Clematis belong to the ranunculaceae family. These are perennials, which, depending on the species, are divided into woody and herbaceous plants. Distributed clematis mainly in the Northern Hemisphere. Now there are about three hundred species of plants. Some of them are very similar to each other, and some can hardly be called relatives. Now clematis can often be found in the garden. Some argue that this plant alone can replace the presence in the garden of everyone else. Modern gardeners are more likely to choose clematis creeper.
Description
You can not start planting clematis and leaving in the open ground without familiarizing yourself with the plant.
Clematis have many different kinds. And although everyone is accustomed to the fact that it is a liana, among these flowers there are also shrubs, herbaceous plants, and shrubs. Depending on the species, the root system may also differ: fibrous and pivotal. Since the plant belongs to perennials, its shoots can be lignified, as well as grassy, if these are shoots of this year. On them you can find not too prominent green leaves. In some species, the leaves may be purple.
As for the flowers, they can be collected in inflorescences, but solitary are more common. Terry forms can count about seventy petals; as for ordinary colors, there are not more than eight. The middle of the flower can be confused with a yellow furry spider, because there are many small pistils and stamens. The color scheme is very diverse and you can find flowers of almost any shade in nature. The life span of each flower is two weeks. Not all, but most varieties of clematis can exude flavor. It can be confused with the smell of jasmine or almond. This plant also has fruits, which are presented in the form of achenes.
Species and varieties
In general, in the world there are a lot of classifications of this plant. It is most convenient to use a classification that divides the species depending on the characteristics of their flowering.
- Group A. These include clematis, the flowers of which can be found only on the shoots of past years.
- Group B. These are plants whose flowers appear on the shoots of all years.
- Group C. This includes clematis, which bloom exclusively on the shoots of the current year.
So, each group includes a certain number of varieties, which we will talk about later.
Species belonging to group A
- Clematis Alpine. This is a three-meter vine, on which are quite large leathery leaves and not too large flowers of blue color. It blooms quite late, approximately in the middle of August. Some gardeners even use it as a border plant.
- Clematis flowery. The length of his creeper can exceed three meters. Single flowers are especially prominent, which, in addition to large sizes, also attract a pleasant aroma.
- Clematis is mountain pink. Not everyone will like the planting and care of him because of the rather large length of his creeper. Sometimes it reaches nine meters. Leaves and flowers are not too large. Single flowers can be white or pink, depending on the selected variety. For this species in Siberia, clematis planting and care are excluded, since the plant does not tolerate cold.
Species that are included in group B
- Clematis is woolly. It is a shrub liana, which can reach a length of three meters. On the shoots are quite large single flowers, which may have a pink, blue or white hue. It can bloom twice a year, but on different shoots. Planting and care in the Urals is possible for this clematis, reproduction in this region can be somewhat difficult, however, varieties are characterized by relative winter hardiness, especially against the background of counterparts from groups A and C.
- Clematis is spreading. It is also a shrubby vine, which has longer branches, but its flowers are slightly smaller. It differs not only in the variety of shades of flowers, but also in their shape, since here you can find star-shaped, simple and even double flowers. Such clematis is not suitable for the north-west, planting and leaving here will be impossible due to the fact that all varieties of this species are afraid of frost.
Group C representatives
These are the most common species in the culture.
- Clematis Jacquman. Absolutely all varieties of this species are the result of crossing several others. This is a vine that can reach a length of six meters. The flowers are quite large, but in some varieties there are also smaller ones. They can be solitary, or they can gather in inflorescences, three in each. They have no aroma, but are presented in all possible shades, you can not find only white. Their flowering is quite plentiful and long. After the flowering period is over, shoots are cut almost to the ground.
- Clematis is purple. From the name it immediately becomes clear that these are flowers that have different shades of purple. Shoots develop quite quickly and can reach a length of three and a half meters. Their flowering begins in June and continues until September.
