wrote in message ...

I have a white clematis with bell-shaped flowers and cut leaves,
which I vaguely remember being labelled as The Bride, but it
looks nothing like the pictures and looks very much like an
alpina or macropetala cultivar. It is just finishing flowering,
so I am inclined to prune it like one of those regardless of
what it was sold as! Any comments?

And I have a dead The President. The location is light, but gets
direct sun only at 6' and higher and only in summer. The killer
is that it is at the bottom of a patio slope and so is very soggy
in continual rain. There isn't any problem normally, as the soil
is 60% sand, and drains very well - but last winter! Any ideas
for a replacement climber? It mustn't be too vigorous - say,
50 cm wide and 3m high.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Clematis sounds like it may be 'Broughton Bride'

If you want to replace the clematis, try getting a terracotta pot of the
right size, cut the bottom off and bury it to about one third in the ground,
now plant the clematis into the pot, the neck of the plant will stay dry but
it can still access water when it needs to.


--
Charlie, Gardening in Cornwall
Holders of National Collections of Clematis viticella
and Lapageria rosea cvs
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk