Plant Name

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Clematis Climber Site Map

Clematis 'Duchess of Edinburgh'

Early Large-Flowered Group

(Syn.
Clematis 'Duchesse d'Edimbourg',
Clematis 'Duchesse of Edingburgh',
Clematis 'Duchess of Edinborough')

Grow in a Pot

Grow to clothe a wall, arbour, trellis or pergola, but not in a pot.

Soil

Humus-rich Sand with Chalk

Sun Aspect

Full Sun or Part Shade

Soil Moisture

Dry

Plant Type

Deciduous Climber

Height x Spread in feet

5-12

Foliage

Mid Green

Flower Colour in Month(s). Fruit

"Medium to large, double and semi-double white flowers sometimes tinged green. Pale yellow to brown anthers. Early flowers are usually double, later flowers are semi-double. May, June, September " from Clematis on the Web.

Comment

Normally the foliage should be in the Sun while the roots are kept cool in the shade and moist.

"All Clematis need a deep rich loam and they like lime. On thin soils, calcareous types included, they are a failure. Heavy clay is excellent if it is broken up and mixed with weathered ashes and leafmould. Dig the soil deeply and add plenty of old, well-rotted cow manure. The best time for planting is September and October, the preparation of the soil being done in the spring. The following March cut them back drastically to a bud witin 6 inches (15cm) of the base. This initial treatment of all types of Clematis encourages strong, healthy growth. Similarly, pinching out the tips of too vigorous shoots encourages them to branch and flower, but it should not be done later than June." from Climbing Plants and Some Wall Shrubs by Douglas Bartrum (Published by The Garden Book Club in 1968).

Plant the top of the rootball about 3" below the soil surface to reduce risk of clematis wilt, and water well.

"Best in a warmer aspect to avoid the flowers remaining green. Light pruning to tidy is all that is required." from Roseland House.

Climbing Cultivation Group:-

Group 2 Early to Mid-Season, large-flowered Clematis. Light Prune - Remove dead and damaged stems before growth begins in early spring and trim all remaining stems back to where strong buds are visible. These buds provide a framework of second-year shoots which, in turn, produce sideshoots that flower in late spring and early summer. The flowers may then be removed. Young shoots bear more flowers in mid and late summer at their tips. Grow to clothe a wall, arbour, trellis or pergola.

Available from Roseland House Garden & Nursery.
Photographs by Roseland House Garden & Nursery.

Plant Associations

White flowers on Clematis need a dark contrasting background to show off their flowers well; and nothing could be better than a closely-clipped, black-green Yew hedge. Train this climber on strong bamboo canes which are bent elliptically (each end fixed firmly into the soil) to form a 'wave' effect along the ground. Several rows can be used. A clematis trained in this way needs far more attention than it would do if it were grown on a chain-link fence panel against a wall. In this position it needs little pruning, but 'shaping' it over this elaborate support entails plenty of work. It will be advisable to have 2 plants of the same variety, one set at each end of a single row of bamboos. By keeping the main stem shorter (each plant will only to travel half the length of the framework) the Clematis will bloom more freely, the lower part of the stem being covered in flowers as well as the extreme end.