International Clematis Society

Transcription

1 International Clematis Society Newsletter September 2012

2 From your Secretary The Society had an incredible visit to China in June this year. Our thanks go to Ton Hannink and Harry Jans for organising the trip and our Chinese tour organiser and guide, Carolyn Gao. The experience of seeing cities, towns, markets, shops, temples, peoples and travelling from one place to another viewing on the way the agriculture, paddy fields and the building of new apartment blocks will not be forgotten for a long time. Every month Ken is publishing another episode of our visit together with a large number of photos on the Society Website so please have a look and share our experience! There will be more detailed reports in Clematis International 2013, written by volunteer members. The Society welcomes constructive criticism and comments, and volunteers! You can contact me, Fiona Woolfenden, on any matter at:- Fiona Woolfenden, Secretary International Clematis Society 3 Cuthberts Close Waltham Cross EN7 5RB GREAT BRITAIN In this Newsletter ' +44-(0) * secretary@clematisinternational.com : GERMANY 3 Introduction 3 Würzburg 3 Stuttgart 3 Ulm 4 Return to Würzburg 5 Clematis Buying Opportunities 5 Estimated Programme Costs 5 Timescales 5 FUTURE MEETINGS OF THE SOCIETY Philadelphia, USA Great Britain with Constitutional General Meeting 6 JOURNAL ARTICLES AND SPONSORS 6 CLEMATIS ON THE WEB 6 REGISTRATION OF CLEMATIS 7 VITICELLA GROUP TRIAL AT RHS WISLEY 7 SEED EXCHANGE - REQUEST FOR SEEDS 7 The Seed Exchange 7 Identifying Suitable Seeds 7 Packing the Seeds 8 Growing Clematis Seeds 8 For our US members 8 A CHRISTMAS IDEA 8 PLEASE DONATE CLEMATIS SEED NOW! See Page 7 Page 2 of 8 International Clematis Society September 2012 Newsletter

3 2013 Germany Roy Nunn is leading the planning of this event from the UK, with help from Klaus Körber, a previous President of this Society and Ken Woolfenden. We are issuing details prior to the Invitation to Register to inform members of the dates and draft programme. Please note, there will be a Constitutional General Meeting as part of this visit and meeting. Introduction The Society is pleased to announce provisional details of the visit and C.G.M. meeting in Germany in The Invitation to Register, together with a request for an initial payment, will be issued around the beginning of October, with Registration closing at the beginning of December We have to insist on a shorter than usual registration period in order to secure sufficient hotel rooms at 2012 prices. Payment of the balance due must be made by end February The meeting will start on Saturday 29th June 2013 and finish after breakfast on the following Sunday, 7th July The itinerary is based around three centres, Würzburg, Stuttgart and Ulm. We have tried to include a wide variety of visits, including the ever popular smaller private gardens together with nurseries, a botanic garden, a baroque garden and local tourist sights. Würzburg We start in the village of Erlabrunn, very close to Würzburg. Würzburg has very good train links with the major airports cities in Germany. We will stay here for three nights, using rooms in two hotels in the village. Erlabrunn is the home village of Klaus Körber, a previous President of the Society. He is responsible for the Orchard, Trees and Garden Department of the Bayerische Landesanstalt für Weinbau und Gartenbau (LWG), which is located on the other side of the river Main, opposite Erlabrunn. Klaus and his students have made a Clematis Display Garden, but one that is unlike any other that you may have visited, as members who have visited before will no doubt confirm. As well as visiting this, we will also use LWG facilities for our Constitutional General Meeting. Klaus is also responsible for the planting of 800 clematis in Erlabrunn, to celebrate the 800th anniversary of the village. We will spend a morning wandering around Erlabrunn, visiting many of the gardens to see the clematis. Finally we will spend an afternoon and evening in the city of Würzburg where we will look over the city from the ramparts of Fortress Marienburg, enjoy a guided tour of the baroque Residence Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and descend into the cellars of the Residence Palace for a wine tasting and dinner. Stuttgart We will move on to the Stuttgart area where we will stay for two nights. As we set off we will visit two private gardens just outside of Erlabrunn. One features a wide range of plants including clematis, roses and buxus, in a setting influenced by British garden culture. The other has been designed by its owner to display the garden structures, ornaments and other International Clematis Society September 2012 Newsletter Page 3 of 8

