THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 
59 
THE CULTIVATION OF THE CLEMATIS FOE WALLS 
AND TEELLISES. 
(From “ The Clematis as a Garden Flower.”) 
S a wall plant, the Clematis ranks high amongst those which may be 
selected on account of their decorative capabilities. In this capacity 
moreover, it affords a choice of subjects adapted respectively for spring, 
for summer, and for autumn -flowering, the spring- flowering sorts be- 
longing to the montana, tlie florida, and the patens tj’pes, while the most 
important of the summer and autumn-flowering ones are those of the lanuginosa, 
Viticella, and Jackmanni groups. 
When grown on walls, whether covered or exposed, the plants of the early- 
flowering section are not liable to suffer injury from frost, being perfectly hardy, 
and flourishing even in exposed situations. The chief risk they incur, and which is 
but little, is that arising from the incidence of the morning sun upon them when a 
sharp late spring frost may have caught the expanded flowers. In any moderately- 
sheltered position, however, this risk is but slight indeed, and the plants will grow 
freely, and flower satisfactorily, coming into blossom about the middle or end of 
May, and continuing to flower more or less abundantly, according to the situation 
they occupy, up to the end of June or beginning of JuIjl The general features of 
their treatment have been already described when treating of sections 2 and 3, 
which include the most showy of the early-blooming sorts, and may be summed up 
thus: — Deep rich light loatriy soil ; a liberal supply of manure at least tinnually ; 
the free development and perfect maturation of the summer shoots ; and the re- 
taining these at as great length as possible when pruning in winter. 
In very sheltered situations, some of the varieties of the montana group, notably 
C. ealycina, may be had still earlier than the foregoing ; while as a May bloomer, 
vigorous in growth, hardy in constitution, and most prolific of flowers, C. montana 
— with its variety —is strongly to be recommended as a distinct type of the genus. 
The summer and autumnal-flowering groups are gorgeous wall plants, and in- 
clude not only the nobler forms bred from C. lanuginosa, but the floriferous, hybrid- 
ized, and selected descendants of C. viticella. They commence to put forth their 
inflorescence about July, and continue on till October or November, those of the 
former alliance in moderate abundance and at intervals, those of the latter in con- 
tinuous profusion. The lanuginosa breed is, how’ever, specially effective wdien thus 
grown, on account of the immense size to which the blossoms of many of the 
varieties attain, and which, facing outwards from a background of growth, are 
then displayed to the greatest possible advantage. They require in this position 
the most liberal feeding, and moderate pruning, the summer growths being carefully 
trained in to secure the succe.ssional flowers they produvie. 
The Viticella and Jackmanni varieties attract rather by the profusion than by 
the individual size of their flowers. These plants, while fed to the utmost in order 
to meet the excessive demand upon their powers, should be pruned hard back 
every autumn, unless a considerable space is intended to be covered, and the young 
shoots should be trained up to their full extent in the early part of the summer, 
until flowers begin to appear, when, as all the lateral growths develop flowers, 
it may be better to let them fall in graceful wreaths of pendant spray. 
In illustration of the capabilities of the varieties of this latter type as decorative 
objects, we may quote the following interesting description of a specimen of C. 
Jackmanni, growing in the garden of Lord Polwarth, Mertoun House, St. Boswell’s, 
in Berwickshire. Mertoun House is in close proximity to the Tweed, within thi'ee 
miles of the St. Boswell’s station, on the W.averley route to, and about forty miles 
from, Edinburgh. Mr. Fowler, Lord Polwarth’s gardener, in a letter dated March, 
1872, writes as follows ; — 
“ The plant in question was planted five years ago, from a 4-inch pot, against a 
wall with an eastern exposure. As the garden walk passes close by the wall, and, 
consequently, over the roofs, I had the ground well prepared at the outset. The 
natural soil being light, upon a gravelly bottom, I added a mixture of one-half 
heavy loam, and one-half natural soil, with a considerable quantity of well- 
rotted manure, incorporating them well together, and beating down the whole 
February. 
