CLEMATIS. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



CLEMATIS. 



53 



though this is one of the oldest of the 

 American Clematises in cultivation 

 (having been introduced in 1730), it is not 

 a common plant, being, indeed, one of the 

 least attractive in the genus. It is not 

 very vigorous in habit, growing 8 or loft, 

 high. The flower is pitcher shaped and 

 very thick and leathery with sepals of a 

 dull reddish purple colour appearing in 

 summer (Eastern United States). 



C. virginiana (American Virgin's 

 Rower). The common Virgin's Bower 

 of the United States and Canada. The 



Clematis Da 



flowers are borne in flat panicles, the 

 sepals thin, and dull white, and although 

 hardy enough, is not in Britain so strong 

 and woody a grower as our native Travel- 

 ler's Joy. 



C. Vitalba (Traveller's Joy}. Thwe is 

 no climber native to Britain that gives so 

 near an approach to tropical luxuriance of 

 vegetation as this. Even in winter when 

 destitute of foliage its naked stems are 

 ornamental. The numerous dull white 

 flowers are each three-quarters of an inch 

 or so across, with a faint odour resembling 

 that of Almonds. It is, perhaps, most 

 beautiful when covered with its white 

 fruits, the seeds having long feathery tails. 



C. Viticella (Purple Virgin's Bower). 

 A graceful climber, from 8 to 12 feet high ; 

 its flowers in summer ii inches to 2 inches 

 in diameter, the sepals blue, purple, or rosy 

 purple, and the fruits have only short tails, 

 which are devoid of the plumose covering 



so often seen in this genus. There are 

 now numerous varieties of the species 

 superior to it in size of flower, and offering 

 also a variety of shades, some very pretty. 

 -W. J. B. 



Hybrid Clematis. Among the best 

 of the many hybrids raised both abroad 

 or in England are Alba magna, Ascotensis, 

 Beauty of Worcester, Belle of Woking, 

 Blue Gem, Countess of Lovelace, Countess 

 of Onslow, Duchess of Albany, Duchess of 

 Edinburgh, Duchess of York, Fair Rosa- 

 mond, Fairy Queen, Gem, Gipsy Queen, 

 Henryi, Jackmani, Jackmani superba, 

 Jackmani alba, John Gould Veitch, Lady 

 Bovill, Lady Caroline Neville, Lucie 

 Lemoine, Mme. Grange, Mine. Edouard 

 Andre, Mme. Van Houtte, Miss Bateman, 

 Miss Crawshay, Mrs. Geo. Jackman, Mrs. 

 Hope, Otto Froebel, Princess of Wales, 

 Purpurea elegans, Rubella, Sir Garnet 

 Wolseley, Star of India, Stella, The Queen, 

 William Kennett. It has been usual in 

 treating of these and other Clematis to 

 throw them into groups, a misleading and 

 useless plan from a garden point of view ; 

 the best way is to regard the species each 

 separately, as they differ so much in vig- 

 our and in their use : the hybrids also are 

 better to look at as a class apart, fitted 

 more for flower-garden use than some of the 

 species. The hybrid kinds are usually 

 grafted, and this is no doubt the reason 

 why they die off like flies, and why these 

 fine plants, of which hundreds have been 

 raised, are so rarely seen well grown in 

 gardens. The stocks used are C. Viti- 

 cella and C. Vitalba, plants very differ- 

 ent in their nature from the fine species 

 from China and Japan, and though a 

 vigorous growth is obtained at first an 

 early death too often follows of the kinds 

 worked on them. The best way is to get 

 the plants from layers, never to purchase 

 any but these. Seed raising, too, should be 

 regularly pursued, and in those ways we 

 should get over the deaths of these fine 

 plants caused by the short-sighted and 

 ignorant practise. 



In this the general effect of the whole, 

 the abundance and duration of the flowers, 

 and the purity and brilliancy of their 

 colours are the prime factors, enabling 

 plant-lovers to obtain the richest effects. 

 As regards the plants themselves, all but 

 those of proved vigour and hardiness 

 have been rejected ; in fact, so robust 

 are many of those here enumerated as to 

 have reached the thickness of an old vine 

 stem. 



