I have been growing Clematis montana for some 20 years. (I'm on the
continent, near Antwerp).
It has generally done well and even seeded itself.
But I repeatedly lost some clones after a severe winter.
To be sure, last winter was not very mild - but other things, like
Fremontodendron, Ceanothus, Clematis armandii, and (would you believe
it?) Telopea truncata and Embothrium coccineum, came through unscathed
in my garden.
But - I once again lost Clematis montana 'grandiflora' (the only clone
I had growing at the moment): two plants, in different locations. (One
old plant had an almost 1 inch trunk). There was some green a week
ago, but now they have definitively given up.
Now - this species is rated as "quite hardy" by Bean, and "fully
hardy" by Christopher Grey-Wilson, and we all know that it gives a
spectacular show almost everywhere in the UK, every spring.
So my questions are -
Do others have experienced problems with the hardiness of C. montana,
anywhere in the UK?
Or is, perhaps, my C. montana 'grandiflora' a specially sensitive
clone?
Regards,
Roger.