Clematis is a flowering grass, creeper or shrub from the family Ranunculaceae. The plant has spread widely in temperate and subtropical climates throughout the Northern Hemisphere. It prefers shaded, moist places, therefore it is more common near rivers, in forests, and sometimes in the middle of the steppe. Among gardeners, the plant is also known as clematis. Clematis is actively used in landscape design, they are especially good for decorating arbors and trellises. A huge number of varieties are characterized by abundant and bright flowering. For several weeks, the site is buried in bright colors and the luxurious aroma of unusual flowering cascades.
Botanical Description
Clematis is a genus of perennials with a very diverse structure. Lianas prevail among them, but grasses and shrubs with erect or creeping shoots are also found. The rhizome of the plant is rod and fibrous. Young shoots are covered with greenish smooth bark. By structure, they can be rounded or ribbed. On the surface there is a rare glandular pile. The length of the shoots reaches 10 m, and the diameter is only 25 mm.
Paired opposite foliage grows along the entire length of the processes. It can be whole, palmate or cirrus dissected with solid edges. The color of the leaves is often green, but varieties with purple leaves are found.
Clematis usually blooms in spring. Bisexual flowers grow solitary or collected in shields, panicles and semi-umbrellas. Bright petals in the corolla are located in 4-8 pieces, and in terry varieties can reach up to 70. In fact, the petals are sepals. They acquire white, yellow, pink, blue, red or blue color. Often there are streaks or streaks on the surface. The magnificent core consists of a large number of thin stamens of a contrasting shade. Part of the stamens changes and resembles petal-shaped processes. Each flower lasts up to 3 weeks. Its aroma is quite complex, it has notes of jasmine, almond and spices. After pollination, achenes or multi-roots ripen with stylodia (hairy noses).
Species diversity
There are about 300 main species in the plant genus. Many of them have several dozen decorative varieties. Botanists offer several classifications of these plants according to the place where the buds appeared, according to the size of the flowers and other parameters.
Clematis Jacquman. A group of varieties, which is characterized by branched, flexible shoots 4-6 m in length. Cirrus leaves, consisting of 3-5 segments, grow on them. Elongated flowers are arranged singly or in groups of up to 3 pieces. They do not smell and can have any color other than white. The diameter of the flower reaches 8-20 cm. Varieties:
- Rouge cardinal - flexible shoots up to 2.5 m long are covered with triple foliage and purple flowers with a diameter of 15 cm;
- Star of India - a shrub up to 3 m high with oval lobed leaves blooms bright purple large flowers.
Clematis is burning. Woody vine grows 4-5 m in height. It has unpaired leaves with wide ovoid lobes. Flowers bloom in June-August. They are painted white, have narrow petals and are 2-3 cm in diameter. The buds are grouped in lush panicle inflorescences. The variety "Miss Bateman" blossoms snow-white flowers with dark purple stamens twice a year.
Clematis Manchu. A perennial branching plant is resistant to frost, but requires good lighting. Flexible, non-lignified shoots grow 1.5-3 m in length. Bright green leaves with jagged edges are small in size. In summer, all the greens are hidden by many small star-shaped white flowers with a delicate, pleasant aroma.
Clematis of Tangut. Branched shrub with erect, drooping shoots at the ends. In culture, it can reach 3 m in height. The rhizome is pivotal, and the shoots are ribbed. Complex pinnate leaves with oval segments have a bright green color. They grow quite rarely. Wide-shaped tulip flowers have yellow or beige petals. Their diameter is 35-40 mm. Each flower is located on a drooping peduncle.
Clematis is purple. Flexible shoots up to 3.5 m long are covered with openwork foliage. The variety attracts with large (10-20 cm in diameter) flowers. In the color of the petals there are various shades of purple. Varieties:
- Polish Spirit - stems 4 m long are covered with purple corollas about 8 cm in diameter;
- Ville de Lyon - a liana with branched shoots forms a large shrub with lobed or whole leaves and blossoms large carmine flowers (10-15 cm) with bright yellow stamens.
Clematis flowery. Lignified shoots up to 3 m in height in summer are covered with large fragrant flowers. Their petals are light pink in color. Popular varieties:
- Vivian Pennel - with terry lilac flowers with a diameter of 12-15 cm;
- Comtess de Busho - a slowly growing plant with shoots up to 4 m in length, blooms large lilac-pink flowers;
- Purpurea captivity elegans - bright pink densely terry flowers.
Breeding methods
Clematis can be propagated by seeds and vegetatively. Seed propagation is suitable mainly for species, small-flowered plants. Varieties differ even in seed size:
- the smallest sprout very amicably in 2-8 weeks;
- medium-sized shoots after 1.5-6 months;
- of large, very uneven seedlings appear within 1.5-8 months.
