CLAYTONIA. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



CLEMATIS 



485 



and flower well in early spring, but these 

 autumn sowings are liable to accident, and 

 should only be tried on warm soils. The 

 first spring sowing should take place in the 

 middle of March, when the plants would 

 flower in July. Until about the middle 

 of June other sowings may be made for 

 flowering later. The best soil is ordin- 

 ary garden mould, not too rich or 

 dry. G. 



CLAYTONIA. A small group of the 

 Purslane Order, of which three species 

 are pretty garden plants. C. caro- 

 liniana is a spreading dwarf species bear- 

 ing in spring loose racemes of pretty rose 

 flowers, and C. virginica (Spring Beauty) 

 is a slender erect plant, with pink 

 blossoms. Both are suitable for warm 

 spots in the rock-garden in loamy soil, 

 but C. sibirica, also a dwarf species with 

 pink flowers, requires a damp peaty soil 

 like an artificial bog. 



CLEMATIS ( Virgin's Bower.} Beau- 

 tiful climbing shrubs and herbs from north- 

 ern and temperate regions and of the 

 highest value for gardens. Among hardy 

 climbers there is no group of plants that 

 equals the Clematis in variety and num- 

 ber, or perhaps in beauty. 



The Clematis vary in habit from her- 

 baceous plants little more than i ft. high 

 to woody climbers with stems 50 ft. or 

 more in length. Most of the climbing 

 species support themselves by means of 

 the leaf-stalks, which curl round twigs or 

 other slender objects near. The Clematis 

 flower possesses no true petals, but in 

 their place a coloured calyx consisting of 

 usually four, but sometimes as many as 

 eight sepals. 



The Clematis like an open loamy soil, 

 which should always be fairly rich, and 

 in the case of the largest-flowered kinds 

 even very rich in vegetable humus and 

 fertilising material. All of them appear 

 to succeed best in a chalky soil, and in 

 gardens naturally devoid of chalk or lime 

 it is well to supply it. An annual mulch- 

 ing with rotted manure given about 

 November is of benefit, especially on poor 

 soil. Such pruning as may be necessary 

 for these wild types should be done in 

 February. The stronger growers stand 

 pruning well, and if they grow up their 

 supports too high and form a thick 

 heavy tangle at the top, they may safely 

 be cut hard back. The weaker ones 

 rarely need pruning at all. The Clematises 

 may be used to cover walls, mounds, ar- 

 bours, pergolas and fences, and in the 

 open, where no other support is available, 

 rough Oak branches may be used for 

 them, either singly or several set together 



to form a pyramid, while the more vigorous 

 species will run over trees. 



C. sethusifolia. A graceful climber, 

 vith slender stems and branches. The 

 flowers have not bright colour, but are 

 gracefully borne and pendulous, from half 

 an inch to three-quarters of an inch long, 

 bell-shaped or tubular, the sepals yellow- 

 ish white. Like most of the Clematis, 

 this varies a good deal in shape of leaf, 

 and one form has been considered dis- 

 tinct enough to receive the name of 

 latisecta. 



C. alpina (Alpine Clematis]. A very 

 pretty plant flowering in spring. The 

 flowers are nodding, the four large sepals 

 being soft blue with a whitish margin, or 

 sometimes almost entirely white. The 



Cistus florentinus. 



flower is 2 ins. or more across. Syn., 

 Atragene austriaca. 



C. apiifolia. A vigorous climber with 

 ternate leaves, growing 10 ft. high, flower- 

 ing in August and September in panicles 

 dull white. Japan and China. Closely 

 allied to this is C. brevicandata. 



C. aromatica is closely allied to C. 

 Viticella, and if it be a hybrid, as it is 

 supposed to be, that species must be one of 

 the parents. It is a slender plant, 6 or 7 ft. 

 high. The solitary flowers are about 2 ins. 

 in diameter, and of a rich purplish blue, 

 and have a sweet, delicate, and slightly 

 aromatic odour. 



C. campaniflora (Bell-flowered C.} 

 This has rather small bell-shaped flowers 

 each about i in. in diameter, with the 

 pointed tips of the sepals recurved. Pale 

 violet or almost white. The plant 10 to 

 1 5 ft. high. The flowers are very freely 

 borne, and against the deep green, often 

 finely-divided foliage they are very 

 effective. 



C. calycina ( Winter flowering C.} (C. 

 balearica of Richard). A native of 



