Clematis × jackmanii

Clematis Jackmanii

Clematis × jackmanii is the first of the modern hybrid large-flowered clematises of gardens. It is a climber with large violet-purple blooms, still among the most familiar climbers seen in gardens. It was produced from crosses made by the prominent nurseryman George Jackman (1837—1887),^[1] of Jackman & Sons, Woking, Surrey, and released on the market in 1862. The plant is crosses made in 1858 between Clematis lanuginosa, the red form of C. viticella and an earlier garden hybrid, Clematis × hendersonii, which the new hybrid eclipsed.^[2] The spectacular success of jackmanii encorage Jackman & Sons to introduced a series of clematis hybrids, none of which ousted jackmanii from favour, and Jackman's monograph, The Clematis as a Garden Flower (with T. Moore, 1872),^[1] which he dedicated to H.S.H. Princess Mary, Duchess of Teck, for the clematis was one of her favourite flowers.^[2]

Few of Jackman's early hybrids survive today, in part because they were grafted, often on jackmanii,^[2] but the dependable, floriferous and hardy climber is "the" clematis of North American farmyard gardens in the East and the Midwest, where it is hardy to USDA Zone 4a;^[3] it is seen grown on trellis, fence, arbor, porch pillar, or lamppost, wherever the soil retains some moisture and the roots are shaded,^[4] even with a large flat rock.^[5] The plant flowers on the year's new growth, so pruning is best done in early spring, before the plant leafs out. Cut to the ground the plant can reach 3 m (10 ft) during the season; a column of bloom can be achieved by pruning out stems at varying heights, some as low as four buds, others above head height.

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b} Ray Desmond, ed (1994-02-25). Dictionary of British and Irish Botanists and Horticulturists (2nd ed.). CRC Press. ISBN 9780850668438. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} Alice M. Coats (1992) [Originally published 1963]. Garden Shrubs and Their Histories. ASIN B001IOYKNA. 
3. ^ Christman, Steve (2004-07-24). "Clematis X jackmanii". Floridata. http://www.floridata.com/ref/c/clem_xja.cfm. Retrieved 2011-02-28. 
4. ^ "Clematis 'Jackmanii'". PlantFinder. Missouri Botanical Garden. http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=A280. Retrieved 2011-02-28. 
5. ^ "How to Grow and Care for Clematis Jackmanii Vines in your Garden". The Garden Helper. http://www.thegardenhelper.com/clematisjackmanii.htm. Retrieved 2011-02-28.