In article , Charlie
Pridham writes

Try contacting Mike Brown replacing * with clematis He
is in Oxfordshire and has a large collection himself but will also know
where else in the area you can go



Thanks Charlie, is he the one that specialises in herbaceous clematis?
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

On 28/7/06 11:12, in article , "Janet Tweedy"
wrote:

In article , Sacha
writes
On 27/7/06 18:03, in article ,
"Jennifer Sparkes" wrote:

snip

If the worst comes to the worst we could see private collections and
order from Charlie

... or just go to Charlie's website and look at his list and photos
and then order.

Jennifer - in Bristol

Seconded! "If the worst comes to the worst" would be "ordering from one of
the best"!


Sacha! I didn't mean it that way though it came out like that , I did
pout a smiley at the end.

Don't worry - I'm joking. We once had someone ring here looking for some
plant she was desperate to get and telling us she was "scraping the bottom
of the barrel"! And we had someone from a local village ask Ray to open
that year's fete for them. After he'd agreed, she went on to say that the
previous year they'd had some minor local celeb who'd opened it for them but
that they'd never be lucky enough to get someone as good as that again! I
admit I was tempted to suggest she ask her Charm School for a refund but we
knew exactly what both women meant! The irony of that was that he ended up
as a guest of Her Majesty! I'm quite sure that Charlie (and I) didn't take
you up wrongly.
snip
I do agree that seeing plants 'in the flesh' is best, though I'm quite happy
to order by mail if necessary. Where I tend to err is by not checking
carefully exactly what size some delectably photographed new-to-me plant
will be, so I end up with something that would fit on a pinhead when I
thought I was going to get a giant, or vice versa.

--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(email address on website)

On 28/7/06 11:16, in article , "Janet Tweedy"
wrote:

In article , Charlie
Pridham writes

Try contacting Mike Brown replacing * with clematis He
is in Oxfordshire and has a large collection himself but will also know
where else in the area you can go



Thanks Charlie, is he the one that specialises in herbaceous clematis?

If so, and you haven't got it, I fell in love with C. heracleifolia at the
Hestercombe Clematis Day which Charlie organised. The colour of the blue
flowers is wonderful and the scent's a knockout. I think there's a pink
form, too but I haven't seen that.

--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(email address on website)

In article , Sacha
writes

Where I tend to err is by not checking
carefully exactly what size some delectably photographed new-to-me plant
will be, so I end up with something that would fit on a pinhead when I
thought I was going to get a giant, or vice versa.



Well quite! Also been encouraged to buy plants that to some people are
'fragrant' yet to my mind they aren't!
Lots of clematis that I've seen in books look wonderful but in the
'flesh' they have insipid colour, you can't see the flowers for the
leaves or they aren't very strong growers. I realise it might be the
cultivation of them but as we start with flint clay and alkaline soil
then we need all the help we can get

I did see a photograph of one that someone took on a 'planthunters'
holiday to Londonderry etc. The gardener who took the photo said it was
a herbaceous clematis called Prince William, very deep blue very strong
growth, quite tall and fragrant but I can't find it on the net at all.
Nearest is 'Konigen Wilhelmina' but the description doesn't quite fit
the photo.
If I scanned in the picture do you think a clematis expert could
identify it? Especially if I tell them the exact garden it was grown in?

Janet
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

On 29/7/06 08:56, in article , "Janet Tweedy"
wrote:

In article , Sacha
writes

Where I tend to err is by not checking
carefully exactly what size some delectably photographed new-to-me plant
will be, so I end up with something that would fit on a pinhead when I
thought I was going to get a giant, or vice versa.



Well quite! Also been encouraged to buy plants that to some people are
'fragrant' yet to my mind they aren't!

Do you grow Clerodendron fargesii? The scent of that is lovely and it's a
late flowerer too which is a bonus.

Lots of clematis that I've seen in books look wonderful but in the
'flesh' they have insipid colour, you can't see the flowers for the
leaves or they aren't very strong growers. I realise it might be the
cultivation of them but as we start with flint clay and alkaline soil
then we need all the help we can get

One of the best with us is the climbing 'Polish Spirit'. It's a marvellous
purple and gives masses of flowers.

I did see a photograph of one that someone took on a 'planthunters'
holiday to Londonderry etc. The gardener who took the photo said it was
a herbaceous clematis called Prince William, very deep blue very strong
growth, quite tall and fragrant but I can't find it on the net at all.
Nearest is 'Konigen Wilhelmina' but the description doesn't quite fit
the photo.

Neither does the sex of the nominee!

If I scanned in the picture do you think a clematis expert could
identify it? Especially if I tell them the exact garden it was grown in?

Charlie! ;-)

--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(email address on website)

In article , Sacha
writes

Do you grow Clerodendron fargesii? The scent of that is lovely and it's a
late flowerer too which is a bonus.

Will have a look at that Sacha, have just bought a variegated
Trachleospermum form Hopleys which hopefully will be fragrant.



One of the best with us is the climbing 'Polish Spirit'. It's a marvellous
purple and gives masses of flowers.

Prefer the flora pleno colour in the bed that I want to plant but will
remember Polish Sprit.



I did see a photograph of one that someone took on a 'planthunters'
holiday to Londonderry etc. The gardener who took the photo said it was
a herbaceous clematis called Prince William, very deep blue very strong
growth, quite tall and fragrant but I can't find it on the net at all.
Nearest is 'Konigen Wilhelmina' but the description doesn't quite fit
the photo.

Neither does the sex of the nominee!

Well yes, but maybe someone vaguely remembered the name and that's the
nearest they got?



If I scanned in the picture do you think a clematis expert could
identify it? Especially if I tell them the exact garden it was grown in?

Charlie! ;-)


Hopefully!


--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

In article , Charlie
Pridham writes

Try contacting Mike Brown replacing * with clematis
He
is in Oxfordshire and has a large collection himself but will also know
where else in the area you can go

That's the man! he does talks etc for garden clubs, is a founder member of
the British Clematis society and past chairman of same, he also opens his
garden for charity and will know of other clematis gardens that do like wise
in the area.



Poor Mike sent a charming letter to me explaining that he was told he
couldn't water his collection and then recently the water board changed
its mind and is now allowing him to water! This means all his clematis
plants have fewer flowers or aren't very happy so he's not open at the
moment!

Took his advice though and went to see Kathy Browns garden in Stevington
(http://www.kathybrownsgarden.homestead.com/)
Wow! Wonderful Viticella out and a multitude of other roses and clematis
either juts over or about to flower.
What a great garden! Designing at its best as it was clearly artistic
but not the strident concrete and clay of Mr Gavin's stuff but a love of
the actual plants and a desire to show them off in the best way. There
was a walk which had very white stemmed birch trees (not jaqumonitii)
and in front on one side acanthus on the other grasses and verbena
bonariensis and shingle on top. Down the centre was a line/very low area
with low grasses etc but the whole effect was so light and airy that the
greys and whites seem to shine out at you.
There was a wonderful topiary garden which didn't have that gloomy
depressing feel that they can sometimes ow. As the plants were on the
smaller side and were given flowing fronds it gave an interesting look
to the whole thing, great for winter.

She gave a list and map of all the clematis and named each one, very
helpful on a visit!

She apparently does a spring day a rose day and a clematis day.
Recommended as were the teas and cakes!

janet

--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk