February Dawning Spring 



to come. The Jackmani Clematises are pruned to 

 within 18 inches or 2 feet of the base at this season, 

 providing they have been regularly pruned in this 

 manner ; if, however, there is some length of bare 

 woody stem the shoots should be cut back only to 

 within about 18 inches of this. I will give the names 

 of some of the most familiar varieties in each section, 

 so that readers may know how to prune; should they 

 possess varieties other than those named, the vender 

 should be asked to say to which class they belong. 

 Well-known Jackmani sorts are the purple Jackmani, 

 Jackmani alba, rubra and superba, Mme. Ed. Andre, 

 Ville de Lyon, Star of India and Gipsy Queen. The 

 lanuginosa Clematises also bloom on the fresh growths 

 of the current summer, but they need rather less drastic 

 treatment than the Jackmani kinds ; last year's shoots 

 may be cut half-way back. Familiar varieties are 

 Henryi, Beauty of Worcester, Marcel Moser, Fairy Queen 

 and Lady Caroline Neville. There are some fine double 

 varieties among the florida kinds, which should not be 

 pruned in spring ; the time to prune them is after the 

 blooms are over, then some of the old growths are 

 thinned out; Belle of Woking, Duchess of Edinburgh, 

 John Gould Veitch and Lucie Lemoine are excellent 

 varieties. Similar pruning is needed by the patens 

 group of Clematis, of which good varieties are Nellie 

 Moser, one of the chief favourites, Mrs. George Jackman, 

 Miss Bateman, Lady Londesborough, and Fair Rosa- 

 munde. The forms of Clematis viticella, which have 

 smaller flowers, are not so commonly grown, though 

 certainly deserving of cultivation ; they bloom in late 

 summer and autumn. Ville de Lyon and Thomas Moore 

 are two fine sorts ; the shoots should be pruned in spring. 

 Failures to establish Clematis may often be traced to 

 planting in heavy, ill-drained soil, and failing to cover 

 the roots sufficiently deeply. It is wise to protect the 

 lower part of the stem with a piece of slate or fir 



