62 THE BOOK OF THE WILD GARDEN 



in the autumn. It dies down in the winter, and is far 

 inferior to Aristolochia Sipho as an ornamental climber. 



Calystegia. — The great white Bindweed is a remarkably 

 handsome plant when covered with its wide-spread, 

 snowy blossoms, and is far better suited to the wild 

 garden than to those portions where order perforce 

 reigns. It is well adapted for growing through and over 

 comparatively dwarf bushes, which it veils in a sheet of 

 white in the late summer. Its wandering roots spread 

 rapidly in the surrounding soil, sending up growths as 

 they go, but this is an advantage rather than a demerit 

 in the wild garden. 



Clematis. — Without doubt the most important race of 

 flowering climbers, many species of which are invaluable 

 for naturalising. The earliest to flower is C. balearica 

 or calycina, which, in the south-west, commences to 

 bloom in early February, bearing its greenish-white, 

 purple-spotted flowers, about two inches in diameter, 

 in profusion. Later on the blossoms are followed by 

 feathery seed-vessels. It is a vigorous grower, and in 

 warm spots rambles among tree-branches to a height of 

 twenty feet. C. cirrhosa is very similar to the last- 

 named, but its flowers, which are of like size, are 

 destitute of spots. C. montana is the most decorative of 

 the race, and is an excellent subject for garlanding dead 

 trees or growing through the branches of living trees, 

 both evergreen and deciduous. It makes prodigious 

 growth when once established, reaching the tops of 

 trees thirty and forty feet high in three seasons. It is 

 charming when clambering over an old Yew, its white, 

 starry flower-trails contrasting delightfully with the 

 sombre foliage of the tree. It is at its best in early 

 June. C. graveolens is a yellow-flowered species, 

 blossoming in August. It is a strong grower, and 

 therefore a good tree climber. In the autumn its 

 downy awns have a pretty effect. C. Jlammula, the 



