34 AMATEUR GARDENING 20 JULY 2019Growing tips for clematis
Position where the roots are kept cool but the flowers
are in the sun – use other plants to provide shade or apply
a thick mulch of compost around the clematis.
Water thoroughly once a week.
Provide sturdy support – especially for vigorous varieties.
Plant deeply; that way, if clematis wilt strikes you can cut
back to ground level and the plant will regrow.‘Taiga’
Launched by
Thorncroft
Clematis at
Chelsea in 2017,
what really sets
‘Taiga’ apart
is its unusual
passionflower-
esque blooms.
In a striking
combination of
lilac and purple,
they have
greeny-white
tips. Very good in
a pot. Group: 3.
HxS: 6½ftx39in
(2x1m).C. rehderiana AGM
Different and rarely grown, C. rehderiana produces its clusters
of sweetly scented, cowslip-like, bell-shaped flowers from July
to September. Pale green initially, they become a pale lemon
colour. Great for pollinators. Group: 3. HxS: 20x8ft (6x2½m).
5 unusual clematis
‘Buckland
Beauty’
The dainty, bell-
shaped blooms
of ‘Buckland
Beauty’ look like
fairy bonnets,
their rose pink,
waxy sepals
curving upwards
slightly at the
ends and
contrasting with
the yellow-green
throats. Happy
in full sun or part
shade. Group: 3.
HxS: 13x8ft
(4x2½m).Fragrant Oberon
A dainty plant that’s perfect for small spaces. Compact enough
to grow in a container, it features scented, star-like flowers in
April and May. Creamy white, these have a lustrous sheen.
Hardy to -10°C. Group: 1. HxS: 5ftx39in (1½x1m).C. napaulensis
A rare clematis
from Nepal that
loses its foliage
in spring and is
dormant during
summer. New
leaves unfurl in
autumn and, in
winter, fuchsia-
like flowers –
greeny-yellow
bells with
dangling purple-
pink stamens- emerge. Frost
hardy. Group: 1.
HxS: 10x5ft
(3x1½m).
Know your pruning group
Group 1: No general pruning. If they get too big, prune
after flowering and reduce gradually over two-three years.
Group 2:Lightly prune dead or weak shoots in February.
Group 3: Hard-prune in Feb: remove all growth above the
first pair of healthy buds up from the bottom of each stem.