- Clematis is a whole-leafed. This is another climbing shrub, which, unlike other species and varieties, does not need supports. The flowers are bell-shaped.
Clematis from seed
Anyone can take up planting clematis from seeds and care for it after germination. However, you need to know some features. Clematis seeds, depending on the duration of germination, are divided into three groups:
- About one and a half months, large clematis seeds germinate. And in some varieties, this period can be delayed up to eight months.
- About half a year, medium-sized seeds will germinate.
- In small seeds, the germination period can be delayed up to a maximum of four months. Moreover, they differ not only in the speed of emergence of seedlings, but also in their friendly germination.
If you decide to start germinating clematis seeds, then it is better to take the planting material that was collected this year. However, if your seeds are stored at a temperature of 23 degrees, folded into dry paper bags, then they can retain germination for up to four years. As for the planting period, small seeds can be planted in late March or early April, medium ones immediately after the end of the New Year holidays, and large seeds can be placed in the ground immediately after their collection.
You can try to slightly speed up their germination. To do this, ten days before planting in the substrate, you can soak the seeds in water. But water needs to be changed at least four times a day. For planting, it is necessary to prepare the substrate. It consists of equal parts of peat, land and sand. The substrate is laid out on containers in which a drainage layer has been previously laid. Seeds are distributed on the surface of the earth and slightly sprinkled with dry sand. Try to tighten it a little, but not to deepen the planting material. After this, the containers are covered with glass.
Seeds will germinate only in a warm room, where the temperature will not be lower than 25 degrees. Watering is carried out exclusively in the pan so that the seeds are not washed out. Ventilate the seedlings periodically and be sure to remove weeds that may appear due to the soil content in the soil.
What to do with seedlings
Shoots require a lot of sunlight, but at the same time they must be protected from direct sunlight. When a few real leaflets become visible on them, you can begin to dive. Seedlings are planted in separate pots with the same soil as was in the total capacity. So there is a landing of clematis and care (the photo can be found later in the article) after them until the frost passes on the street.
During this time, you can pick up a good plot for flowers. It should be a shaded area with light soil. The distance from plant to plant should be twenty centimeters. Planted plants must be pinched. This is necessary so that they branch better and increase the root system. In autumn and winter, plants must be covered so that they do not freeze, and in the spring they are re-transplanted into other trenches. Now the distance between them should be fifty centimeters. And also shoots will need to be shortened. It will be enough if they have three or four nodes left. Three years later, when the plants will already have several elastic roots, they can be safely planted in a permanent place.
Landing
Planting clematis and caring for the plant in the open ground can be done in spring and autumn, but more on that later. Now we need to find out in what place it is better to plant this plant, and what conditions for good growth to create. First of all, decide on a place. This should be a well-lit area, but without direct sunlight. It will be good if a shadow appears here at noon. Choose fertile soil with a good drainage layer. It is desirable that clematis grow on a hill, but if it is absent on the site, you can make a mound on your own. To do this, simply make an embankment from the ground. This is necessary so that the long root of clematis does not reach the groundwater, which can cause rot. For fertilizer, it is not recommended to use fresh manure, since it is not often possible to meet a plant that welcomes it.
Try not to plant a plant near a house or fence. The minimum distance from the building is thirty centimeters.
Spring planting
In spring, clematis planting and care is recommended for residents of the northern regions. There must be at least one shoot on a spring seedling. A well with the same depth, height and width of sixty centimeters is prepared in advance for him. At the bottom of each well, lay out a 15-cm layer of drainage. For this, you can use broken brick or gravel. If you know that your site does not have fertile soil, then this problem must be fought. For this purpose, several buckets of compost, one bucket of peat and one bucket of sand are added to the soil, and 150 grams of superphosphate and 400 grams of dolomite flour must also be added. On top of the drainage layer, an embankment is made from the prepared soil mixture and clematis is already planted on it. They fill it in such a way that not only the neck, but also the trunk up to the first internode are underground.
