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An ornamental plant, perennial with a long flowering period - Mrs. Cholmondeley's clematis. The main advantage of the variety is its abundant, continuous flowering from May to August. Thanks to the large lilac flowers, the culture looks great among the evergreen and deciduous inhabitants of the garden, against the background of yellow flowers.
Description of Mrs. Cholmondeley's clematis
The hybrid is unpretentious, blooms profusely, and looks very picturesque. The shrub belongs to the group of vines and climbs well over natural and artificial supports. This is a lush plant; with proper garter, it can grow up to 3-3.5 m in height.
In the description and in the photo you can see that Mrs. Cholmondeley's clematis flowers are large, can reach 25 cm in diameter. The color of the buds can be lilac, light blue, lavender, purple. The middle of the flower is filled with small, yellow and light brown, velvety, smooth stamens. On young shoots the flowers are simple, on shoots older than a year - semi-double.
The leaves of Mrs. Cholmondeley's bush are small, no more than 5 cm in length and 2 cm in width, oblong, pointed, smooth at the edges, light green in color.
Mrs Cholmondeley's Clematis Pruning Group
With the help of pruning, the flowering time of this variety is regulated. With weak pruning of the 2nd type, the crop produces buds from May to August. With heavy pruning of type 3, Mrs. Cholmondeley's clematis blooms from July to September. In both cases, flowering will be abundant and long-lasting. Mrs. Cholmondeley's bush is a fast-growing hybrid; after pruning, it recovers within a month.
Planting and caring for Mrs. Cholmondeley's clematis
The plant is planted in April or late September. Before planting, it is necessary to prepare a place where Mrs. Cholmondeley hybrid clematis will grow. This can be a sunny meadow or a place near any hedge - the shrub grows and develops well in the sun and in partial shade.
Before planting, the roots of the plant are soaked in water for half an hour. At this time, the soil is dug up and fertilizers are added to it. A nutritious soil mixture is prepared from soil, sand, humus and wood ash. All components are taken equally.
Dig a hole; its depth should accommodate the entire clematis root, a layer of fertilizer and the root collar. The prepared soil mixture is poured onto the bottom of the hole in a mound, and the root is placed on top of it, straightening out all its shoots. The root collar should be below the soil level. This will protect it from freezing. Sprinkle the root on top with fluffy soil and tamp it down.
After planting, the bush needs abundant watering and should also be protected from direct sunlight. The moist soil is mulched with sawdust or hay.
Caring for clematis is simple. The crop is watered, the soil is loosened, shoots are trimmed, and weeds are regularly removed.Water the plant moderately but regularly as the soil dries.
In the first year after planting, the crop does not need fertilizers. Next, adhere to the following schedule:
- The following year, during the growth period before the buds appear, nitrogen fertilizers are applied.
- During the period of inflorescence appearance, Mrs. Cholmondeley's hybrid is fed with any complex fertilizer.
- After the flowers fall and growth is completed, at the end of August, potassium and phosphorus fertilizers are applied.
The buds of clematis in the first year of life are removed. This stimulates abundant flowering later. To develop side shoots, pinch the top of the bush.
Pruning is carried out already in the first year of growth. In autumn, all shoots are shortened, leaving a central stem up to half a meter long.
An adult plant older than a year is pruned in the fall, with the arrival of cold weather. First, remove all dry, diseased, damaged parts. Afterwards, formative pruning is carried out. A universal pruning method for all clematis: cut off only the top of one shoot, leave the length of the next shoot no more than 15 cm. This procedure allows you to rejuvenate the shrub, stimulate uniform flowering and the growth of side shoots in the spring.
Preparing for winter
Before covering Mrs. Cholmondeley's hybrid for the winter, it is protected from fungal diseases. The soil under the bush and around it within a radius of 1.5-2 m is treated with liquid solutions of fungicides, and sprinkled with a small layer of wood ash on top. Then they begin covering work.
As soon as night frosts appear in the fall, Mrs. Cholmondeley's hybrid is covered for the winter. The main stem is covered with peat or garden soil at the base.The height of the protective hill should not fall below 15 cm from the ground. This will protect the stem and root of the plant from night, autumn frosts.
As soon as the air temperature drops below 0 ° C, the shoots should be protected from frost. First, the area around the bush is lined with spruce, hay or dry tree branches. The clematis is removed from the support and lowered to the ground so that it rests on the plant substrate. Long shoots are carefully twisted. Then the plant is wrapped with a covering material: roofing felt, reinforced or bubble polyethylene film, agrofibre. A layer of earth, branches, and dry leaves is thrown on top of the structure. The last layer is again roofing felt or roofing felt.
As soon as the first snow falls, it is thrown onto a covering hill. This is additional protection for Mrs. Cholmondeley's hybrid from frost and wind.
Reproduction
Clematis are easily and quickly propagated by dividing the bush in early spring or autumn. Choose a strong, well-developed bush over 5 years old. It is dug up by the roots, and several children with 2-3 buds are separated with a shovel. They are planted as independent plants.
Diseases and pests
The well-developed root system of Mrs. Cholmondeley's clematis, which is deep in the ground, is susceptible to fungal diseases, including wilt.
For prevention, the frequency of watering is regulated and water does not stagnate at the root. This disease is common to all hybrid clematis. Also, Mrs. Cholmondeley's bush can be affected by gray rot, powdery mildew, and rust.
Aphids, spider mites, and slugs attack the stems and leaves of Mrs. Cholmondeley's clematis. When insects first appear, the bush is sprayed with insecticide solutions.
Conclusion
Mrs. Cholmondeley's clematis is a beautiful ornamental plant that adapts to even the harshest climates. If you follow the planting and care techniques, there will be no problems with its cultivation. The long flowering of the crop from May to September is an excellent reason to root it in your garden plot.
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