Very often, summer residents who grow this plant in their area can hear the rapturous: "What flowers!" Clematis is rightfully recognized as one of the most beautiful inhabitants of the garden.
The flower is sometimes called grandfather curls, prince or clematis. Despite such non-poetic names, he captivates with the sight of large flowers that are located on curly vines.
Seeing this plant on someone else’s fence or balcony, many flora lovers want to know how to grow clematis flowers on their own. The advantage of this plant is that it does not have to be grown from a seedling. With the right approach, you can get a good bush from seeds.
Description
Grandfather curls - a grassy climbing plant, its stems resemble vines. Creeping, upright species are also found. The first representatives of culture appeared in Japan. In the sixteenth century they began to grow in Europe. Russia was filled with amazing flowering in the eighteenth century. Today, these flowers can be found all over the globe. An exception is perhaps the polar region.
The description of the clematis flower is highly dependent on its variety. The root system is fibrous and pivotal. The stems can have a rounded green shape or polyhedral brown. Leaves are arranged in pairs. Usually they are green, but purple shades are also found.
Flowers are painted in a wide variety of colors - from white to purple. The size of the clematis flower also depends on the species: in small-flowered ones, it ranges from two to five centimeters, in large-flowered ones, up to twenty centimeters. In plants with simple flowers, there are four to eight petals, in terry plants, up to seventy pieces. The fruit has a spout-like outgrowth.
Varieties
Clematis flower belongs to the family Ranunculaceae of the genus Lomonos, in which there are more than three hundred species. Breeders do not stop there, so this list is constantly updated.
Popular types of clematis:
- Alexandrite - powerful perennial climbing plants or shrubs. Their height is three meters. The stems or petioles of the leaves cling to the support. The diameter of the flower is up to twenty centimeters. After flowering, pubescent roundish fruits appear. The leaves are juicy and green. An adult plant with flowers and foliage can weigh more than one hundred kilograms, so it needs a strong, powerful support.
- Jacquman - large vines or shrubs. Plant height - four meters. The root system is distinguished by its strength and ramification. The flowers are large, odorless. Flowering is long. In winter, the plant is cut short.
- Vititsella - shoot height is three and a half meters. The flowers are wide open, have purple and pink hues. Also require winter pruning.
- Lanuginoza is a two-and-a-half-meter-tall liana-like shrub. Flowering occurs on last year's shoots. A cascade of single flowers opens amicably and massively.
- Patens - lignified vines, the length of which is three and a half meters. Flowers grow in diameter up to fifteen centimeters, can be of very different colors. In autumn, shortening of shoots and reliable shelter for the winter are carried out.
- Florida is a shrub-liana, whose height is three meters. Flowers appear only on last year's shoots, their tone is light. After autumn pruning, a low bush should remain, which reliably shelters for the period of cold weather.
- Integrifolia is a plant one and a half meters high, which forms many lashes. Flowers with a diameter of twelve centimeters.
Almost all clematis should be prepared for winter. Usually the shoots are shortened greatly, the remaining bush is insulated.
Breeding
There are several ways to get a clematis flower. The fastest is to purchase seedlings or a young shrub in the nursery. So bred hybrid plants, which were described above. Many of them are practically impossible to grow at home. The plants will turn out weak and painful, which reduces their decorative value.
Clematis flowers can also be grown from seeds. But only small-flowered species that are more reminiscent of wild plants.
Varieties that can be obtained from seeds:
- Manchu - grows in a temperate climate, is resistant to lower air temperatures below zero. The plant has a small size, flowers with a discreet color.
- Tangutsky - to grow it from seeds is difficult, but real. The variety tolerates low temperatures well. Blooms for a long time with bright bells. Many gardeners like the plant because it can continue flowering in the house. To do this, it is enough to transplant into a pot. Over time, the flower stretches, so it requires reliable support.
- Helios - an adult plant is cold-resistant and attractive, but young shoots should be grown at home.
Of course, no one will forbid the grower to try to grow clematis on their own. Plants with double flowers, which differ in large inflorescences, can be obtained from seeds. Only without a complicated vaccination procedure will they not be as chic as the mother bush. You can also propagate these flowering vines by dividing the bush, shoots, summer cuttings.
The method of dividing the bush is suitable for adult plants that are not older than seven years. The bush is dug up, cut into two or more parts. Each of them must have a root system and shoots with kidneys. Long shoots are best shortened. So the plant will take root better. Landing is carried out in accordance with the general rules. With the right actions, the resulting bushes will become full grown plants. But for this it is necessary to have a suitable mother bush. If not, only the seed option remains.
