The cultivation of clematis species

Abstract

The object of this thesis is to describe the processes involved in cultivating Clematis and to present conclusions reached so far from my work on the genus. I have grown Clematis species for many years and have been fascinated by the simple charm and beauty of the species, which is so often lost in the large-flowered hybrid plants. I am particularly interested in the evergreen New Zealand species for several reasons: (a) Though their identity is sometimes in doubt, the cultivation of most overseas, deciduous species is well understood. (b) Our evergreen species are little considered or grown and are very underrated; they are usually misidentified. (c) I believe our New Zealand species have much potential in producing a range of evergreen, multi-flowered, scented climbers with restricted growth. One of the major problems in most gardens is the immense mass of growth made by the commonly grown species.