International
Clematis
Society
Welcome to all Clematis Lovers.
Ton Hannink - 1947 to 2021
I have to inform you that Ton Hannink of the Netherlands died on 1st November 2021. He was 74 years old and been living with cancer for several years. He'd undergone many treatments and had said recently he'd been grateful to have been granted the additional time they had allowed. In my view, Ton Hannink was one of the top clematis experts and breeders in the world. As well as breeding many wonderful cultivars, he maintained an innovative program of clematis crosses using some unusual / rare species, often from China and the far east. He introduced many clematarians to such fascinating clematis as C. acerifolia, C. akoensis, C. cadmia, C. courtoisii, C. hancockiana, C. shenlungchiaensis, C. xiangguiensis, to name but a few. In his greenhouse, he grew thousands of crosses from which he would select only the best for propagation. Ton was President of this Society from 2008 to 2015. He was an excellent speaker, giving many presentations at Society events, always accompanied by his own superb photos. He wrote many articles for the Society annual journal, as well as more than 50 Clematis of the Month descriptions. To view these, follow the "Author" menu item on the Previous Clematis of the Month page. Ton was a gentle man, quietly spoken and very generous with knowledge, information and plants. The Society sends our sincere condolences to Marjan and family, and his friends, in particular Pascale Krüger who assisted Ton to continue with his demanding crossing and breeding program over the last years as he became physically less able to manage his thousands of plants by himself.Ton Hannink tending his clematis in his greenhouse
September 2015
Susan Maskelyne - to 2021
This month I have more sad news to report. It is the death, on 5th September 2021, of Susan Maskelyne. Susan was the wife of John Maskelyne, a previous chairman of the British Clematis Society, who died in 2016. Both were members of this Society for many years. She was a formidable gardener in her own right, knowledgeable not just about clematis but about many other plants as well. Susan was 93 and had been living in a care home for the last 2½ years. As I understand it, she had lived with dementia for several years. John and Susan joined in on a number of Society meetings. The photo to your right is from our meeting in The Netherlands in 2003, when we enjoyed an afternoon boat cruise with buffet dinner on Biesbosch Nature Park. Sat at the back of the boat are Roy and Angela Nunn, Heather Cromie and John and Susan Maskelyne. The Society sends its sincere condolences to her children, Nick, Anna and Julian, her granddaughter Anna, and all her friends.From left to right - Roy and Angela Nunn, Heather Cromie and
John and Susan Maskelyne, on a boat trip during our meeting
in the Netherlands in 2003The next Newsletter
I am pleased to report that the next newsletter should be with you early in November. I won't spoil your enjoyment of discovering all the contents, it can be a surprise - a pleasant one I hope.I.Cl.S. Webinars
We have managed to overcome the problems we had due to the popularity of our webinar videos and they are now available again for you to replay. Click on the link to your left to watch the recording of our last public webinar. Society members can watch all I.Cl.S. Webinar videos using the link in the newsletter which is about to be published, or the links in the October 2020 and February 2021 newsletters.Website changes
The majority of people can ignore the following explanation and just be happy that we have now implemented a modern security facility. For the more technically minded, please read on. In line with modern security practice, we have implemented SSL on this website. SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer, a security protocol that creates an encrypted link between a web server and a web browser. It authenticates a website's identity and enables an encrypted connection. You don't need to know about this and in most cases, it's use will be transparent. However, if you normally access the site using the URL call, "http://www.clematisinternational.com", you should now change to "https://www.clematisinternational.com". Note, you may need to clear your browser cache for this to be automatically invoked.C. ranunculoides or C. yuanjiangensis
The Society has revisited one of our Clematis of the Month descriptions, that of C. ranunculoides by Brewster Rogerson, and now believe he was actually looking and describing C. yuanjiangensis. Brewster wrote this description for December 2002, when very few people had even heard of C. yuanjiangensis. We believe Brewster thought the variation of his specimen in certain aspects was due to species variability. It's says much of the documention and records kept by Brewster and others and still available today that we've been able to verify our suspicions. If you're interested, please take a look at our Previous Clematis of the Month, by date, name or author.RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2021
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the Royal Horticultural Society cancelled the RHS Chelsea Flower Show last year, 2020. However, rather than do the same thing for a second time, they decided to defer this most prestigious flower show until September 2021. As I write these words, it is welcoming the garden-loving public. Whilst there are not quite so many exhibitors this year, there are all the usual beautiful show gardens, colourful plants stands and stunning displays. Of course, exhibitors have had the challenge of providing exhibition-worthy plants at a completely different time of the year to what they normally do. I am delighted to report that Raymond Evison, founder of this Society and long time exhibitor at Chelsea, has excelled himself this year. Not only has he been awarded his 31st Gold Chelsea Medal for his display, he has also won the prestigious "The President's Award". I understand that his display comprises over 2500 plants, with an estimated 20,000 - 30,000 blooms, achieved through judicial periods throughout this year of growth, pruning, more growing, more pruning, chilling and finally letting them wake up and bloom. The Society sends Raymond our heartiest congratulations at this achievement.
