On this dratted system my clematis question has got entangled with the rhubarb, so I'm starting a new thread.

Kay wrote:

Some years ago I grew from seed something that was labelled Clematis
integrifolia. It clearly wasn't, since it galloped straight to the top
of a Sorbus. So I've been looking out for flowers, and this year I
spotted them at the top of the tree - white, dropping, with rounded
rather than pointed petals. In terms of flowering time, this is very
early - before C armandii, and before CC alpina is even showing buds. So
I assume C cirrhosa - but is there anything else it could be?

It's also not totally tender - it's come through this winter unscathed,
whereas I lost my 10 year old C armandii

Jeff wrote:

My armandii has just about finished flowering. The cirrhosa balearica
finished a month ago.

I assume that as you said yours could be cirrhosa it is evergreen. If that
isn't the case, it isn't cirrhosa.



No, I haven't ever taken any interest in cirrhosa, and hadn't realised it was evergreen. So what else flowers this early? - it is just about over now, ie it is finishing at the time I would expect armandii to start flowering. It was in flower at the same time as Cyclamen coum, and just before wood anemones, if that helps at all!

In article , says...
On 2010-04-29 22:50:21 +0100, kay said:


On this dratted system my clematis question has got entangled with the
rhubarb, so I'm starting a new thread.

Kay wrote:

Some years ago I grew from seed something that was labelled Clematis
integrifolia. It clearly wasn't, since it galloped straight to the top
of a Sorbus. So I've been looking out for flowers, and this year I
spotted them at the top of the tree - white, dropping, with rounded
rather than pointed petals. In terms of flowering time, this is very
early - before C armandii, and before CC alpina is even showing buds.
So
I assume C cirrhosa - but is there anything else it could be?

It's also not totally tender - it's come through this winter
unscathed,
whereas I lost my 10 year old C armandii

Jeff wrote:

My armandii has just about finished flowering. The cirrhosa balearica

finished a month ago.

I assume that as you said yours could be cirrhosa it is evergreen. If
that
isn't the case, it isn't cirrhosa.



No, I haven't ever taken any interest in cirrhosa, and hadn't realised
it was evergreen. So what else flowers this early? - it is just about
over now, ie it is finishing at the time I would expect armandii to
start flowering. It was in flower at the same time as Cyclamen coum, and
just before wood anemones, if that helps at all!

Kay, reading your Clematis thread was straightforward because I'm
reading it in uk.rec.gardening, not gardenbanter which simply pinches
all the posts from here and passes them off as part of gb's own forum.
If you contribute direct to this newsgroup, I think you'll find it both
helpful and easier to follow threads because while we might digress
sometimes, threads don't get entangled! I don't know if you saw my
post which suggested the possibility of your plant being C. cirrhosa
Jingle Bells. If you do a Google image search on that, it may be
familiar. However, a member of this group is a nurseryman specialising
in Clematis and other climbers and he may be along in a minute!

Picture or description of the leaves would help
--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and
Lapageria rosea

OK, will see what I can do when it stops raining.
Memory of leaves is that they're like montana or alpina - certainly deeply divided. Seed was from Chiltern, so I can't imagine that it'd be anything spectacular in Clematis terms. Packet said 'integrifolia' but it's already a good 15-20 feet up!

Well, I shouldn't go by memory.
I've been able to reach a new shoot, so this may be young leaves rather than mature. It's still too wet to go climbing.

The leaves are in clusters of about 6. Each leaf is simple, about 2cm x 1cm, broad lanceolate, serrated, rather thick, glossy green. Not in the least bit like alpina!

I was expecting it to be easy to identify, with it being in flower earlier than the other early flowering species! If it's not obvious, then I'll just have to try and get a better leaf sample, then wait till next year and make a real effort to get a close up of the flowers.

kay wrote:
On this dratted system my clematis question has got entangled with the
rhubarb, so I'm starting a new thread.

Kay wrote:

Some years ago I grew from seed something that was labelled Clematis
integrifolia. It clearly wasn't, since it galloped straight to the top
of a Sorbus. So I've been looking out for flowers, and this year I
spotted them at the top of the tree - white, dropping, with rounded
rather than pointed petals. In terms of flowering time, this is very
early - before C armandii, and before CC alpina is even showing buds.
So
I assume C cirrhosa - but is there anything else it could be?

It's also not totally tender - it's come through this winter
unscathed,
whereas I lost my 10 year old C armandii

Jeff wrote:

My armandii has just about finished flowering. The cirrhosa balearica

finished a month ago.

I assume that as you said yours could be cirrhosa it is evergreen. If
that
isn't the case, it isn't cirrhosa.



No, I haven't ever taken any interest in cirrhosa, and hadn't realised
it was evergreen. So what else flowers this early? - it is just about
over now, ie it is finishing at the time I would expect armandii to
start flowering. It was in flower at the same time as Cyclamen coum, and
just before wood anemones, if that helps at all!

Our armandii have survived 10 weeks of frost and being covered in ice
for weeks. They have been in flower for a couple of weeks in Zuid Holland.

"Martin" wrote in message
...


Our armandii have survived 10 weeks of frost and being covered in ice
for weeks. They have been in flower for a couple of weeks in Zuid Holland.

We haven't had it as cold for so long here in West Sussex, but there have
been some penetrating frosts and a lot of snow. As far as I am concerned
armandii is a lot hardier than it is given credit for. Mine had damage to a
few leaves, but it has flowered very well.

--

Jeff

In article ,
says...[color=blue][i]

'Charlie Pridham[_2_ Wrote: [color=green][i]
;885719']In article ,
says...
On 2010-04-29 22:50:21 +0100, kay said:


Picture or description of the leaves would help
--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall
'ROSELAND HOUSE GARDEN & NURSERY' (http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk)
Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and
Lapageria rosea

OK, will see what I can do when it stops raining.
Memory of leaves is that they're like montana or alpina - certainly
deeply divided. Seed was from Chiltern, so I can't imagine that it'd be
anything spectacular in Clematis terms. Packet said 'integrifolia' but
it's already a good 15-20 feet up!




--
kay

If it looks like alpina leaves then its most likely a white one of those,
may be worth preserving though as all the whites I have seen are not so
good a growers as the other colours
--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and
Lapageria rosea

Ah, you didn't see my follow up post!

"Well, I shouldn't go by memory.
I've been able to reach a new shoot, so this may be young leaves rather than mature. It's still too wet to go climbing.

The leaves are in clusters of about 6. Each leaf is simple, about 2cm x 1cm, broad lanceolate, serrated, rather thick, glossy green. Not in the least bit like alpina!"

Sorry about that!

From what I could see of the flowers, the petals seemed to be slightly rounded at the tips, whereas all the alpinas I've seen have had quite pointed petals. So with that and the leaves, and that fact it was flowering a good month before my other alpinas (the first of which has only just come into flower) I'm pretty sure it's not an alpina.