Seed collection
In various varieties of clematis, the collection of seeds does not occur at the same time. Some in the summer, others in the fall. Each variety has its own seed size. Even from a single shrub, they can be collected in different diameters. For further use, it is better to choose large and medium seeds. Many gardeners do not spend time on small grains and immediately throw them away. This is followed by special training.
It begins with stratification. This is the name of the creation of natural processes for the artificial awakening of seeds. The humidification procedure starts the fetal sleep. After it, the grain falls into the warm soil and sprouts. If this is not done, it can simply rot in the ground. Clematis seeds may lie in the ground for more than a year before the appearance of sprouts. For the longest time, large grains, 5-12 millimeters in size, are not revealed. Small ones can germinate in 3-12 weeks. Their size does not exceed three millimeters. How is stratification carried out for clematis seeds?
Seed cultivation
The cultivation of clematis flower begins with soaking. Seeds incubated in water for five days. It is regularly changed to fresh. After this, the swollen seeds are ready for sowing in the soil. It should consist of soil, sand, peat. Large seeds are placed at a depth of twenty millimeters, medium - at ten millimeters. If there is a desire to plant small grains, then the depth should not exceed eight millimeters.
A tank with soil after sowing should stand for about ten days in a warm place with an air temperature in the range of 18-22 degrees Celsius. After the future seedlings in containers placed on the bottom of the refrigerator or in the garden under the snow. They should be there for ninety days. Such stratification will allow seeds to germinate twenty days after the onset of spring.
There is another option. Seeds are sown in moist fertile soil at the beginning of winter. You can use a mixture of humus, sand, earth, ash. Boxes with them are placed on a glass loggia or in a greenhouse without heating. In the spring, the boxes are brought into a warm, lit room. Regular watering should be carried out. Twenty days later, sprouts will appear. Sometimes you should wait a little longer, so you should not part with crops ahead of time. Some seeds may “sleep” until next spring.
Some gardeners recommend pouring clean river sand over the main soil. Thanks to him, the seeds will germinate faster.
How is the clematis flower planted?
Landing
Since young seedlings do not tolerate cold, planting clematis flowers should be carried out after all frosts.
The following points should influence the choice of a place:
- Many varieties prefer to grow in bright conditions. Their root system should be in the shade.
- Since the plants are climbing, it is important to take care of the support in advance. A dry trunk, a decorative grid on a blank wall, a gazebo, an arch can fulfill its role (a good example of a support is shown in the photo of the flower presented above).
- Clematis should be planted in a place protected from the wind, since the plant does not tolerate drafts.
If it so happened that the seedlings appeared in the fall, it is advisable to leave them for the winter in the same boxes. Indoors, they can stand until spring. However, provided that a good shelter is created, the flowers can be transplanted into the ground in the fall. Then by spring they can already bloom. As a shelter, straw or film is suitable.
Flowers are planted in a square pit. The width of each side and the depth should be sixty centimeters. It is necessary to remove the soil and prepare the mixture. It includes two buckets of humus, one bucket of peat, one bucket of sand, one hundred grams of double superphosphate, four hundred grams of ash, two hundred grams of chalk.
The plant is placed in a hole, slightly covered with a mixture. Roots straighten and pour out the remaining soil. It is important not to close the root neck. After the plant is watered.
Graft
Some amateur gardeners tend to immediately get a shrub with large double flowers. It has already been written that if you grow a crop from seeds, it is quite difficult to achieve this. It is much easier to purchase a ready-made sprout or an adult bush.
But those who want to achieve a stunning result on their own will be interested to learn how to act with moody varieties. They need to be vaccinated for resistant species. Inoculation means the fusion of two plants with vegetative parts. How to do it?
The procedure is carried out in a pot. A bank is suitable as a shelter. After the cuttings grow together, it can be removed. You can plant a grafted flower only next spring. The method of vaccination is chosen at your discretion. The main thing is that everything be done quickly. Otherwise, the cut point will dry out.
Popular ways to vaccinate:
- Cuttings - the procedure is carried out in the spring. The stem should contain several buds, it must be prepared in the winter and stored in a cold place until spring.
- Spread - the top is cut, a longitudinal cut is made in it. Five centimeters long are inserted into it.
- Copulation - ideal when both branches of the same diameter. Oblique sections are made on them. In the middle of each section, a longitudinal incision can be made. Then the mount will be better.
- Cowling is a method for which one eye (kidney) is enough. A kidney is placed with an adjacent area at the root neck. At the selected location, a T-shaped incision is made in the cortex. A kidney is inserted into it.
The vaccination site is coated with garden varieties and wrapped with cloth. Places of cuts must not be touched.
