LADY BUG... LEARNING ABOUT PLANT DIVERSITY IS A REAL JOY OF GARDENING

Everything that has flowered this spring has done its very best. Beginning with the spring flowering bulbs, then the iris, then peonies, some daylilies, the bedding annuals, all have been putting on outstanding shows. And now the colorful clematis, "Queen of the Flowering Vines," are having their time.

One of the greatest joys of gardening is learning about the diversity of plants that can be grown. Clematis will grow up a trellis, fence, a tree trunk, or will grow in a container. The color range of clematis is extremely wide from the familiar dark purple to many shades of blue, mauve, pink, red, white, yellow and several bicolors. Their flowers vary in size from nine inches in diameter to the very small 1/4-inch flowers which often bloom in clusters.

Clematis have many pluses in their favor. Once established, they are extremely hardy and will return year after year. They often will bloom through a complete season. Another good feature is they will not become rampant vines, but make a colorful spot whether it is on a light post or on a fence. They do not twine like bittersweet and do not have tendrils like sweet peas. Stalks of their leaves twist around supports.

These vines should have a location with at least a half day of sunlight. They grow best in soils that are well drained and have a liberal amount of peat moss or rotted compost added. A heavy mulch also maintains the coolness of the soil and minimizes the possibility of extreme drying.

Most of the time, in severe winters, vines may be killed back, but growth at the base is usually rapid. When pruning in the spring, do not be too quick to cut out vines that appear to be dead. Sometimes they are slow to produce new growth from older vines.

Clematis may be planted in almost any month the soil is workable, but spring and early autumn are possibly the best times. Soil should be dug out about 18 inches all around and below the planting site. Mix together some good compost or quality potting soil, a small amount of granular all purpose fertilizer along with some of the soil that has been dug. Plant the new clematis 1/2 inch deeper than it was in the pot, with one set of leaves below the soil level. Water with a mild solution of water solvable fertilizer.

Water it well at first, but do not drown it.

The first year only one, two or three shoots will send up long thin growth with an occasional flower. If these shoots are pruned back once or twice to one half their length the first year, it will make a bushier plant in years to come, advises Richard Donahue, a clematis specialist from Faribault, Minnesota, who grows a few thousand clematis each year, with more than a million plants being shipped last year.

There are hundreds of varieties of clematis, with one of the oldest, Jackmani, a hybrid from about 1864, which has intense purple blooms on vines that can reach a height of 10 feet. This beauty came to us from England.

Some old favorites are Nelly Moser, a mauve-red bicolor and Henri, a pure white, also Duchess of Edinburg, a double white. There is a new Etoile Violette that is a beautiful shade of deep purple. Carnaby and Lincoln Star are popular bi-colors. Autumn Joy has clusters of white flowers and comes into bloom in September.

There are three non-vining clematis that are easily as beautiful as their hybrid cousins and just as easily grown. They are Crepuscule, with large clusters of lavender flowers, Davidiana with clusters of light blue flowers, and Robert Brydon, also pale blue flowers on a compact plant only two feet tall.

Clematis are not only beautiful in the landscape but they can also be used as a cut flower. When cutting them for arranging select one which has a thick strong stem. Choose a flower that has just opened or 3/4 open. Remove any leaves to reduce transpiration and place immediately into cold water as deeply as possible. It is best to condition them the night before arranging them.

Clematis are very hardy vines which with some patience, proper planting and early care will reward you for years to come. Plants are available at most garden centers, nurseries and greenhouses and can be planted at this time of the year into early fall. Try one!