Opening act.

(From Leicester Mercury)

The highly valued group of hardy and reliable plants which flower in the garden in the first few months of the year must include early flowering Clematis species and hybrids. Surprisingly included among them are some which are native to warmer climes and yet flower here in our coldest months.

Clematis cirrhosa and its form C. cirrhosa balearica, from Southern Europe, flower at the turn of the year, sometimes as early as the first days of December. Its evergreen, deeply serrated foliage forms a perfect backdrop for the bunches of dainty cream and pink bells which clothe it through to April.

It is a fairly vigorous climber although easy to keep within bounds with an annual trim at the end of its flowering period. I take garden shears to mine in April despite a few remaining flowers and trim it both downwards to restrict its height, and inwards to restrict its girth, leaving a flattish framework of stems clothing the wall. It all looks rather drastic but within weeks, bright new shoots are crowding along the remaining stems. It does best grown in full sun, not for any consideration of hardiness, but to allow the following season's flower buds to ripen well in the summer sun.

There are a number of hybrid forms available if you want more colour, from the more heavily spotted 'Freckles' and 'Jingle Bells' to 'Lansdowne Gem' where the deep pink spots have completely fused to produce crimson flowers, though the latter do not show up so well against the dark foliage.

Probably the most important and extensive group of Clematis which flower next, are those which form the atrogene group. This name is a relatively recent phenomenon introduced by botanists to include such favourites as C. alpina and C. macropetala and their hybrids. Faced with an array of interspecific hybrids from other European countries and at home involving other closely-related species, it simplified the naming of them for both producers and growers.

One species now included is C. chiisanthus from South Korea, which closely resembles the better-known C. alpina, but its flowers are creamy yellow and it has slightly broader leaflets. It has a much longer period of flowering, from April through to August, the dainty pendant single flowers festooned over the entire plant.