Raymond's display at Chelsea 2021
Chelsea Gold Medal and The President's Award
Raymond's display at Chelsea 2021
COVID-19 Pandemic
The Society sends our best wishes to clematis lovers all round the world, to their families and their friends. Please take care and stay safe. We salute all those in the essential services, especially health services, for their dedication to duty, often at risk to their own health. Whilst some countries are beginning to relax some restrictions on socializing, travel, etc., we must not forget that this is not true everywhere. There are still many countries where COVID-19 is still taking many lives. No one should allow themselves to be complacent.Clematis in the press
There have been a couple of interesting articles about clematis written recently that you might be interested to read. They are both available online. The first is an article written by Adrian Higgins, garden writer for The Washington Post (Washington, DC, that is). Adrian contacted Jeff Jabco, our President, recently about this and he interviewed Dan Long, Vice President, and Jeff for the article. To read it, please click here. My thanks also to Roy Nunn, Treasurer, who told me about the second one, Clematis for your Algarve Mediterranean garden by Portuguese resident, Rosie Peddle. It includes some very good photos.2021 Seed Exchange
The latest version, which has an issue date of 13/6/2021 at the bottom of each page, is now available at 2021 Seed Exchange List. Our thanks to Benedikt Herian for managing the Seed Exchange and to all members who have donated seeds.2021 Denmark Meeting
As announced a while ago, this event, which was originally planned for July 2020, then postponed until 2021, is now scheduled for July 2022. An email detailing this decision, and the options current attendees have, was sent to all attendees. One upside of this is that bookings for this event is open once again, so anyone who now wishes to join should contact our secretary, Fiona Woolfenden.The International Clematis Registrar, and the International Clematis Register and Checklist
The International Clematis Register and Checklist 2002, which went out of print some time ago, is available in electronic format. One benefit of this is that it allows text searching. Details for The Register and all six supplements can be found via the RHS website at https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/plantsmanship/plant-registration/Clematis-registration/Clematis. However because of the file size of the Register itself, approximately 25 Mbytes, it cannot be downloaded from the RHS web site in the same way that the supplements can. To help the RHS and reduce their workload, Society members wanting a copy should email Ken Woolfenden, I.Cl.S. Webperson and Editor, at icls editor, who will return a download link. The Society fully endorses the work of the International Clematis Registrar, The International Clematis Register and Checklist 2002 and the six supplements published so far. We recommend all clematis lovers use the standards they describe. There is, of course, still a need for all Clematis breeders, both professionals and amateurs, to 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, information about it is available at the Clematis Registration Form.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.International Clematis Society on Facebook
Don't forget to visit our Facebook page for updates on what's happening in our garden, as well as clematis news from other members. All you need do is clickor use the button to your left.
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.Clematis Nomenclatural Standards List by Wim Snoeijer
Wim Snoeijer has provided another update to this list, and added a few more images. You can find it at Clematis Nomenclatural Standards List. I've changed the format slightly and the images, instead of being embedded within the list which made it a little disjointed, are now available by clicking on the link to make them appear in a separate window. The list is also available as a downloadable .pdf file. Over the next few months I hope to add many more images, and at higher resolutions than currently displayed. If you are unfamiliar with the concept of Nomenclatural Standards you may wish to read the article by Wim Snoeijer that was published in Clematis International 2010.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.How do you pronounce .....
If you're uncertain how to pronounce some clematis names, why not visit Clematis on the Web. A number of cultivar entries now have a helpful "how to say" feature. A classic example is probably C. 'Mrs Cholmondeley'. How do you pronounce this? Just take a look at Clematis on the Web - Mrs Cholmondeley, click on the loudspeaker icon and find out for yourself. This is an extreme example but I'm sure there are many others that people may be unsure of, but don't like to ask. Now you can find out in the privacy of your own home.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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