The Canadian Horticulturist. 133 



CLEMATIS CULTURE.* 



Y excuse for offering a few remarks on the cultivation of 

 the Clematis is that, in my opinion, this class of plants 

 does not receive the attention it deserves, for, consider 

 ingits cheapness and ease of culture, I know of no plant 

 that is as certain to give such a wealth of beautiful large 

 blossoms every season, I cannot do better here than 

 quote from the " Gardener's Chronicle." "Taken for all in 

 all, the hardy varieties of clematis form the noblest and most useful of recen' 

 additions to out-door gardening. They are inexpensive, they are hardy, they 

 grow freely, they adapt themselves to almost any condition, and may be made 

 useful in an infinitude of ways. Their foliage is ornamental, they bloom pro- 

 fusely, and for a long period, their flowers have beauty of form, and beauty and 

 variety of color, and even perfume is not wanting." And yet with all these 

 qualities how few homes are adorned with these lovely climbers ? Perhaps one 

 reason is that it has been difificult to get information regarding them. A nur- 

 seryman' catalogue may contain six or eight with name, color and price given, 

 but out of that number there may be, and generally are, two or three varieties or 

 types different in habit, yet it seems to be considered sufficient to label them all 

 Clematis. And yet in the same catalogue the roses will be carefully classified 

 as Hybrid Perpetual, Tea, Noisette, Moss, Polyantha, etc. Messrs. Jackman & 

 Sons, Woking, Surrey, England, the noted growers and hybridizers, have done 

 more for the improvement and dissemination of the clematis than perhaps any 

 other firm. By the introduction of a race of hybrids, of which Jackmani is the 

 type, they at once placed the Clematis far ahead of all other hardy flowering 

 vines ; their classification is as follows : 



1. Montana Type. — Climbing winter and spring bloomers, with mqdium- 

 sized flowers in aggregated axilary clusters on the old or ripened wood. Few, 

 if any, of these are grown in Canada. 



2. Patens Type. — Climbing, large-flowered spring bloomers, flowering 

 from the old or ripened wood. Of this class the following and others are grown 

 here, " Fair Rosamond," " I^dy Londesborougli," " Miss Bateman," " Stan- 

 dishii," and the " Queen." 



3. Florida Type. — Climbing, large-flowered summer bloomers, flowering 

 from the old or ripened wood. The following are grown here and all bear 

 double flowers, " Belle of Woking," " Countess of Lovelace," " Duchess of Edin- 

 burgh," "Fortunei," "John Gould Veitch," and " Lucie Lemoine." 



4. Lanuginosa Type —Climbing, large-flowered summer and autumn 

 bloomers, flowering successionaliy in short lateral summer shoots, the flowers dis- 

 persed. This is a large class, the following and others are grown here, " Alba 



* \ j)ai)er rea*l Lefoie thy Wnterloo Attiliatol Horticultural So«ietv. bv the President. 

 2 



