Hello from Stockport, UK

YOU CALLED, ZIGGY!!!!???

Hi Ian, and welcome to Gardeners Corner!!!

I confess I do like Clematis as loli and Ziggy infer I've been collecting them over the years and have 94 "in the ground" with another 3 waiting impatiently in pots but due to circumstances beyond my control they may have to stay in the pots until Spring. My Trellis Entrance to my garden has around 18 Clematis of various varieties on either side so that it ends up covered/smothered in them. It breaks all the "rules" in planting Clematis so close together but it seems to work It also tends to make it impossible after they have all flowered to tell which Clematis is which and which Group it is in so I have to cut them all down to around 9" and 3 buds in late Winter/very early Spring....that seems to work as well

The Trellis Entrance.





I've got some growing through Shrubs, trees and hedges etc but to be honest I'm running out of space. It's taken me a few years to "crack" how to grow Clematis with some reliability and I've had a few casualties on the way but now they all seem to grow well.

 

Hi Ian, I do love Clematis but I tend to acquire them on the "Oh, I like that" or "that's too much of a bargain to miss!! impulse buy I did try growing them decades ago when my garden soil was nearly pure sand and failed miserably because [a] I didn't understand the requirements of Clematis and my garden soil needed more enrichment with manure and compost. But in later years I started again and whilst losing one or two Clematis on the way did manage to find the conditions that, in my garden, Clematis like and grow in.
But Clematis don't take prime place in my garden as I tend to lose my way in the number of "favourite" Hardy Perennials and Shrubs that I have I think there are around 3500 [registered] to 35900[ declared] varieties of Clematis so we both have a long way to go if we intend to to collect the lot!! I think we all have different tastes and likes even with Clematis but what a choice we have. It's good to hear you're a member of the British Clematis Club, I did contemplate joining but decided that I didn't have much to contribute to the Club and decided against it.
Here's some of the "Clemmies" that are around the garden just to remind me of what can be next year







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Oh, alright, I do think Clematis are my favourite