Coping with clematis

Many horticulturalists that are just starting out in their green spaces are often needlessly put off growing clematis, according to sector commentator Ursula Buchan.

Writing in the online pages of the Daily Telegraph, she suggests that many people perceive the plant as requiring complicated pruning, when this is not always the case.

Ms Buchan recommends that people start off by opting for clematis from the atragene group, which flower earliest in the year and require very little pruning for the first few years.

She adds that they are winter-hardy and can be planted facing the north or north-east.

Ms Buchan notes that the ideal place to site such a plant is against a trellis or wire netting to allow them to climb.

Concluding, she suggests that since clematis are woodland plants, they need to have their roots shaded and cool.

The BBC states that clematis are quite possibly most popular variety of climbing plants in the UK, due in part to their beautiful blooms.