THE BEST 



THE BEST CLEMATIS. 



{Continued from page 184.) 



It is not so long since the appearance of the 

 first large-flowering Clematis but that many 

 will remember the sensation created in the 

 gardening world. As a result, growers in 

 England and France set themselves to cultivate 

 such plants as were to be had, and improve 

 them by crossing the varieties amongst them- 

 selves, and with new species specially intro- 

 duced. The appearance of C. Jackmanni re- 

 doubled their popularity, this beautiful hybrid 

 being not only a plant of great merit for gar- 

 dens, but proving to be the starting point of a 

 race of hardy and vigorous plants so graceful 

 in form and so free-flowering as to appeal at 

 once to plant lovers, and lend a novel and artis- 

 tic charm to gardens. Numerous varieties, so 

 similar in general characteristics as to show 

 a common origin, quickly followed this first 

 great gain, and from amongst these older varie- 

 ties a certain number are still in cultivation, 

 kinds such as Prince of Wales, Gipsy Queen, 

 Rubella, Modesta, Madame Grange, Star of 

 India, rubro-violacea, Etoile violette, Perle 

 d' Azure, Viticella venosa, &c. Very many 

 others, however, and particularly the hybrids 

 of C. patens and florida, have almost disappeared, 

 spite of their undoubted merits, their large and 

 abundant flowers, appearing early and making, 

 while they last, a far more effective display 

 than do the hybrids of Viticella and lanuginosa. 

 The majority of these forms have disappeared 

 from gardens, not so much from any caprice 

 of fashion (for no one had had time to grow 

 weary of them) but as the outcome of a disease 

 as mysterious as it proved difficult to combat, 

 the appearance of which coincided as precisely 

 with that of these plants as though it had been 

 a veritable mission of destruction. One fact, 

 however, set in bold relief by its ravages was 

 the comparative immunity not only of Viti- 

 cella and lanuginosa types, but of all their direct 

 hybrids. This result has forced growers to a 

 rigorous selection of varieties and the choosing 

 of only such kinds as show themselves invari- 

 ably healthy and robust. 



These selected kinds we have sought to in- 

 crease in number, and improve in variety of 

 colour and beauty of form. To that end our 

 care has been far less as to the size or shape of 



CLEMATIS. 207 



the individual flower than of the general effect 

 of the whole, of which the abundance and 

 duration of the flowers, and the purity and 

 brilliancy of their colours are the prime fac- 

 tors, enabling plant-lovers to obtain the richest 

 effects in harmony or contrast. As regards the 

 plants themselves, all but those of proved vigour 

 and hardiness have been rejected ; in fact, so 

 robust are many of those here enumerated as 

 to have reached the thickness of an old vine 

 stem. Ourlistof varieties is classified according 

 to colour as follows : — 



Yellow Flowers. — C. tangutica, the most 

 beautiful of its colour, recently figured by The 

 Botanical Magazine and The Revue Horticole. 

 Flowers of a fine golden yellow, produced in 

 spring and of the size of C.montana grandiflora. 

 Stems woody and short, throwing out nume- 

 rous flowering shoots each season. C.orientalis, 

 light yellow in colour, flowering in summer and 

 autumn ; is best grown trained against a house 

 or wall, when it sometimes attains a large 

 size. Is quite hardy in England. C. Wilfordi, 

 resembles the preceding ; a plant for the rock 

 garden, where it forms low tufts covered with 

 flowers, its shoots taking root wherever they 

 touch the soil. 



White Flowers. — C. apiifolia, somewhat 

 like Vitalba, but flowering in autumn. C.balea- 

 rica, scented blossoms during autumn and win- 

 ter. C. cirrhosa, a very vigorous plant, flowering 

 from October to December. C. Jlammula, or 

 Sweet-floweringClematis,bloomingin summer 

 and autumn; a variety robusta is larger in every 

 sense, and flowers a little later. C. lanuginosa 

 Candida, very large flowers, coming mainly in 

 spring, but again at intervals (though but par- 

 tially) during summer and autumn. There are 

 in existence a great number of its forms, hybrid 

 and otherwise,with beautiful white flowers, but 

 none are so robust or lasting as the old form 

 which has flourished for many years in our 

 garden. C. montana, bearing sweetly-scented 

 flowers in spring ; its variety grandiflora is larger 

 in flower, but they are not fragrant — common 

 in gardens. C. Viticella alba, a good plant with 

 flowers of exquisite purity and grace but some- 

 what fragile ; its form Luxurians shows the 

 same lovely white flowers, but is far more ro- 

 bust, attaining a large size, and sometimes, as a 

 result of its great vigour, the first flowers are 



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