Content
Among many flower growers, especially beginners, there is still an opinion that such luxurious flowers as clematis can only grow in warm and mild climates. But over the past decades, this idea has been completely refuted by many brave gardeners and summer residents, and in many areas of Western and Eastern Siberia you can now find wildly blooming walls and arches of these attractive flowers. Clematis in Siberia, a review of the most resistant varieties, planting and care features for these difficult plants - all these are the topics of this article.
Variety of classifications
To date, about 300 natural species of clematis and several thousand varieties obtained in various ways over the last century are known.Such diversity could not but contribute to the emergence of various types of classifications, some of which are of interest primarily to botanists, while others are actively used by amateur gardeners.
The most modern international classification of clematis, adopted in 2001-2002, is based on the division of plants by flower size. Thus, clematis can be divided into small-flowered and large-flowered. The large-flowered group includes plants with flower sizes from 8-10 to 22-29 cm. Small-flowered plants have flower sizes from 1.5 to 12-18 cm.
Moreover, both of them can easily live and develop in the harsh conditions of Siberia.
What determines whether one or another variety of clematis can be grown in Siberia or not? For gardeners, classification according to the method of pruning clematis, which, in turn, is determined by the methods and time of flowering of a particular variety, has turned out to be more popular.
Trimming Groups
Those clematis that are able to bloom profusely on the shoots of the current year, that is, emerging from the ground in early spring, are usually classified as to the third trimming group. Since they need time to develop from scratch to a flowering state, the flowering of these varieties usually occurs relatively late - in July, August, September, and its duration and intensity already depend on the specific clematis variety. Double flowers are found in this group, but quite rarely.
But their shoots are almost completely cut off before winter, and only a small root zone is covered.Thus, the plants can easily tolerate frosts down to -40°-45°C and are the most adapted varieties for growing in the harsh conditions of Siberia.
To the second trimming group These include varieties of clematis that bloom quite early (in May-June), often on the shoots of the previous year, but can also bloom on annual growth, only at a later date. Naturally, such plants cannot be severely pruned in the fall - usually they are shortened by only a third or a quarter of the length of the shoots, rolled into rings and special breathable shelters are built for them for the winter. In Siberian conditions, this method of shelter may not be sufficient, so such varieties cannot be recommended for cultivation in areas with severe frosts. But often clematis with the most beautiful (including double-shaped) flowers belong to this group. A way out of the situation was partly found in the fact that some varieties from this group are pruned in the same way as clematis of group 3, and they still manage to please with their luxurious flowers only a few weeks later than usual. These clematis are often classified by practicing gardeners as transitional group 2-3, although officially they belong to the second pruning group.
To the first trimming group These include clematis, which bloom only on last year’s shoots, and very rarely on new branches. These include mainly wild clematis species and some cultural groups. These clematis are practically not pruned before winter, and accordingly they are not covered.Most of these species and varieties of clematis are not suitable for growing in Siberia, but there are still several natural varieties that, according to experience, grow well and bloom even without shelter in the southern regions of Siberia - in the Irkutsk region, Altai, and the south of the Krasnoyarsk Territory.
Among the variety of classifications of clematis, the gardener may find it interesting to divide these plants into:
- shrubby with short vines, up to 1.5-2 m
- climbing with a shoot length of 3 to 5 m.
Varieties of the first variety are suitable for decorating small terraces and even for growing on balconies and in containers. Other varieties can be used to cover a gazebo, a house wall, and an arch up to two to three meters high.
Of course, it is interesting to grow clematis of different colors and flower shapes on your site. All this information will be indicated in the description of the varieties, which you can find below. The best, most reliable and sustainable varieties of clematis for Siberia are presented in the next chapter.
Descriptions of the most resistant varieties
Despite the abundance of foreign-bred clematis varieties on the market, old varieties bred in the countries of the former USSR are still very popular among gardeners. Therefore, it is wiser to start a review of the best clematis for Siberia with them. To avoid repetition, descriptions of varieties belonging exclusively to the third pruning group will be presented first, and the remaining varieties will be described separately.
Domestic varieties
The most popular among flower growers are clematis with strong and powerful growth, with shoots reaching a length of 4-5 meters.
Space melody
The variety was bred in Crimea back in 1965.It belongs to the Jacquemin group and blooms very profusely (up to 30 flowers on each shoot) almost all summer on the shoots of the current year. Powerful shoots with a total number of 15 to 30 pieces in a bush reach a length of 4 meters. The diameter of the flowers is about 12 cm. The color is dark cherry, velvety, but the color of the flowers fades towards the end of flowering.
Luther Burbank
One of the most famous and popular varieties, known since 1962, is named after the first clematis breeder in America. A liana with strong growth reaches a height of 4-5 meters, and its wide-open flowers are up to 20 cm in diameter. The shoot can have up to 12 purple-violet flowers with white felt pubescence. In the heat of summer, the color of the flowers may fade, but as the temperature drops they become brighter again.