As you can see in the photo presented in the article, clematis is a flower that will not leave anyone indifferent. Of course, if you look after him correctly. We will talk about this further.
Care
Clematis flowers require good permanent care. Its most important component is timely trimming. It must be done correctly. Then the powerful shoots will delight with abundant flowering.
There are varieties of clematis that should be trimmed with extreme caution. The fact is that the flower buds of such plants are formed on last year's ripened shoots. If the bush is too thick, its shoots can be thinned out after flowering.
Large-flowered varieties are usually pruned when the plant is one year old. It is allowed to shorten the shoot by no more than thirty centimeters. Two-year-old shoots can be shortened by one and a half meters.
Shrubs that bloom in late summer, such as Vititsella, are pruned low above the ground. A small bush 20-50 centimeters high is left. Before the pruning procedure, it is extremely important to find out which variety a particular bush belongs to.
During the growing season, it is enough to loosen the soil, weed, weed the soil. You can also mulch to prevent the root system from drying out. To do this, you can fill the ground under the shrub with sawdust. On hot days, it is important to water it regularly and plentifully.
If you follow all the rules, it will be possible to grow delightful and charming flowers on your site, as in numerous photos taken by professionals, flowers. Planting clematis and caring for them are not too complicated procedures, but it is necessary to know certain nuances. Then the appearance of the bushes will delight the owners in the garden and in the photographs.
Top dressing
The clematis flower can begin to be fed after the green mass has grown. Nitrogen fertilizers are used. They are necessary to stimulate growth. Fertilize during irrigation.
The second time top dressing is carried out during the budding period. Potash and phosphate fertilizers are ideal for this.
Plants are fertilized with microelements twice a month during the growing season. It is important not to forget about autumn fertilizer. In September, the princes need phosphorus. In this case, remember the danger of overdose. If there is an excess of phosphorus in the plant, it will age prematurely. Chlorosis may develop. This disease is manifested by yellowing of the leaves. The veins remain green. It is associated with a violation of the formation of chlorophyll.
If you follow all the rules for care, photos of clematis flowers will always give only positive emotions. But what other problems can the owner of clematis face?
Diseases and Pests
With proper care, the clematis flower is not very susceptible to disease, but not a single garden culture is safe from the attack of pests.
Foliage and shoots are eaten by slugs and snails. Plants may be of interest to slugs, since their root system is in the shade, and for normal growth, the flower is abundantly watered. Dampness and shadow create good conditions for the reproduction of these pests. It is important to inspect the soil around the plantation for slugs or their sticky traces. Pests can be collected manually, scared away by herbs and garlic, set traps, destroyed by chemical means.
The root system can be damaged by bears and moles. Aphids, scale insects and other pests known to gardeners can settle on the leaves.
Destroy the parasites will help special tools that can be purchased in stores.
The following diseases should be feared:
- Powdery mildew - a white coating appears on all parts of the plant, the leaves curl and wither. For treatment use "Caratan". The most infected areas are cut and burned.
- Wilting - until recently, green clematis can begin to fade quickly. The fungus is to blame. The treatment consists in treating a shrub with Fundazolum or another solution that effectively fights mushrooms.
- Rust - leaves become covered with rusty coating, shoot growth slows down. If the disease is not stopped, the flower will be left without leaves. Spraying with Bordeaux liquid can help.
- Yellow mosaic - leaves turn yellow massively. The reason for this is a viral disease. Unfortunately, the only thing that can be done is to destroy the affected plant. Effective treatment does not exist.
What most often spoils the appearance of clematis flowers? Improper planting and care. Healthy adult clematis rarely get sick.
Combination with plants
As you can see in the photo, clematis are self-sufficient flowers, they look great in single plantings. But a combination with other plants is welcome. What kind of "neighbors" to choose for shrub vines?
List of suitable crops:
- curly roses;
- barberry;
- Forsythia
- mock-up;
- coniferous.
Much depends on the chosen support. If the flower will curl on the wall of the house, he does not need neighbors. If he grows on a flower bed, additional flowers will create an amazing picture.
Landscape design application
Surprising that clematis bushes are widely used in landscape design is not necessary. Priority varieties that do not require shelter for the winter and cardinal pruning.
Landscape designers embody the most diverse fantasies, applying these flowering creepers in the gardens. They look especially interesting with beaten props. For example, a flower can be planted in a hanging pot. Shoots will begin to grow, climbing the ropes, for which a flowerpot is suspended. The impression is that the green creepers themselves keep themselves in the air. Amazing arches and arbors, shrouded in blooming clematis. This decoration is perfect for ceremonies.