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  • Amateur Gardening

    Ask John Negus

    May 25, 2021 8 minutes

    John will reply personally to all your gardening questions every week

    What clematis would suit my west wall?

    Q Could you please advise what, if any, clematis would grow on a west-facing wall that gets full sun from around midday until sunset? The soil is at present quite dry and sandy. I know that you have to keep clematis roots in the shade. If not clematis, what else could I train up a trellis in the above conditions?

    Mrs E Hammond (via email)

    A I suggest that you plant evergreen Clematis armandii to cover your west-facing wall. Prized for its leathery-textured, broad pointed leaves and almond-scented snow-white blooms in March, it is amazingly vigorous and will serve you well.

    AI suggest that you plant evergreen Clematis armandii to cover your west-facing wall. Prized for its leathery-textured, broad pointed leaves and almond-scented snow-white blooms in March, it is amazingly vigorous and will serve you well. white, and ‘Snowdrift’ whose clusters of starry-white flowers are sweetly perfumed. All grow to around 15-20ft/4.5-6m and are best fan-trained against trellis or clematis netting.

    No pruning is necessary, apart from a light trim after flowering and shortening unruly stems to keep plants neat. Feed afterwards with a granular fertiliser or proprietary clematis food.

    How can I help my resurrected coronilla?

    I have a subsp. ‘Citrina’. It overwintered poorly, so I cut it back this spring. When I cut through the stems it just appeared to be dead wood with no sign of green. However, it has now sprouted lush green foliage from its root system. What should I do now?

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