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Clematis Armandii
- Clematis armandii
- Climbers are often neglected in the garden.
Frequently misunderstood as rampant or weedy, many are not. Instead,
climbing and twining vines are actually amazing plants. With their
ability to climb vertical surfaces and cover horizontal spans, vines are
capable of transforming the commonplace landscape into a spectacular,
multi-dimensional garden.
- There are hundreds
and hundreds of wonderful, garden worthy vines.
Chiefs among those are the many species of showy-flowered Clematis, of
which there are hundreds of species and hybrids alone. But even among
the many Clematis, Clematis armandii, the Armand Clematis, stands out as
an exceptional flowering vine. Clematis armandii is an evergreen,
climbing vine native to China. Its dark, leathery leaves are very large
and handsome. Individual leaves are oval or somewhat heart-shaped and
can be 6 inches long and 2 inches wide. The foliage drapes from the
woody, twining stems all year and keeps good colour throughout the
winter. In early to mid spring, the vine is covered with charming,
white, almost translucent flowers that age to a very light pinkish
colour. Unlike the blooms of the more common, large-flowered Clematis
hybrids, individual flowers of Clematis armandii are not exceptionally
large, usually about 2 inches across. While their individual size is
demure, since many flowers are in bloom at the same time, they create a
lacy floral quilt that covers the vine with delicate beauty. The
individual flowers, though, are quite lovely by themselves. The showy
part of the Clematis flower is actually a different botanical part of
theflower from the colourful part of most flowers-which are called
petals. The showiest part of a Clematis flower is the 'sepal' which is
more often an
insignificant, lower layer on the flowers of
other plants whose 'petals' are the stars. The fruit of Clematis are
also interesting. Brown, very small seed 'pods' with long, soft hairs
develop through the summer. While these wonderfully silky pods are not
especially eye-catching from a distance, they are an attractive reward
for the attentive gardener in the fall. Culture of Clematis armandii is
not difficult but does require more awareness than some plants. Clematis
in general prefers, cool, moist, well-drained, loamy soils with the
option to climb up into a warm, sunny perch for the foliage. These
conditions will result in the best flowering. However, less than perfect
sites can also give very good results with a little work to keep the
roots cool by planting the vine in a partially shaded area, and perhaps
using a light mulch. Partial shade is also helpful for this evergreen in
preventing sun scorch on the leaves in winter. Clematis armandii is a
rather uncommon plant but it is well worth a bit of hunting. There are
some named cultivars, including a rare, true-pink flowered selection.
'Apple Blossom' has pink-tinted flowers and bronzy new foliage.
'Snowdrift' has especially clear white blooms. 'Farquhariana' has
pink blooms while 'Early Spring' is an early bloomer with pale pink
flowers. Armand Clematis will cover a trellis, a fencepost, or Gazebo
with a graceful blanket of delicate floral beauty in the spring, and
handsome, dark green leaves throughout the year. It will eventually
reach a height/length of around 30ft. Look for this lovely vine in
garden centres or speciality nurseries so that you can bring its unique
charm into your own garden.
© Lee Mullen
Plant Profile with kind permission of
Kernxotica
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