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Delicate and charming clematis Duchess of Edinburgh is a decoration for any garden. His appearance is luxurious. White, large, double flowers on vines that climb to great heights amaze with their abundance and splendor.
Clematis has long ceased to be exotic for central Russia. There are many varieties, zoned for different regions, with excellent characteristics. Among them is Duchess Edinburgh. Thanks to proper agricultural technology and care, the vine quickly develops, grows, and decorates the garden with its flowering.
Description of clematis Dutches of Edinburgh
Clematis is an early flowering variety.
- The flowers of the plant are large and snow-white. They can be white with a green center, their diameter is up to 15 cm. The inflorescences are characterized as double and semi-double, spherical, and the stamens are brown.
- The stems of the crop are liana-shaped and climbing.
- The leaves are opposite, entire, trifoliate, bright green.
- The roots are cord-like and soft.
The plant blooms in late spring and early summer on last year's shoots. Repeatedly in September based on this year’s growth. The clematis variety Dutches Edinburgh loves sunny places and tolerates partial shade well. It grows at a moderate speed.Decorative properties are used for vertical gardening; the plant looks good when grown near gazebos, fences, and trellises. It is capable of climbing trees and clinging to bushes. The vine looks especially wonderful against a dark background.
An adult plant reaches a height of 3 m. Clematis Dutches of Edinburgh is winter-hardy and tolerates temperatures down to -34 ⁰C.
The culture loves fertile soil with a pH of 6 to 7 units. Loose sandy loam or loamy soil should not be waterlogged.
Clematis pruning group Duchess of Edinburgh
Pruning is one of the main activities in plant care. It must be carried out in accordance with the biological characteristics of the Dutches Edinburgh variety. The procedure allows you to achieve powerful flowering at an earlier date, high-quality development, and growth. Thanks to her, the vine grows safely in one place for many years.
Circumcision is not difficult. It is carried out using pruning shears at a certain height. The rules are dictated by the plant's belonging to the pruning group: for clematis Dutches of Edinburgh it is the second.
In order for the vine to bush and grow better, in the first year after planting it is worth cutting off all the growth above the third pair of buds.
In the future, the procedure can be carried out in three ways:
- weak pruning - before winter, weak and immature shoots are cut out, the rest - no more than a third;
- moderate – remove shoots at a level of 1 m from the ground before winter;
- strong - carried out in autumn or early spring at the height of the second pair of buds.
Planting and caring for clematis Dutches of Edinburgh
Before planting, clematis seedlings Daches Eidenburg are stored at temperatures from 0 oFrom to +2 oWITH.
As soon as the buds begin to grow, it is necessary to move the plants to a cool, lighted place to avoid stretching. They should be planted in a well-lit area protected from cold winds after the threat of frost has passed. Dripping from the roof onto the plant is undesirable. After choosing an area for planting, you must:
- Dig a hole with a length, width and depth of 60 cm.
- Place a 15 cm thick brick or expanded clay drainage at the bottom.
- Pour soil 5 cm thick.
- Fill the hole with a nutritious soil mixture of high-moor peat, soil and compost.
- Place the seedling in the hole.
- Spread the roots of the plant.
- Fill in and lightly compact the soil around the clematis roots.
- Water.
- Mulch the soil.
- Install a support for the vine.
Further care consists of timely watering, fertilizing, pruning, and preparing for winter.
The plant does not like excessive moisture. It only needs watering once a week, or three times in hot weather. Mulching helps preserve soil moisture and looseness. If it is not carried out, then the soil near the clematis is loosened after each watering.
Feeding is carried out several times per season. In May - with urea, in the summer - with complex flower fertilizer, potassium sulfate - immediately after flowering.
Preparing for winter
The Dutchess Edinburgh variety is not afraid of frost, but of high humidity and damping off of the roots in winter. Therefore, crop protection should not be so much insulating as dry. The rhizome should be protected from spring waters. Covering time is the beginning of soil freezing. Most often, this is the beginning of November. To protect clematis you need:
- Hill up the bushes to a height of 15 cm.
- Set up rodent baits.
- Place boards, spruce branches or polystyrene foam near the bush.
- Remove the shoots from the support, twist them and place them on the base.
- Place boxes and wooden panels on top.
- Cover with non-woven material, leaving holes for ventilation.
- In winter, cover the top with snow.
In spring, clematis Duchess of Edinburgh is gradually released from shelter. The procedure begins in April and ends in May. This is necessary for the plant to slowly adapt to the spring sun.
It is worth remembering that Duchess Edinburgh shows signs of life very late - in May. You need to wait for this moment and not previously disturb the root system of the plant in search of buds and shoots.
Reproduction
There are five ways to propagate clematis:
- dividing the rhizome;
- seeds;
- layering;
- cuttings;
- vaccination.
To propagate using the first method, you need to dig up the rhizome, cut it into pieces with a sharp knife or pruning shears and plant it.
The second way is as follows. Clematis seeds are treated with a growth stimulant and sown directly into the ground in prepared beds. After the seedlings appear, they are plucked at the stage of several leaves, weeded, and created shade and shelter for the winter. You can transplant the flower to a permanent place after a year.
To propagate clematis variety Duchess of Edinburgh, using layering, select a section of the stem with an internode, leave two leaves and deepen it into the soil. After this, it is necessary to shade the layering. After rooting, the stem is cut and the seedling is transplanted.
Rooting of cuttings continues for several months. They are cut during the budding period of clematis variety Duches Edinburgh. The cut is made at an angle of 45⁰. Their length should be 8 cm. The leaves are shortened, the cuttings are placed in a moist substrate of peat and sand, deepening to the node. The rooted planting material is replanted only the next year.
Vaccination is the most labor-intensive process, which does not often end in success. The roots of varietal clematis are used as a rootstock, and the young tips of shoots are used as a scion. Fusion occurs within a month.
Diseases and pests
To prevent diseases, you should periodically inspect the vines. Preventing the spread of infections is easier than curing a plant. Among the most common diseases of Dutches of Edinburgh identified:
- withering – damage to the root system as a result of stagnation of moisture;
- gray rot – brown spots on the leaves of clematis, covering the entire plant, often appear in rainy summers;
- powdery mildew – white coating on leaves and flowers, infection occurs through infected weeds;
- yellow mosaic - an incurable viral disease in which the leaves become yellow and brittle.
Pests of clematis variety Duches Edinburgh include:
- aphid;
- slugs;
- spider mite
To combat them, both folk remedies and chemicals are used - Actellik, Ferramol and others.
Conclusion
Clematis Dutches of Edinburgh is a real miracle and a find for those who love ornamental plants. The vine has a lot of advantages: abundant flowering twice a season, large double white flowers, winter hardiness. Caring for perennials is not complicated, it is not difficult even for beginners, and its life expectancy is long. Those who once planted this variety in their garden will no longer refuse such a snow-white miracle on their site.
