International
Clematis
Society
welcomes all Clematis lovers.
Clematis International 2008
As I write this, our printer should be working on this year's journal. Provided there are no last minute issues, I expect to have it ready for posting around the middle of May, but your copy will only be sent to you if you have renewed your membership for this year. Unfortunately it's far too easy, when you receive the January newsletter and renewal notice, to put the notice to one side to do later - and then completely forget. So please think, have you paid yet? If not, please do so very soon, to save yourself the disappointment of not receiving your journal and us the considerable time, effort and expense of sending out yet more reminders.
Our garden this month
Most things in the garden seem to be doing quite well. The wisteria is about to burst into a mass of hanging lilac blue tassels, provided that is the birds don't get all the buds. C. 'Frankie', featured last month, is still looking wonderful, the flowers bright and showing no signs of deterioration or browning of the sepals.
But we have a temporary problem in our garden - no new clematis! Normally at this time of the year, when we go out into our back garden we are confronted by a wall of pink montana flowers, down the side fence and across part of a pergola. But this year there is none!
The side fence was replaced last year and in the ensuing upheaval, the montanas were taken out. They were 10 years old and couldn't be allowed to grow for ever - our garden just isn't big enough for that. But it's interesting how dependant we obviously were on those few plants for flower colour at this time of the year.
Fortunately things should be back to normal by this time next year. Fiona has already got a replacement montana, one that was being sold cheaply in an end-of-season sale at a local garden centre. And luckily she also waited for it to flower before planting in the ground, since she bought it as C. 'Freda' and it's certainly not that.
Montana Collection Open Days in 2008
If you like the flowers above, then note that Valerie Le May Neville-Parry, the holder of the UK National Collection of Clematis Montana is holding a number of open days of the collection at it's site near Salisbury, Wiltshire, Great Britain during May this year. Full details of the garden and the dates of opening (normally it is only open by appointment) can be found on her website at www.clematismontana.co.uk.
With over 50 different cultivars from this group, this is a major collection. If you have the opportunity to visit, I'm sure you will be very impressed.
Japan 2008
This meeting is now fast approaching. We believe that all attendees are from countries which have reciprocal visa exemption arrangements with Japan and so should not require a visa, but it is for every attendee to check for themselves. You should also verify other entry requirements to ensure a trouble-free trip.
Although there has been no change for a number of months, it is still worth visiting our Future Events page shortly before you leave for Japan just to check that there has been no final updates.
Nursery Membership
As was agreed at the Constitutional General Meeting in Dublin in 2006, the Society now offers a new category of membership - Nursery Membership. So far we have been very pleased with the support that many nurseries have given by renewing as Nursery Members. We thank them all.
These Nursery Members can be found on a special Nursery Members page on this website.
The Society hopes you will recognize that, as members of this Society, these Nursery Members have a particular interest, knowledge and love of clematis and can be expected to provide a range and quality of plants, and informed knowledge, not usually available in non-specialist outlets. Please check this page regularly for additions.
Whilst it is now too late for your nursery details to be included in Clematis International 2008, any further Nursery Memberships will be published on this website as they are received and also in the List of Members when it is reissued at the beginning of next year.
Advertising in the Journal
Do you own/run a Nursery, Garden Centre or other horticultural company? Then why not place an advert in the Society Journal? You'll be face to face with some of the most enthusiastic and dedicated clematis enthusiasts around the world, the rates are very reasonable and the Society will also benefit. Please see Journal Adverts for advertisement sizes, formats and costs.
Clematis for Beginners List
The revised version of this document will be presented to the Society for ratification at the Constitutional General Meeting in Japan in June 2008. We thank everyone who has commented and contributed to the debate on its content. All your views and ideas have been considered, though sometimes difficult decisions have had to be taken to keep the list a manageable size.
Provided the new list is ratified, it will be published on the website in July.
For those that do not know this feature, the Society's "Clematis for Beginners List" gives a list of cultivars that are very suitable for clematis novices around the world. It is available online and in down loadable versions in English, German and Dutch. All the clematis on the list are easy to grow, easy to look after and resistant to common pests and diseases, and whilst there are no absolute guarantees where gardening is concerned, most people should have success with all of these.