Please note that the hole should not be completely filled with earth. Ten centimeters should be left in order to pour a bucket of water there after disembarkation, and then fill it with a layer of peat. The distance from one bush to the next can not be less than one meter.
Landing in the fall
If you are a happy resident of the south, here it is better to plant clematis in September or October. The landing technique is not much different from the spring, but there are still some features. The main one is that here the hole is completely filled with earth, and only then a layer of mulch from dry leaves is put. However, in the spring ten centimeters of land are taken from above and then throughout the summer it is returned to its place. What is it for? To facilitate the germination of young shoots.
Garden care
Every novice gardener can cope with the cultivation of clematis in the garden. The main thing for clematis is watering. Each young plant needs at least ten liters of water per week, while an older plant needs twice as much fluid. If the summer was especially hot, then watering should be increased up to two or three times a week. To ease your fate a bit, you can dig plastic containers with holes in the walls near the bushes. These containers are filled with water and thus the root system constantly has access to moisture. The day after watering, it is imperative to loosen the soil and remove weeds.
Top dressing
In the first year, the plant practically does not need fertilizers, but further feeding should be done. When a period of active growth begins, nitrogen fertilizers are applied. And after that, when the buds are formed, clematis will need potash fertilizers, and when the flowering period ends, there will be a need for phosphorus fertilizing. But that is not all. Immediately after you carry out summer pruning, you need to make a complete mineral fertilizer. For this, twenty grams of fertilizer is taken and divorced with a bucket of water and a copper solution.
During the flowering period, it is not necessary to feed clematis, since this can greatly reduce its activity. If the summer is too rainy, then there is a need to protect the roots from decay. To this end, they are sprinkled with wood ash.
Breeding
Not only seeds can propagate clematis. There are other ways: dividing the bush and layering.
As for the division of the bush, then be careful. Only those plants that have not reached the age of six years are suitable for this, since in older plants it is almost impossible to separate the roots. So, the bush needs to be dug up and the roots completely cleaned from the ground. Then they are divided into divisions using a secateurs so that each of them has kidneys on the root neck. The resulting seedlings are distributed over the site.
Cuttings can be done in October, when flowering has already passed. To do this, choose more or less young shoots that cleanse leaves and wilted flowers. After that, they are bent to the ground and placed in previously prepared holes with peat and sprinkled with peat from above. The earth should be well compacted and sprinkled with dry leaves for the winter.
In spring, this place needs to be watered quite often so that the soil does not dry out there. And when the seedlings begin to appear, the soil around them must immediately be mulched with humus or the same peat. Already in the fall, most young plants will be ready for transplanting. It is quite simple to dig them out and plant them in prepared places. Layers are also laid in the summer, but in this case it is quite difficult for them to survive the winter.
Diseases and Pests
The worst disease for clematis is wilting. During this disease, plant cells lose their elasticity, clematis begins to wither and dry just before our eyes. The main focus of pathogens is contained in the root system. You can notice the presence of such a disease already in the spring, and therefore the fight against it can also be started early. All affected areas should be removed, after that, under the root, watering from a two percent solution of Fundazole is carried out. If on your site there are bushes that were particularly affected, then treating them does not make sense. They are simply dug up and destroyed along with the land in which they grew. In the same way, diseases such as powdery mildew and gray rot can also be combated.
Sucking insects can settle on clematis, which not only suck out the cell sap, but are also carriers of a dangerous disease - a yellow mosaic of leaves. So far, no cure for this disease has been found, so all affected plants are simply removed from the garden. A nematode can settle in the roots of clematis. Therefore, the task of the gardener is to study the plant roots well during transplantation, and if there are nodules there, they must be removed immediately, and no plants should be planted on this earth for several years.
Do not delay the treatment of diseased plants, otherwise all the forces spent on planting clematis, reproduction and care for it will be wasted.