What a social climber

This vigorous plant can outgrow its allotted place if not kept in check, but the mass of springtime flowers are worth any amount of effort required to keep it in good health.

Although they are not usually recommended for a small garden, I have three specimens growing here: along trellis, on the house wall and into a holly tree.

The one on the tree is the largest as it has more space than the others and is fiendishly difficult to prune. Consequently it has been allowed to go its own way for the past few years, although I know the time is coming when I will have to don long sleeves and heavy gloves and get amongst the prickles to do some sorting out.

This plant has white flowers but unfortunately I don't know the names of any of these clematis as they were part of a mail order collection that arrived unlabelled. The flowers are fairly small but numerous and are a satisfying contrast with the dark leaves of the holly tree.

Along the trellis grows a pink form with flowers almost twice the size of those of the clematis on the tree. They are pale pink with long light yellow stamen and a delicate scent that wafts about the garden during the day and into the evening.

It hasn't grown as large as the white form but this probably has more to do with position than vigour of the plant. It grows through numerous other climbers and has been regularly pruned either by mistake or design since it is usually too difficult to isolate individual stems in such a tangle of growth. Consequently this clematis has remained compact which is ideal for the space.

My favourite of these three montanas is a dark flowered form that grows against the house wall in a sunny south and east facing position. It was moved a couple of years ago and flowered poorly last spring. However, several new stems grew in the summer and this year are carrying a mass of beautiful rich pink flowers and dark purplish green foliage that looks wonderful against the old bricks of the house.

Another springtime clematis is Clematis alpina a much less vigorous species than the montana. We have a pink variety growing in a pot by the back door but there are also attractive blue forms such as 'Francis Rivis' and 'Pamela Jackson'.

I think ours is 'Ruby' since it fits that variety's description of having white centred pink flowers. It has grown more than two metres high this year despite being in a relatively small container and has covered a decent area of wall with its ferny foliage with a few stems finding their way into the bamboo growing nearby. The leaves will stay on the plant until autumn and one or two flowers will appear spasmodically over the summer.

Pruning Clematis montana and clematis alpina

CLEMATIS pruning can be a confusing subject and varies according to species and flowering time. Montanas can be left with no pruning at all, the result of which is a thick woody trunk with all new growth at the top of the plant often too high to be appreciated.

A plant that has reached this stage would be scary to tackle although technically it should be possible for a brave gardener to cut it back hard. An option would be to bring down some of the top growth and tie it in place in front of the bare lower stems.

Pruning is much simpler with a new plant although instructions can vary from book to book and between gardeners. Brian Davis in his 'Gardener's Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Climbers and Wall Shrubs' recommends no pruning for the first five years then heavy reduction of all stems after flowering, with the treatment being repeated every four or five years.

This method of pruning should give better foliage and flowers although, there may be fewer blooms in the first spring after pruning.

Alpinas can be treated differently according to Davis with all the current season's growth being cut back to within 15-30cm/6-12ins of its origin immediately after the main flowering period. This will produce new flowering growth over the summer for next spring and should prevent the plant becoming woody.

Open gardens

Sunday, May 8

In aid of the National Gardens Scheme

Londesborough Cross, Shiptonthorpe, five miles from Pocklington. Former railway goods yard transformed over 20 years into a garden with water features, bog area, herbaceous and island beds, pergolas and arches planted with climbers and new woodland garden with a large collection of ferns. Open 1-4pm. Admission £2.50 adult, accompanied children free.

Orchard House, Appleton Roebuck, eight miles southwest off York off the A64. 1.5-acre garden many unusual features including an old oak revolving summerhouse, exposed tree roots leading to a sunken garden and grotto and brick and cobble paths winding through extensive plantings. Open 11-5pm. Admission £2.50 adult, accompanied children free.

RHS Garden Harlow Carr, one mile west of Harrogate off the B6162 Otley road. 58-acre garden with many features including streamside garden, grass border, scented, herb and foliage gardens, walks in mature woodland, flower and vegetable trials and Museum of Gardening. The seven 'Garden Through Time' featured in the BBC2 series of the same name can also be seen. Open 9.30-6pm. Admission £5.50 adult, £.50 child (6-16yrs).

Secret Garden, 10 Sherwood Grove, York, turn off the A59 York-Harrogate road into Beckfield Lane then take the first right and second left. Three-quarter-acre garden developed and extended over 25 years with large pond, stream, rockery, extensive mixed plantings, six greenhouses with vine, succulent, cactus and tender plant collections, hosta, euphorbia and grass collections and small nursery. Open 10-5pm. Admission £2 adult, accompanied children free.

The Spaniels, Field Lane, Hensall, five miles south of Selby. Garden with long mixed colour themed borders, island beds, wildlife pond and bog gardens. Many plants for sale. Open 12-4pm. Admission £2 adult, accompanied children free.

Stillingfleet Lodge, Stillingfleet, six miles south of York on the B1222. Plants-woman's garden divided into smaller colour themed areas with an emphasis on foliage. Also wild flower meadow, natural pond, double herbaceous borders 55m long and the national collection of Pulmonaria. Featured in many magazines. Adjacent nursery also open. Open 1.30-5pm. Admission £2.50 adult, child 50p (5-16yrs).

In aid of St John Ambulance

Harlsey Hall, Northallerton, 12 miles north of Thirsk on the A19, turn left quarter mile north of the Tontine Inn. Six acres of grounds with herbaceous plants, shrubs, climbers and trees including cedars, wellingtonias, acers, oaks and rhododendrons, wild flower walk and terraced lawns leading to a series of lakes. Open 2-5pm. Admission £3 adult, 50p child.

Gardening TV and radio

Tomorrow

9am, Radio York, Down To Earth. With William Jenkyns. (Repeated 8pm Wednesday).

9am, Radio Leeds, Tim Crowther and Joe Maiden.

2pm, R4, Gardeners' Question Time. From Bedfordshire with Matthew Biggs, Pippa Greenwood, Bunny Guinness and chairman Eric Robson. Plus Roy Lancaster in conversation with Geoffrey Smith (second part next week).

Monday and Tuesday

2.15 pm, C4, The Great Garden Challenge. Anne-Marie Powell and James Alexander Sinclair pass judgement on more teams as they compete for a place in the grand final.

Monday

7.30pm, BBC2, Small Town Gardens. A new garden is needed in a tiny, enclosed courtyard in Kennington south London.

Thursday

8.30pm, C4, The City Gardener. In the last of the series Matt James returns to see if the family garden he created in Glasgow a year ago has survived.

Friday

7.30pm, BBC2, A Year At Kew. Ray and Roger go plant hunting in Japan.

8pm, BBC2, Gardeners' World. Monty and Joe visit Malvern Spring Show while Carol and Sarah extend the spring garden at Berryfields.

Updated: 15:32 Friday, May 06, 2005