This week... Spring clematis

Plant a spring clematis against a fence, a wall or let it scramble though a mature tree

- GRAHAM RICE

SOME of the finest species and hybrid clematis have small flowers with late-winter or spring blooms that are up to about 3in (7.5cm) across. Some have their four petals flared to show off the internal colours and patterns in flat-faced flowers and, on some, their petals hang down to create a more bell-shaped look. Most have four-petalled single flowers, while some have extra petals inside their flowers to create double-flowered varieties.

Evergreen and deciduous

Some of these clematis are evergreen and some deciduous, their leaf stalks all clinging by twisting around their supports. Flower clusters are formed at the leaf joints on growth that developed the previous year. Some spring clematis flower towards the end of winter in mild climates, others later. Some are hardy, while others appreciate a milder climate.

Four kinds of spring clematis

Clematis alpina and Clematis macropetala
These two, rather similar spring-flowering clematis, sometimes called Atragene clematis, are the hardiest of the spring clematis and ideal to grow on a fence, wall or scrambling through a mature shrub. Most often seen with soft-blue flowers, pink and white-flowered varieties are also available. H: about 6ft (1.8m).