Gardens
Good companions
Ursula Buchan
Who would buy a hemerocallis or a dregea, a vitex or a schizostylies on spec? Some plans are as badly served by their names as people. Clematis is the unlucki- est, for there are two ways of pronouncing it (clematis or clemaytis), and neither could be called euphonious. To be fair, though, the botanical name is preferable to 'virgin's bower', championed by William Robinson in the last century. Happily, the epithet never gained universal currency, even in the days when virgins and bowers were two-a-penny. Nowadays, urn, bowers are thin on the ground, in any event. We should not let a name put us off the `Queen of Climbers' (another unappealing expression), for it is a wonderfully diverse and useful group of plants. For most peo- ple, of course, 'clematis' means the striking `large-flowered hybrids'. These are the crowd-pleasers, and there are times and sit- uations when only they will do. However, for me, as for Robinson himself, the true beauty of the family resides in the smaller- flowered species and their related garden varieties: the alpinas, macropetalas, texen- sis and viticellas.
Clematis have probably never been more popular, presumably because they can be squeezed even into tiny gardens, they will grow in pots and they make excellent cut flowers. But they could be bigger still. Their appeal is limited by the fact that they are not straightforward to grow. To begin with, their pruning is perceived as complicated, although it is, in fact, simplici- ty itself — once the difference between `new' and 'old' wood is understood. Only with correct pruning, however, can clematis give of their best, and not hang like a tan- gled ball of wool from one wire on a wall, or produce a few reluctant flowers on the top of one weak stem. Furthermore, some of the flashiest hybrids are not very hardy; some are slow to get going; they occasionally succumb to `wilt' and turn to slimy string before your eyes; and most need a lot of water. They cannot be plonked in the ground and for- gotten, as many other plants can. Above all, to get the best out of clematis, the gardener must have an idea of where best to place them in the garden. For they are companion plants, par excellence. In the wild, they clamber over other plants, twin- ing their long leaf-stalks round any sup- port. They do not seem to want to live on their own. They are like a rich old widow, prepared to put up with the gossipy non- sense of a paid companion, just to keep the silence at bay. The gardener can use this undiscerning sociability to his advantage, dressing up the dowdiest out-of-flower lilac or evergreen shrub in clematis finery. Alternatively, those with bluey-pink, blue or purple flowers can be used to comple- ment the flowers of other genera, like roses. You do need to know, however, when particular varieties of clematis flower, when they can be cut back and where to site them.
The gardener must also cultivate the soft hands and patience of an opening batsman. The clematis's companionableness is com- bined with a fragility which can be heart- breaking. You feel a complete fiend when you accidentally break a delicate growth when attempting to guide it through another plant, even if your guilt is immediately tem- pered by irritation at the family's wilfulness.
So why do we bother with them? Because, when grown well, in the right place and in full bloom, there is no more sumptuous flower than 'Royal Velours', no more elegant charmer than 'Duchess of Albany', with its upturned lily-tulip flowers, no more delicate beauty than the bell- shaped rehderiana, or a more spectacular scene-stealer than `Jackmanii Superba'. What is more, there are so many of them that they can become a true, all-embracing enthusiasm, to compare with a passion for roses or irises, alpines or fuchsias, chrysan- themums or dahlias.
Clematis enthusiasts (or 'clematarians) are as sociable as the flower they cultivate. Founded in only 1991, the British Clematis Society already has a membership of 1,200. Perhaps because of its youth, and the type of people clematis attract, the society has a reputation for being unstuffy and welcom- ing. Members receive fact sheets, a well- produced yearly bulletin and frequent newsletters. Clematarians meet often for seminars, lectures and for visits to nurseries and each other's gardens. They organise plant sales, are present at most big flower shows and exchange clematis seed and plants. So, if your garden is, or you would like it to be, filled with trellis, tree stumps, pergolas and even, perhaps, bowers, all hidden beneath cat's cradles of clematis, I suggest you join them.
For more information, send an A4 sae to the Membership Secretary, The British Clematis Society, The Tropical Bird Gardens, Rode, Bath, Somerset BA3 6QW.
`This is my personal trainer.'
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