Blue flame
The variety is zoned throughout Russia and has been known since 1961. About 10 shoots in a bush can each reach 4 m in length. Flowers with wide petals of a purplish-blue hue, velvety, appear from July to November, up to 15 pieces per shoot.
Lilac star
One of the earliest varieties of the 3rd pruning group can bloom as early as June. The flowers have a light lilac-pink color and do not fade as they bloom.
Gray bird
A shrub-type variety, weakly clinging, shoots up to 2.5 meters long. But up to 70 shoots can form in one bush. It blooms very profusely (up to 30 flowers with a diameter of 10-13 cm can form on one shoot) and for a long time. The flowers droop slightly, the petals are dense, fleshy, and deep blue in color. Easily propagated by cuttings. The variety is zoned in all regions of Russia.
Nikolay Rubtsov
The variety, known since 1967, is named after the Soviet botanist N.I. Rubtsova. Forms a moderate number of shoots (up to 25 pieces per bush).On each shoot there are up to 10 reddish-lilac flowers of medium size (14 cm in diameter). The center of the flowers is lighter; in the sun the color fades.
Blooms moderately throughout the summer.
Anastasia Anisimova
The variety, known since 1961, named after an employee of the Nikitsky Botanical Garden, belongs to the Integrifolia group. The shrub is weakly clinging, with shoots up to 2.5 m in length, of which up to 20 are formed in one bush. The flowers are medium in size (12-14 cm) and have a smoky blue color. The flowering itself is not too abundant, but long-lasting - it can last from June until frost.
Texa
A liana with low growth vigor, reaches only 1.5-2 m in length. It is famous for the unusual color of its flowers, where dark dots are scattered on a light lilac-blue background. Flowering lasts from mid-summer until the first frost.
Varieties of foreign origin
Large-flowered, but at the same time resistant clematis of foreign selection are distinguished by a special richness of colors.
Blue Angel
A variety with medium vigor, with shoots up to 3 meters long, native to Poland. Flowers of light blue color with a wave along the edges of the petals are formed from July to late summer. Can be grown in containers and on balconies.
Hagley Hybrid
A popular variety of clematis with beautiful pinkish-lilac flowers with a pearlescent tint. It blooms throughout the summer, and can sometimes be affected by fungal diseases. Forms many shoots up to 2.5 m long.
Koduehe
The name is translated from Estonian as home decoration. The petals are purple-violet in color and have a red stripe in the middle. Clematis blooms profusely from July to October.
Lituanica
A 1987 variety from Lithuania named after an airplane. The shoots are small, reaching a length of only 1.2-1.5 m.Flowers of original two-color color are 13-15 cm in diameter. Blooms in the second half of summer.
Niobe
The 1975 variety comes from Poland. The flowers are quite large (up to 17 cm in diameter) formed from July to September on fairly long clinging shoots (up to 2.5 m long). One of the darkest colored varieties, the flowers are dark purple with a red stripe.
Gypsy Queen
It is considered one of the best among the abundantly flowering varieties. Purple flowers hardly fade if clematis is planted in partial shade. Up to 15 shoots up to 3.5 m long are formed in the bush.
Rouge Cardinal
One of the most popular and most sustainable varieties of clematis. The flowers have a velvety red-purple hue.
Ville do Lyon
One of the most beautiful varieties of foreign clematis, enjoying incredible popularity. It is also one of the oldest varieties - known since 1899. The bush forms up to 15 shoots up to 3.5 meters long. Large flowers (up to 15 cm) of a lilac-reddish hue have darker edges, but fade over time. It blooms very profusely throughout the summer, but in unfavorable conditions of high humidity it can be affected by verticillium wilt. Although on average the variety is very stable and winters well in Siberian conditions.
Victoria
An excellent popular clematis variety known since 1870. It is characterized by great growth vigor, shoots grow up to 4 meters and up to 20 of them are formed in each bush. Flowers with wide purple-lilac petals are directed to the sides and down. They have a tendency to burn out. Blooms profusely in late summer - early autumn.
Purpurea Plena Elegance
According to the modern classification, this clematis belongs to small-flowered varieties (reaching 5-9 cm in diameter), but this in no way detracts from its advantages.Not only does it have no equal in the abundance of flowering (up to 100 flowers can form on one shoot per season), it belongs to the 3rd pruning group. And the flowers are double, red-purple in color, blooming gradually, and will fascinate any gardener. Blooms throughout the summer and into September. Up to 10 shoots 3-4 meters long are formed in the bush.
It should be noted that among small-flowered clematis there are also many worthy varieties that can be grown in Siberian conditions. Although they form very small flowers (3-8 cm in diameter), they can conquer anyone with their abundance and duration of flowering.
You can note such varieties as:
- Alyonushka (lilac-pink)
- Riddle (blue-violet with white center)
- Blue rain (blue)
- Satellite (blue-gray)
- Huldin (white)
- Carmencita (red-purple)
- Tuchka (dark purple)
All these varieties can be completely pruned before winter and they will bloom on the current year's shoots.