Small seeds are sown in early spring, and larger ones in December or earlier. It is preliminary recommended to grow seedlings. Planting stock is soaked for 7-10 days in warm water, which is changed several times a day. Crops are produced in a shallow box with a mixture of peat, sand and garden soil. They are closed to a depth of 5-10 mm. The container is covered with a film and kept at a temperature of + 25 ... + 30 ° C. Periodically spray the ground and ventilate the greenhouse. With the advent of seedlings, bright but diffused lighting is important. When the seedlings grow 2 real leaves, they are dived in separate pots. In open ground transplantation is carried out in early summer. First, clematis is placed on a training bed in a shaded place with a distance of 15-20 cm. The tops of the shoots are regularly pinched. Reliable shelter is required for the winter. In the spring, the next transplant is carried out, increasing the distance to 50 cm. At the age of 2-3 years, seedlings are ready for planting in a permanent place.
Reproduction by layering is quite effective. It is used in summer and autumn. Although summer layers develop faster, they hibernate worse. The peduncle should be removed to the nearest kidney. On the ground, make a groove with a thick layer of peat and fix the branch along the entire length. From above it is covered with earth and compacted. With the onset of cold weather, the bush is well insulated. Young sprouts appear in the spring, and by autumn the plant will form completely and will be ready for separation. Digging is done with a fork so as not to damage the fragile roots.
Bushes under the age of 6-7 years can be divided into several parts. Older rhizomes are too developed, which is easy to damage. In the spring, the shrubs are completely dug up, freed from the ground and cut into cuttings with a knife or secateurs. Each part should have several kidneys in the region of the root neck.
You can propagate clematis with cuttings. For this, green or semi-lignified shoots with 2-3 knots are cut during spring and summer. The lower section is treated with a growth stimulator (Epin, Kornevin). Rooting is best done in a special greenhouse with very high humidity, using special fog-forming sprayers. The air temperature should be + 18 ... + 20 ° C. Direct sunlight is not allowed.
Outdoor Care
Planting clematis is carried out in spring or autumn, before the onset of frost. It is better to choose seedlings with a closed root system. If the plant was bought in the cold season, until spring it is stored in a room with a temperature of no more than + 5 ° C, in a container with wet sawdust or sand.
The best place to plant clematis is a well-lit and draft-proof corner of the garden. The bright sun will do good, but it’s also good if the shadow falls in the thicket at noon. The proximity of groundwater is undesirable. The soil should be loose and nutritious, with a neutral or slightly alkaline reaction. Optimum loam with the addition of lime.
Landing pits are dug at a distance of about 30 cm from the wall of the house or fence. The distance between plants should be at least 1 m. A thick layer of drainage material must be poured onto the bottom of the recess. If necessary, sand and dolomite flour are added. Superphosphate is recommended immediately. The root neck and part of the trunk to the first internode are lowered below ground level.
Daily care includes regular watering. Prolonged drought is undesirable for clematis. In the hot summer, every 2-3 days, 1-4 buckets of water are poured under the bush.
The surface of the soil is regularly loosened and weed from weeds. To do this less often, it is recommended to mulch the trunk circle with moss or leaf humus.
In the first year after planting, fertilizers are usually not needed. Later clematis is fed with mineral compounds. Before the buds appear, a solution of potassium fertilizer is introduced, and at the end of flowering, phosphorus fertilizer. In the spring, additional bushes are watered with a solution of dolomite flour or lime. In order to prevent fungus from developing during prolonged rainy weather, the trunk circle and shoots are treated with wood ash. It is undesirable to use peat and organics.
To securely fasten the liana vertically, it is necessary to use special arches, pyramids and structures of a different shape. Gradually, the shoots become quite heavy, so stable supports with a diameter of up to 10-12 mm should be used.
Pruning plays an important role, it allows you to remain attractive for a long time and contributes to the formation of more buds. Molding is carried out in the summer, after flowering. The plants forming the flowers on last year's shoots are removed part of the old and weak processes to the base. Varieties on which flowers appear evenly on old and young sprouts are cut to a height of 50-100 cm. Clematis with flowers only on green shoots is cut a little bit several times a year, and at the end of the season they are cut to the ground.
In autumn, the remaining shoot is removed from the support and twisted, and covered with dry leaves, spruce branches and foam. From above, the shelter is fixed with non-woven material and crushed with bricks. In early spring, it is necessary to remove the shelter and spread the shoots.
Clematis is quite stable. They rarely suffer from diseases. The main danger is fungal infections (wilting, powdery mildew, rust, gray rot). Immediately after the detection of the disease, you need to cut the damaged parts to the ground and destroy. The rest of the vegetation is treated with Fundazol. Among parasites, the most dangerous nematodes. When infected, the plant along with a lump of earth is destroyed. Mites, thrips and midges can also settle, from which insecticide treatment saves.
Use in landscape design
Thanks to the dense crown and abundant flowering, clematis is very popular among landscape designers. It is actively used for vertical gardening, decorating arches, arbors, decorating farm buildings and fences. It can also be spread on the ground, like a bright, dense carpet. The company clematis in the garden can make viburnum, jasmine, conifers, peonies, spirea, mock up.
