136 



PB ACTIO AL GUIDE TO GABDEN PLANTS 



CLEMATIS 



safer to protect the roots with a layer of 

 dry leaves, litter, bracken &c. in the 

 event of severe weather. Seeds are freely 

 produced and may be sown in cold 

 frames as soon as ripe, although they 

 may not sprout freely until the following 

 spring. The seedlings must be pricked 

 out and grown on until the following 

 spring, so that strong sturdy plants will 

 be ready for planting out. Established 

 clumps may be carefully divided at the 

 roots. 



C. Stans. — A striking Japanese species 

 with herbaceous stems 4-5 ft. high and 

 dark green downy leaves, with roundish 

 toothed leaflets, more or less 3-lobed. 

 Flowers in September and October in 

 terminal panicles or clusters in the axils 

 of the leaves, each about f in. long, pale 

 blue, more or less bell-shaped, and 

 Hyacinth-like. 



Culture dc, as above. 



C. verticillaris {Atragene americana). 

 A native of N. America with stems 10 

 ft. or more in length. Leaves whorled, in 

 fours, with stalked heart- or lance-shaped 

 pointed leaflets, somewhat lobed or 

 serrated. Flowers in May, 2-3 in. across, 

 purpHsh-blue, with acute sepals. 



Culture <tc. as above. 



C. Viorna {Leather Flower). — This N. 

 American species attains a height of 10 to 

 12 ft. and is not a particularly vigorous 

 grower. The smooth pinnate leaves have 

 entire 3-lobed or ternate leaflets, ovate- 

 acute in shape. About June the droop- 

 ing balloon-shaped flowers appear, having 

 thick leathery connivent sepals of a dull 

 reddish-purple, and reflexed at the tips. 



Closely related to this species is C. 

 Addisoni, a native of the Alleghany moun- 

 tains. It has dark violet-purple sepals, 

 with reflexed yellow tips. 



Cultu/re Sc. as above. 



C. virginiana. — This is the common 

 Virgin's Bower of the United States and 

 Canada. Its stems reach a length of 15 

 to 20 ft., and bear ternate leaves with 

 heart-shaped, acute, largely toothed or 

 lobed leaflets. The small white fragrant 

 flowers appear from June to August, and 

 like C. ligusticifolia the male and female 

 flowers are borne on separate plants. 



Oultwre So. as above. 



C. Vitalba (WUte Vine ; Old Man's 

 Beard; Traveller's Joy, dc). — This is 

 the only Clematis really indigenous to 



England, but does not appear to be a 

 native of Scotland or Ireland. It climbs 

 luxuriantly in hedges and thickets, and 

 is most common on chalky soils. The 

 pinnate leaves have ovate, heart-shaped, 

 entire toothed or lobed leaflets. The 

 greenish-white scented flowers are about 

 an inch across, and are produced from 

 July to September. The fruits have a 

 white feathery taU an inch or so in length, 

 and these give the plants a very attractive 

 appearance late in the year, and during 

 the winter months. 



In the Duke of Eutland's garden at 

 Belvoir Castle there is a specimen 20 ft. 

 high and 30 ft. in diameter. 



Cultu/re Sc. as above. 



C. Viticella (Vine Bower). — An ele- 

 gant twiner 8-12 ft. high, and native of 

 S. Europe and Western Asia. The leaves 

 are entire or ternately decompound with 

 entire lobes. The drooping blue, purple, 

 or rose-coloured flowers, each about 2 in. 

 across, are borne in summer. There are 

 now many varieties of this species with 

 many shades of colour, and most of them 

 are superior to the tjrpe. The form called 

 ■magnifica has purple flowers about 4J in. 

 across. 



Culture do. as above. 



HYBRID CLEMATIS.— By means 

 of fertilising the carpels of one species 

 with the pollen from another, gardeners 

 have succeeded in raising a vast number 

 of hybrids or cross-breeds, many of them 

 being of the greatest value for the flower 

 garden, and superior to any of the species 

 found in a state of nature. (See Hybridi- 

 sation, p. 37.) 



It is, however, not only impossible 

 but quite unnecessary to give a long list 

 of the various hybrids here, as new 

 names are continually being added, often 

 without any justification, whenever the 

 slightest change of colour is noticed. 



Special mention must be made of the 

 beautiful Clematis JacJcmanni and its 

 many forms. This fine hybrid was raised 

 by Mr. George Jackman of Woking, and 

 first flowered about 1862. It is one of 

 the earliest and best, and its large deep 

 violet-pm-ple flowers with 4-6 sepals are 

 produced during the summer and autumn. 

 The two species concerned in its produc- 

 tion were C. Viticella and C. lanuginosa, 

 natives of widely difierent parts of the 

 Old World. The species chiefly con- 

 erned with the other garden varieties are 



