are clematis difficult

I have been looking and trying to decide which varity (or two) of clematis i want for my pergola. Looked at a couple of clematis specialist nurseries and they seem to have them in different section with one labelled 'beginners'. I know that certain types have to be pruned in certain ways but apart from this is there anything difficult about growing them?

 

LG, I love this one. Mine is in full north wind and cold. Never fails or complains. Regardless of the description below, it grows in pretty poor soil and shade. Cut it if you can be bothered or just let it go. Photobucket is down at the mo so I will put up a picture later.

Clematis viticella
'Clematis Royal Velours'

Masses of dramatic, dark velvety-purple flowers from July to September and mid-green leaves. This vigorous clematis looks stunning grown through plants with pale, silvery-grey or variegated foliage. Ideal for training through a strong tree or shrub in full sun or partial shade it is resistant to clematis-wilt and stands up well to wind.
�·1 Position: full sun
�·2 Soil: fertile, well-drained soil
�·3 Rate of growth: fast-growing
�·4 Flowering period: July to September
�·5 Flower colour: velvety-purple
�·6 Other features: N/A
�·7 Hardiness: fully hardy
Garden care: In early spring cut back the previous year's stems to a pair of strong buds about 15-20cm (6-8in) above ground-level and apply a slow-release balanced fertiliser and a mulch of well-rotted garden compost around the plant, avoiding the immediate crown.

Banana Man.

 

Oh, and yes it is easy.

 

There you go. Pictured in 2001 its first year of establishment.

 

oooh! that looks nice. and my fave colour too! will have a look about for this. thanks

 

I am looking around for some too, and I was going to plant some together which have different flowering times - ie a spring flowering and summer flowering, so you get a longer flowering period. There are some stunning one out there, and also winter flowering ones.

 

Thats a lovely clematis B-M. I'm a beginner with Clematis and would like some advise, should you try to train them to spread out a little, mine are growing almost bush like because my trellis is quite narrow, maybe I should extend the trellis to make them spread further? Mine are yet to bloom, I think that in the frozen north flowering is happening later.

 

Yes, you can train them quite easily. I have a purple/blue Clematis Jackmanii which spans about 20 feet around the garden. Up the cherry tree, along the fence. Passion flowers are good for this too. Get a good shoot and you can get it to run for miles! I never cut them back becasue they are pretty inaccesible but it is good practice to prune them. But I still get good coverage from ground to top because they grow along as well as up! Before next door cut down their tree I got the passion flower 25+ feet up at least into the canopy!

 

Banana Man, that is lovely. I have only ever grown the larger flowered hybrids that you can buy in Morrison's at �£1.79 each - well you can't afford not to can you, at that price? But there is something at the back of my mind that tells me I should be growing a Viticella.

What is the differance? Is it a matter of smaller flowers, but more of them for a longer period? I have just had a look at a national collection site that says some flower for 4 months.

http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk/clematis%20viticella.htm

 

It does flower over a fairly long period and later on in the summer if I remember rightly. I haven't taken a pic recently so I will try and remember to do so when it flowers this year.

 

The "Head Gardeners" clematis collection has at least one in flower every day of the year. One called "Freckles" flowers in December and January, and usually decorates our Christmas dinner table. It does set seeds, but how it manages that I don't know. Never a bee to be seen at that time of the year.
Roots in the shade, with plenty of bone meal, flowers in the sun, and knowing when and how to prune your particular species are vital for good flowering. Too much sun will bleach the colour of the big showy flowers, so partial shade for them.

 

Might I suggest that if you buy a couple of clematis they should fall into the same pruning group, as they will get all tangled up immediately and if you are like me you will snap many of the shoots trying to extract one from the other. Judging from response here I would suggest sticking to the large flowered hybrids and the viticella group which you cut down hard every spring (check the large flowered varieties as the repeat flowering ones like light pruning). I love pretty much all clematis and can't think of any reason not to buy cheapies from anywhere. The younger they are, the less likely to have disease. Viticella are easy to get therefore should be cheap!!