The online version of this list now contains more information about each clematis featured within it, along with a simple menu bar to let you see each group and then pick the clematis you're interested in. The down loadable version is very suitable for taking with you when you visit your local nursery or garden centre!
Golden Clematis Award
We are looking forward to making the first of these awards at our Constitutional General Meeting in Japan in June 2008. Thank you to all who submitted nominations. Also our thanks to Klaus Körber for running this scheme.
Even though the first awards have not yet been made, please start thinking about who you might like to nominate for an award at our C.G.M. in 2010.
Web Site Changes
It is my intention to modernize this website, to improve the useability and readability. If you have any suggestions, whether on content, presentation or usability, I would be interested to receive them.Please note that I believe there are still a few people who are using our old address. Please check that you are using www.clematisinternational.com and if not, store it in your Favorites list.
Stop Press - Have you seen this clematis?
We have received an urgent request to try to find someone who has, or knows the whereabouts of, C. 'Hidcote Purple'. It is described in the International Clematis Register and Checklist 2002 as:-'Hidcote Purple'
Late large flowered group.
Parentage unknown.
Raised by: Hidcote Gardens, Introduced by: Jim Fisk 1974.
Flowers (10)1218 cm across. Sepals 78, pale pinkish purple to purple, suffused with claret, reflexed in mature flowers, pointed. Anthers dark. Deciduous climber with stems 2-2.5 metres. Flowers: June September.
Published ref. Fisk's Clematis Cat. 1974.It is Hidcote Manor garden's centenary in 2007 and they are very keen to locate C. 'Hidcote Purple' which was lost to them some years ago. Glyn Jones, Head Gardener at Hidcote Manor, says that the plant was last listed in The Plant Finder in 1989. If you can help, please email Glyn Jones direct using this link.
The International Clematis Register
I have mentioned a number of times how invaluable I find the The International Clematis Register and Checklist 2002, published by the Royal Horticultural Society. There are now two supplements available, both in paper and electronically from the RHS website. For details on ordering from the RHS, please visit the RHS web site.
There is, of course, still a need for all Clematis breeders, both professionals and amateurs, to register your Clematis varieties with the Registrar to continue to keep the International Clematis Register up to date. We're trying to make it easy by providing down loadable copies in both .rtf and .pdf formats, with the latest form (September 2006). All you then have to do is fill it in, sign it and send it off to Duncan Donald, the International Clematis Registrar. His contact details are now on this page. You can even download the form just to see what information it requires, and that completing it is not such a daunting task.
Clematis on the Web International Survey
If you're already a convert to growing clematis, have you joined the Clematis on the Web International Survey yet? Clematis on the Web, with the assistance of the University of Hull, is undertaking a major international survey of clematis. This survey seeks to gather accurate information about all clematis in cultivation around the world at the beginning of the 21st century. Use the link above and you can read more about the survey, its aims and objectives, register and input your contribution all from this site. This is a long term project, it will take a number of years to complete, but its success starts with the collection of data. So please, take a little time out to visit the site and play your part in this major exercise that will help all of us.
Die deutsche Gruppe
Neu - ein Bericht über Unterliezheim 2007 von Eva Abicht.
Wenn Sie diese Wörter verstehen können, dann besuchen Sie vielleicht die Seite der deutschen Gruppe bei dieser Web-Site. The International Clematis Society is pleased to publicize the activities of the German Group by providing them with a page on this site. It contains information about future activities and reports on past ones, including the next Rose and Clematis Festival in Unterliezheim in July 2007.
And finally ....
The ethos of the Internet is to be an open forum for ideas, views and opinions. Sites should encourage visitors to link to other sites, it's a two-way process. So if you've got a few moments, why not look at our Clematis Links page and follow up one or two. You may find a lot more than you were expecting!
For any non-members visiting this site, have you considered joining the Society? With plans for some very interesting meetings over the next few years there couldn't be a better time. For details, visit our How to Join page.
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