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Clematis: The GenusEditions
Review
The Clematis plant is essentially a woody vine and although a few are herbaceous perennials, the majority are climbers. These vary in vigour, some reaching a metre or so, while many more can develop stems and sprawl over 30 metres; the only member of the Ranunculus or Buttercup family to develop this habit. How refreshing to welcome a serious book, by a botanist of note, which is not geared only to the novice gardener hoping to be inspired by glossy photographs. In fact there is a great deal of information packed into this monograph, sufficient to satisfy enthusiasts at any level and more than enough pretty pictures (many of them taken in exotic locations by the author himself) to whet the most jaded of palettes. Author Christopher Grey-Wilson has not been afraid to resort to a standard academic system of encoding a great deal of botanical information, such as measurements of leaves, flower parts and other statistics, in as short a space as possible. So it is that he manages to consider 300 separate species in a single accessible volume. Aficionados will find much to relish in the colour variations and flower types of species familiar to British gardeners, but the real treasures are those, as yet unknown in this country, from the plants’ natural mountainous habitats in Asia and elsewhere. These extraordinary examples reveal amazing flower shapes and unusual colours, as yet unexploited, in a plant which responds well to hybridisation. The prospect is thrilling. At a mundane level, the author clearly knows his stuff and gives us sensible advice on pruning, in an area fraught with conflicting opinions. Without doubt he has produced the definitive work on this highly valued group. - review by Stewart Grimshaw |
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John Sandoe [Books] Ltd |
As a group of plants, Clematis has never been as popular as they are now and there can be few gardens today which do not boast examples of this diverse genus.
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