CLIMBERS 



63 



Virgin's Bower, is an old cottage favourite, bearing 

 its small, star-shaped, sweetly-scented flowers in 

 September. Though not so rampant a grower as C. 

 montana, it does well for rambling over small trees such 

 as Hawthorns and the like, and is very decorative if 

 planted at the top of a low cliff some fifteen to twenty 

 feet in height, and allowed to fall naturally over 

 the perpendicular face. C.paniculata is very similar in 

 appearance to C. Jlammu/a, but flowers slightly later. 

 The white blossoms have a hawthorn-like scent. It is 

 a rather stronger grower than the Virgin's Bower, but 

 is useful for the same positions recommended for that 

 species. It should be planted in a sunny site. C. 

 Vitalba, the Traveller's Joy or Old Man's Beard, the 

 common clematis of our hedgerows and woods, yields 

 to none in its graceful comeliness. In the summer it is 

 crowded with its clustering, almond-scented flowers, 

 and in the autumn and winter the feathery seed vessels 

 hang like grey plumes over the dark evergreens. It 

 will ascend to the top of a tree seventy feet in height, 

 when its looped stems, hanging loose from the trunk and 

 branches have the appearance of tropic lianas. 



Ercilla spicata. — Syn. Bridgesia. An evergreen climber 

 bearing clusters of small purple flowers. Though by 

 no means a striking plant it has the advantage of being 

 a self-clinger, and thus adheres to stone surfaces without 

 the necessity of training. For this reason it is useful for 

 planting against walls of living rock which it will clothe 

 without any further trouble on the part of the planter. 



Humulus. — Hop. A graceful climbing plant, grown 

 commercially in many parts of England and often 

 occurring in the hedgerows and borders of woods. Its 

 growths will roam over bushes and small trees, and 

 when its flower-bearing season commences, it presents 

 an attractive sight. There are many varieties, a varie- 

 gated form being one of the prettiest and most popular. 