Transitional varieties 2-3 pruning groups
Among these clematis there are both varieties of domestic and foreign origin.
Ernst Makham
A very popular and stable variety with raspberry-red flowers 12-14 cm in diameter. Blooms from July until frost.
Flower Ball
The large flowers of this variety (up to 20 cm in diameter) cover the shoots so abundantly during flowering that it helped determine the name of the variety. Moreover, flowering begins in May-June on last year’s shoots and ends by autumn on this year’s shoots. The flowers are bluish-lilac with a purple stripe. The variety is of domestic origin, known since 1972.
John Paul II
A variety of clematis originally from Poland, 1980, named after the Pope, who died in modern times.The color of the flowers is creamy white with a bright pink stripe in the middle. As the flower lives, the stripe becomes lighter and merges with the background of the petals.
Blue Light
The clematis variety of Dutch origin has densely double flowers, both on the shoots of the past and current seasons. Many other double clematis varieties produce double flowers only on last year's shoots. The petals have a light lavender-blue hue. Flowers of this variety prefer an exclusively sunny location.
Multiblue
Another terry variety from Holland. Double flowers are on average violet-blue in color and can change their color scheme depending on growing conditions.
Natural varieties
Finally, there are several natural varieties of clematis that can be grown in Siberia.
Tangut
It is one of the most decorative types of clematis found in the wild. The species has been known in culture since 1890. It can grow as a shrub up to half a meter high, or as a vine up to 3-4 meters long. It blooms on the shoots of the current year, and up to 120 flowers can form on one shoot. The yellow flowers are directed downwards in the form of lanterns, small in size (up to 4 cm). Flowering continues from June until the first frost, sometimes in waves. Ripening silvery fruits add additional decorativeness to the plants. Propagates well by both seeds and cuttings.
Straight (C. recta)
This clematis looks like an upright shrub, the individual shoots of which reach a length of 1-1.5 meters. Small white flowers look up and bloom in large numbers in June - July. Dying shoots are cut off at soil level before the ground sets in.
Planting and care
Basically myself planting and caring for clematis in Siberia is not much different from similar actions in other regions. As you understand, the determining factor is pruning and covering the root zone of clematis for the winter. But you need to understand that what clematis are most afraid of is not even frost, but getting wet during the spring rains. Therefore, you should take into account the most basic principles of planting and care so that these plants will delight you for many years. After all, every year, with proper care, the planted clematis bush grows and becomes not only more beautiful, but also more stable.
- Choose a sunny or semi-shaded place for planting (depending on the requirements of a particular variety), but with mandatory protection from winds and a low groundwater level. When planting clematis near the walls of buildings, it is necessary to retreat 50 cm and prevent water from the roof from entering the bushes.
- On heavy, clayey, acidic or poorly drained soils, it is necessary to dig a hole at least 60 cm in depth and in diameter. Then fill it with a mixture of 50% compost, humus, 35% garden soil, 15% sand and a little lime and wood ash to prevent stagnation of water and facilitate the flow of air and nutrients to the roots. It is good to add about 200 grams of ready-made complex fertilizer, such as Kemira, to the soil mixture.
- It is best to make sure that the clematis planting site rises above the surrounding space by at least 5-10-15 cm. In this case, all heavy precipitation will be washed away and will not stagnate in the root zone.
- Even before planting clematis, build reliable supports for them, but so that their thickness is no more than 2 cm, otherwise it will be difficult for the plants to cling to them.
- It is better to plant clematis in a permanent place both in Siberia and in other regions in the spring, when a stable average daily above-zero temperature has established.
- When planting, you can deepen the seedling no more than 7-12 cm than it grew before. It is better to mulch the soil generously with some organic material (sawdust, straw, compost) after planting.
- Clematis need regular and abundant watering - at least once a week and intensive feeding. The latter is carried out using organic or mineral fertilizers at least 3-4 times per season.
Before the onset of stable frosts, all shoots (or most of them, if you want to experiment) are cut at a level of 15-20 cm above ground level (3-4 lower buds should remain) and covered with humus to the same height. Then they are covered with spruce branches or oak leaves, and on top they are also covered with lutrasil, which is attached to the ground.
The video below well illustrates the main points of planting and caring for clematis in Siberia, and also demonstrates some of the most popular varieties:
Reproduction
Many clematis reproduce successfully by dividing the bush, cuttings and layering. The last method is the easiest and allows you to get the largest number of seedlings with a minimum of effort. To do this, you just need to dig the growing shoot in several places to the ground in the spring, and over the summer it, receiving nutrients from the mother bush, will take root safely.
Natural types of clematis are quite easily propagated by seeds. Planting clematis from seeds requires preliminary stratification of the seeds at a temperature of +15°+16°C for 3 months. Germination can last from two weeks to two months.Seedlings are planted in a permanent location only when they are at least two years old.
Growing magnificent clematis in Siberia is not at all difficult if you choose the right varieties and provide them with proper planting and decent care.
