evergreen climber from southern Europe and the Mediterranean region. The flowers are cream, cup-shaped, often red-flecked and up to 7cm (3in) across, appearing in winter or early spring, and followed by attractive seed heads. This attractive, vigorous cultivar was raised by Raymond Evison of Guernsey…
Continue reading ➞ Liver spots – Clematis cirrhosa ‘Freckles’
Sissinghurst, now owned by the National Trust, the former home and exceptional gardens of Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicholson From 'The Gardens of England and Ireland' by Patrick Taylor The garden at Sissinghurst, famous as it is, has become for many people more an idea, a myth, than reality. Yet to visit the garden (especially when it…
Continue reading ➞ Late summer at Sissinghurst
Clematis alpina Blue Dancer, with these larger than average, very attractive blue flowers, giving us a second flush of flowers this week (the main show is in April/May). A foray into the back issue of The Telegraph now, for an article written by Val Bourne, which, whilst it does not mention Blue Dancer at all…
Continue reading ➞ Clematis alpina Blue Dancer….
Clematis Beautiful Bride Large white blooms (an early lemon stripe develops into pure white) and very free flowering. Already winning many awards and with such a name (or despite it), I think it will do well. Even the young plants I saw today are crowded with open flowers and long buds. It is a new-ish…
Continue reading ➞ Polish Spirit
Name: Clematis 'The President' Hardy: Fully hardy Height: 3 metres (10ft) Flowers: RHS Award of Garden Merit. Bred by Charles Noble in 1876, clematis 'The President' is a hybrid between C. x jackmanii and C. patens. The deep purple flowers (do not easily fade in the sun) are 15cm (6in) with silver on the reverse…
Continue reading ➞ Clematis, The President
Clematis Mrs Cholmondeley, in my garden today 'This blowsy old girl makes a splendid show.' 'A (blue) large-flowered clematis that simply can't stop flowering. From tip to tip the early flowers are very large, but because of the narrow sepals and large gaps between them towards the base, one's impression is not so much of…
Continue reading ➞ This blowsy old girl makes a splendid show
Lady Northcliffe, (and as Christopher Lloyd writes in his excellent and still very current book on clematis, 'not Northcliff, (the sort of cliff that faces north)'. Also from Christopher Lloyd in his book, updated by Tom Bennett, 1989, writing on blue clematis: 'The deeper blue shades are more popular than the light. Here our choice…
Continue reading ➞ Clematis Lady Northcliffe
Rebecca, a Raymond Evison clematis (The Chelsea feature for 2008 and named after Raymond Evison's eldest daughter. Clematis Rebecca has stunning large red flowers and flowers freely over a long season.) Today I have mostly been working with, and reading this evening about, clematis. The large, summer flowering varieties are coming into bloom in a…
Continue reading ➞ Clematis, Queen of Climbers
The Teddington Gardener 