Clemaytis, Clemartis or Clemmitis

Clematis are gentle climbers which are mostly deciduous. They are all gorgeous, but it’s the hybrid Clematis who are the real aristocrats of the garden. They have huge flowers; some as big as bread and butter plates, and they can be double or single. Anyone who sees a hybrid clematis for the first time stops dead in their tracks and stares at the spectacular blooms “Will these grow here?”
Clematis are frost hardy and grow brilliantly here. You can grow them as a climber and encourage them to scramble over an arch or frame but, my favourite way to grow them is through other plants. Because they are gentle they will not compete. Instead they happily share the space and are perfect companions for roses, climbing plants and nearly everything else which has a decent structure. Clematis have deep root systems which head down to where their roots can stay cool (a must for clematis) and find regular moisture. They are a bit like roses in that they repeat flower and, like roses, they respond well to pruning and feeding. Simply prune hard after flowering when your Clematis can start to look shabby, and feed with a generous amount of complete fertilizer. Water and stand back; your Clematis will grow and flower again, giving you another fantastic display. The flowers will be smaller in summer but still beautiful and still plenty of them. Prune and feed after the summer flush, and enjoy large blooms again in autumn. Give the plant a rest after the autumn show and prune again in winter, top up the mulch and fertilize.
Pruning and feeding are the big secret to success. Pruning encourages more stems, and more stems means more flowers. All this growing and flowering takes tremendous energy, so be generous with the fertilizer and water, because Clematis are hungry creatures.
For such an exotic and fragile looking plant they are incredibly tough which is the perfect reason for growing them. They make you look like a brilliant gardener because something so beautiful must be a challenge, and here they are flourishing in your garden.
And how do you pronounce Clematis? Who cares, flowers are for enjoyment, not arguments.