March 12, 1910 



HORTICULTURE, 



367 



Plant Novelties From China 



Climbers are an important ele- 

 ment in the Chinese flora, and man}' 

 of them rank amongst the most de- 

 sirable of their class for ornamental 

 purposes — Wistaria sinensis and 

 Ampelopsis Veitchii, for example. 

 Climbing plants are useful in a 

 great variety of ways and add beauty 

 and charm wherever planted. 



In a state of nature climbers 

 affect woodlands and thickets,, either 

 scaling tall trees or rambling over 

 shrubs. The plants they grow 

 among and climb over serve not 

 merely as supports, but also afford 

 protection from draughts. In plant- 

 ing climbers it sliould always be 

 borne in mind that the majority ob- 

 ject strongly to exposure to draughts. 

 Often one sees elaborate structure? 

 of wire fencing, etc., erected for 

 training climbers upon, yet the 

 plants do not thrive under such con- 

 ditions nearly as well as when 

 planted at the foot of an old wall, 

 base of tree trunks, or with rough, 

 bushy stakes to trail over. The 

 explanation is to be found in 

 the fact that the simpler methods 

 afford better protection from cold 

 draughts. 



Of the flowering climbers un- 

 doubtedly one of the finest and 



Clematis Montana var. Wilsoni 



As Grown by Messrs. Veltch. 



Clematis Montana var. rubens 



As Grown in Kew Gardens. 



most popular class is Clematis. This genus is abun- 

 dant in China, where no fewer than 65 species oc- 

 cur. Among them we have Clematis florida and its 

 varieties, parents of the reputed hybrid C. Jackmani. 

 One of the commonest and most widely distributed of 

 all species is the old and well-known C. montana. This 

 I's an extremely variable plant and several of the forms 

 are great improvements on the typej indeed, some of 

 them are worthy of specific rank. Omitting the gar- 

 den forms of clematis, we have in C. montana var. 

 rubens, undoubtedly the most strikingly beautiful of 

 all known clematis. This plant, native of the moun- 

 tains of western Hupeh. is hardier than the type and 

 very distinct in every way. The foliage is dark in ap- 

 jiearance, somewhat fleshy, reddish below and occa- 

 sionally with a light gi-ey band down centre of leaf on 

 upper surface. The flowers are each two to three 

 inches across, bright rosy red, borne in clusters in the 

 axils of the leaves on the old wood. Its culture is of 

 tlie simplest, a sunny position and a liberal supply of 

 water at the roots being the essentials. It flowers in 

 a small state and the color, unique in the genus, 

 compels attention by its attractive brilliancy. The 



