International
Clematis
SocietyWelcome to all Clematis Lovers
Latest Society Newsletter
The latest Society Newsletter has just been emailed to all members. Please note, the Special General Meeting date of 28th May 2025 is correct, but this is a Wednesday, and not a Sunday as in the newsletter. We're sorry for any confusion.
Webinar News
The first webinar this month was a great success. Over 225 people, members and the public, joined the session by Linda Beutler, US, and Ken Black, UK, on "Anyone can Grow Clematis - Practical Advice". For more than 2 hours they discussed all aspects of growing clematis, as well as answering many questions from the audience. The talk was aimed at beginners also and more experienced clematarians who, perhaps, would like to do a little better.
The recording of this webinar is now available on this website. Please click on I.Cl.S. Webinars or use the menu item on your left. The second webinar for this month was "Eastern US Native Clematis Research Gardens" - Sarah Wellman, US, and for Society members only. Sarah is a volunteer at the Southeastern Grassland Institute, U.S.A. and the chief steward for the Native Clematis Research Garden. With a very respectable 40 Society members joining the session, it was a very interesting presentation, given in an authoritative yet friendly manner and very well illustrated.
I'm very pleased to report that the recording of this session is also available, though to members only via our special members-only web page. The link to this has been published in previous newsletters, but please contact our secretary if you need help finding it.
Constitutional General Meeting
This was held on 28th January 2025 using Zoom technology. Several new Council Officers and Members, including a new President of the Society, were elected along with the re-election of a number of existing officers and members. Please click on Council Officers and Council Members for details. A recording of the meeting is now available on the Members Only Web Page. Minutes of the meeting should be available soon.
In Memoriam
I reported last month of the deaths of three Society members, Vicki Matthews, Cavan Hulbert and Maureen Hudson. Their short obituaries have been moved to our In Memoriam page. They will also be included in Clematis International 2025, the next issue of our journal.
Membership Renewal
There was a good initial response to the call for members to renew their membership for 2025, which was due on 1st January. However, after the first wave of payments, this has faded somewhat and currently, slightly less than half of our members have done so. Sending reminders is both time consuming and a lot of effort, and falls to a very small number of dedicated volunteers. So please check and, if you haven't already renewed for 2025, do so now.
Clematis Weekend in Germany in September 2025
I am very pleased to inform you that Benedikt Herian, Brigitte Niemela and Wim Snoeijer are organising a weekend meeting in Unterliezheim, Germany in September 2025. Please note, this is completely independent of this Society, although they are all members. You'll find more information in the first information sheet they have produced, please click on Clematis Meeting Unterliezheim 2025 - Information Sheet 1.
Members Seed Exchange 2024 - 25
Seed distribution continues to those members who have requested some. It is worth keeping an eye on the List of Available Seeds as, even once the deadline for seed requests has passed, sometimes more seeds arrives. However, so far this year, this has not been the case. The Society says a huge "Thank You" to the three Seed Exchange Administrators who have worked hard over the last three years to make this happen - Mike Miller (USA/Canada), Ingrid Kastell (EU-Sweden), and Guy Opie (Great Britain).
Clematis International 2025
Work is proceeding on our next journal, Clematis International 2025, but there is still time to send me articles, along with photos is you have any. Remember, it is your articles that make the journal interesting and relevant to all our members. Finally, for the very few members who failed to receive their copies last year, you all should now have been received them.The International Clematis Registrar, The International Clematis Register and Checklist 2002, and Supplements
The Society fully endorses the work of the International Clematis Registrar, The International Clematis Register and Checklist 2002 and the seven supplements published so far. We recommend all clematis lovers use them and adhere to standards they describe. A reminder that all supplements as well as The International Clematis Register and Checklist 2002, are available online. In line with the continued expansion of internet usage and with an eye to reducing paper usage and cost, it is suggested that you download them for free from the RHS website, just visit https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/plantsmanship/plant-registration/clematis-registration/clematis. The Society also strongly recommends that all Clematis breeders, both professionals and amateurs, register your Clematis cultivars with the Registrar to continue to keep the International Clematis Register up to date. If you want a copy of the form, use the link above and click on the Registration tab.
International Clematis Society on Social Media
The Society has a presence on the social media platforms, Facebook and Instagram. On both of these you will find updates on what's happening in our garden in the UK as well as clematis news from other members. All you need do is click on either of the two logos below.
Recommended Clematis
The Society's Clematis for Beginners List is now Recommended Clematis, reflecting the wider usefulness of this set of clematis cultivars for all clematis growers around the world. It was reviewed and revised during our meeting in Devon and Cornwall in 2015. It is available online and also as a downloadable version from our Recommended Clematis section, in Dutch, English, French, German and Swedish. 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. Because space is not so much of a problem, the online version of the 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 downloadable version (no illustrations as yet, I'm afraid) is very suitable for taking with you when you visit your local nursery or garden centre!
Journal Index of Clematis References
A reminder of a facility which I'm sure many of you will find most useful - an index of references to all the clematis mentioned in the journals of the Society, both in the text and as pictures. I am indebted to Ton Hannink for all the work he has put into producing the first issue of this index. The index currently covers the years 2005 - 2014 inclusive. Further years will be added as they are completed. Whilst it is quite a large document, some 29 pages, it is not a particularly large file to download should you wish, just under 220 Kbytes. You can find it by visiting the Previous Journals page.
RHS Clematis Catalogue Collection
The Royal Horticultural Society of Great Britain holds a collection of Nursery Catalogues and have been keen to add to it. A number of years ago the Society was asked to canvas our members for any Clematis Nursery catalogues which they had and would donate to the collection, which we did. Quite a few have been donated so far. Whilst he was the International Clematis Registrar, Duncan Donald extracted a list of catalogues from Clematis Specialists which are currently within the collection and a list of catalogues which feature clematis, but under such headings as "climbing plants" or "climbers". You can find them at RHS Clematis Catalogue Collection and RHS Climbers and Climbing Plant Catalogue Collection. Links to both these files can also be found via the "Information, Answers and Questions" link on the left of this page. The Society has asked where further donated catalogues should be sent. As soon as we have this information it will be publish here.
Nursery Membership
The Society offers a second 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 2011, 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.
Trialing New Clematis
An example of a Clematis Trial contract, mentioned in the article in Clematis International 2008 about trialing new clematis by well-known clematis breeder, Wim Snoeijer, can be downloaded by visiting the A.O.B. (Any Other Business) page accessible from our Information, Answers and Questions section.
General Data Protection Regulation - GDPR
This Regulation applies to all organizations, large and small, that store personal data of EU and UK citizens electronically. A draft Privacy Policy was drawn up and discussed at a previous Council Meeting. We are still working on modifications and amendments. Once completed and the resulting document is agreed by your Council, it will be released to all members and posted in this website. The Society is committed to complying with this regulation. Should any member have any questions or concerns regarding it, please contact our designated Data Controller, Ken Woolfenden.
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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