Clematis

Well. Roses and clematis are supposed to go hand in hand. So this week I bought EIGHT clematis plants. I have five here, and three coming bare root in the post, and I'm very excited.

Have any RoseTalkers actually had any success with this combo?

I'm planning a few pairings. Mme Already Carriere will have Betty Corning (pale mauve blue) and Negritjanka (dark purple) to help her eat the water tank. Lamarque will have Jackmanii Superba (dark blue-purple) and Niobe (wine red) to assist with the west side of the house.

Edo Murasake (dark blue) and Alice Fisk (light blue) will go on my fence of pink roses with Olgae (non-climbing with blue bell flowers) scrambling around underneath.

And I bought one Montana variety called Mayleen, which is a fragrant pink spring bloomer, but it's very huge, and I haven't decided where to put her yet...

Yes, I have clematis growing amongst my climbing roses. I have Niobe too and she's growing amongst Crepuscule. It looks great. I have a small flowering white one beside a climbing Maria Callas. I have a few light mauve ones too - they add to the roses. For your information, so do foxgloves. I have spires of white and dark pink and they look terrific come November.

Roses and Clematis look great together mumble grumble!!!!! Not in Queensland though more mumble grumble! Bloody things won't grow real well in the heat. even more mumble grumble!!!!!

Oh poor Gary! We will tease you with photos in spring. Payback is a b**** sometimes

Barbara, I reckon Niobe and Crepuscule would look awesome together! Do you find the clems can take full hot sun? I'm wondering if they'll fry on a west facing wall.

And I love foxgloves too. I tried to grow some from seed last year and failed miserably. I will try again this year though.

Of cause this has now become a challenge.

We do actually have a white one that covers a fence and a camellia hedge plus anything else that stand still long enough. If I had my way it would be gone but Lee likes it. She also just told me that a couple of people in her garden club that grow them fine so I will be investigating.

Those clematis will look wonderful come spring Zoe. I only have one now, Nellie Moser, a gorgeous thing. Somehow I managed to kill Spirit of Poland, I think it was.
Barbara, I've found one punnet of foxgloves gave me future unlimited supplies by letting the spires run to seed and then shaking the stalk whereever I want them to grow. I've had a steady supply of plants ever since, they just seem to pop up and grow without any help from me. Only drawback is living with ratty looking stalks as they set seed.
I also like Russell Lupins for the spire affect too. Nice foliage too. Ditto with setting seed and seeing baby plants popping up.

Hi Zoe at the Rare Plant Sale in Richmond NSW a couple of weeks ago we(Carole) purchased three, 'Blue Lights'. 'Josephine' and 'Madame Le Coultre' from Alameda Homestead Nursery, they are in Berwick, might be close to you and on your day off, what a way to spend it looking the farm where they are grown.

Here is their site,  http://ahn.com.au/

silkyfizz, I let my foxgloves seed too. Each year I threaten to turf them out of the rose beds, but each year I remember how good they look in November and I relent. I'd like to grow lupins. I've tried a couple of times in the past but no go here. I'll try again in our border plantings this time.

Do you guys mulch your beds? If so, what with. I've found nothing really seeds itself at my place and I think it's dUe to the woodchip mulch I've out down in the beds.

David, I got four of my clems yesterday from AHN too. You're right - they're not far from my place, but they also don't have some of the clems that I wanted, so I had to order a few from Clematis Cottage in Tassie. The good folks at AHN tend to focus on the hybrids - those really huge flowering group 2 clems, and I wanted some of the integrifolias and viticellas, so I couldn't get everything from there.

I hope your clems do well for you! Are you going to pair them with roses?

Hehe Gary, sounds like a great challenge!

Which clems have you tried previously without success?

From my reading, you might have some luck with some of the slightly lesser known varieties. C. cirrhosa is a winter flowering clem in a pale yellow colour that originated in the Mediterranean and is supposed to do well in hot climates. The C. texensis group comes from Texas I believe, and go well in the hot weather. They are mostly pink bell shaped flowers and are very pretty. And the viticellas are supposed to do well in warm climates. There are LOTS of C. viticella types to choose from, in mostly purples and blues, and I know that Perle d'Azure grows well in Crete.

If I were you, I would go for the Group 3 pruning clems where you are (this is NOT the large flowered hybrids, which are group 2, and NOT the giant house-eater C. montana and C. armandii types, which are group 1). Group 3s include the viticellas, integrifolias, and texensis clems, and they are supposed to be pruned back to a set of strong buds in winter as they flower on new growth. So, theoretically (in my mind, anyway) if you hard prune this lot at the end of autumn, you could sort of force them into having a period of dormancy, even if it is warm, by removing all their leaves and growth, and they should work for you...

I know some folks in Perth strip all the leaves from their apples and pears in late autumn to sort of force a dormant period, which ensured that trees save enough energy through the winter to flower in spring. I hope this thEory can be applied to clems in QLD too.

Aaah, clematis! I've dreamed of growing them with the noisettes here but have been put off by 'those in the know' (our local nurserypersons) who say they don't grow in Qld. After seeing your research, 'muscovy' I'm prepared to give group 3 a trial - always happy to go against the grain! Will now be busily looking up clematis growers on-line!

Go rosebud! Disclaimer: I didn't do a lot of looking into clematis for the tropics/subtropics coz I live in Melbourne. But I would be willing to back myself on this

This place has the best range and prices:

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Works out more economical to order a few though, due to postage... Ahem. Enabling? Not me!

muscovyduckling, my clematis face north. As long as you keep their roots cool, they'll be OK. I mean really cool. I buried mine twice as deep as they recommend ands even then one took a while to get going - (I mean years) but then went OK.

Thanks, Muscovy - I will check out clematis cottage.

Thanks Barbara. It seems weird planting the so deep, but I guess I'll just have to do it.

I also have deep redgum chip mulch and it doesn't stop the foxgloves from seeding freely everywhere.

Most of the reading I have done on the Clematis say it is good to have the root system kept cool, it is also mentioned in a lot of articles that a rock/brick to be placed on/around the root system, Barbara's idea of redgum mulch is doing the same as a rock, keeping the roots cool.

Yeah, me too David. I'm just going to mulch them like the clappers and hope for the best.

I would have thought that rock mulch of sorts would keep the heat in as they absorb the heat which is then slowly dissipated, hence the roots stay warm....

I just pray that they servive our extremes of temps with any help we can give them LOL

I pray they survive my brown thumbs and forgetful watering schedule.

I also forget to water.
In fact all plants in my garden have to servive me. LOL.

Hahahaha, we'd make a good pair!

Zoe, Carole is not joking, we have miles and miles of water, I think it is early dementia coming in her 

Ooh, I see an extended stay in the doghouse in your future David!