4 collectables, old and new, that she sells. These two gardens are in the same village and due to their size, we may need to split our group across the two gardens, swapping over half way through the morning. We continue towards Stuttgart, to the private garden of Klaus Kölle, auf dem Äckerle. It contains some wonderful clematis and roses, along with many other plants. Klaus Kölle owns a number of Garden Centres around Germany and if there is time we will visit the one in nearby Heilbronn. The following morning we visit the Palace of Ludwigsburg which is one of the largest original Baroque buildings in Europe. It was used by the Dukes and Kings of Württemberg and has magnificent rooms. It also houses a number of museums. However we will visit not for the buildings but for the gardens Blooming Baroque. In front of the Palace are the formal baroque gardens, laid out with flower beds, low hedging and a fountain. Behind are more extensive but at times less formal areas. We will spend the morning here, including lunchtime. There is a choice of places where you can have lunch, this is not included in the programme cost. In the afternoon we will visit the private garden of Herr Friedrich Schmid with some very nice clematis before enjoying dinner with a tasting of some wines from the Stuttgart region in the cellar of a local wine producer. The next day we have a short break from gardens, with a visit to Mack bio-agrar GmbH, a company established some 30 years ago and who specialize in biological, homeopathic and mycorrhizal fertilizers and treatments for plants. Increasingly gardeners are searching for organic products to use instead of chemicals and Mack bio-agrar has a large range. From Mack bio-agrar we will go to the Botanic Garden of Hohenheim University, an extensive park set alongside the historic Baden-Württemberg Arboretum. For those who wish there is a numbered route that you can follow around the gardens with information boards (in German) at intervals. Lunch today will be simple fare of sausages and mustard in rolls, prepared on our coach. Our visits for today will finish with a look around the garden of Walter and Gisela Stäbler, members of the Society. Over the years many of you will have seen how Walter and Gisela always seem to return from our meetings laden with clematis and you may have wondered what they do with them all. This is your opportunity to find out. The day finishes with a drive to Ulm where we will stay for the next two nights. Ulm From our base in Ulm we will visit the Gaissmayer Nursery, one of the best perennial nurseries in Germany. Herr Gaissmayer is an interesting person and his show garden reflects his wide and eclectic gardening ideas. We will also visit the private garden of Herr Helmut Schindelbeck, with clematis, perennials, hostas and rare shrubs and trees set next to an old mill. Finally we return to the city of Ulm for a guided tour, to include Ulm Cathedral. With the river Danube flowing through the centre of the city and many beautiful old building, as well as some striking modern ones, Ulm is a great city to explore. Page 4 of 8 International Clematis Society September 2012 Newsletter

5 Return to Würzburg Before we return to Erlabrunn for our final gala dinner, we will spend time at the Unterlietzheim Rose and Clematis Festival. Held every three years, this attracts people from all over Germany and beyond. The quaint village of Unterlietzheim is closed to traffic for the whole weekend to create an area for stalls and displays. The church and the town hall rooms are decorated with exquisite floral displays. We will have nearly five hours here to enjoy the sights and atmosphere. Various lunch options are available though this is not included in the programme cost. Clematis Buying Opportunities Many members see our visits as great opportunities to buy clematis, particularly those from countries where the available range is limited. We intend to provide specific opportunities, as well as whatever ad-hoc ones arise during the week, to pre-order clematis for collection towards the end of the week. You should also be able to buy clematis at Unterlietzheim. Estimated Programme Costs We are still gathering information on many the costs of the individual items that make up for this event. However in order to help you decide whether you wish to attend, we have made what we believe is a conservative estimate of what the cost of attendance will be. The cost per person for two people sharing one room is currently estimated at For a single room, the cost per person will increase by 100. This includes all coach transport from and returning to Erlabrunn, accommodation for eight nights with continental breakfasts, five simple lunches, eight dinners (drinks not included), admission charges, tips, and gifts. Timescales We aim to issue the Invitation to Register around the beginning of October, in both electronic and paper form. The preferred method of Registration will be by online Registration Form, though a paper form will be available to those who prefer. Registration will only be complete once payment of the deposit has been received and we will acknowledge receipt of all payments. All deposits are non-refundable. Registration will close on 1st December Whilst we appreciate that this is a little shorter than we would prefer, it is necessary to enable the Society to reserve the number of hotel rooms required and also it will help achieve best price. It is always difficult to estimate how many people will register for any of our events but we believe Germany 2013 could prove quite popular with members and therefore we have allowed for a maximum of 75 attendees. The Society reserves the right to close registration early, particularly if demand for places exceed this number. Your organisers of this event, Roy and Angela Nunn, Klaus Körber and I, Ken Woolfenden, believe we have made a programme to interest all members. Please take time now to consider whether or not you wish to attend so that you will be ready once registration opens. Look out for the Invitation to Register, available on our website from the beginning of October. International Clematis Society September 2012 Newsletter Page 5 of 8

6 Future Meetings of the Society An overview of the meetings in 2014 and 2015 is given below Philadelphia, USA Planning is underway for this meeting in Although the Society has visited Oregon twice we have not yet visited the east side of the USA. Jeff Jabco is leading a team putting together an agenda based in Philadelphia and there is the possibility of a pre-meeting visit to Lyndy Broder in Atlanta Great Britain with Constitutional General Meeting The Council hopes to organize a visit to Great Britain in The last two visits to Great Britain have been in the Cambridge area, so we intend to base this meeting in a different part of the country. Journal Articles and Sponsors This is the time of year when your editor, Ken Woolfenden, starts to fret about what he has for the next issue of Clematis International. So is there something you could write about? It could be a garden (your own or someone else s), growing techniques, some research you ve done, indeed anything clematis related. Articles don t have to be many pages, even a paragraphs or two is welcome. Nor do you have to be a professional writer to express your thoughts and ideas in an interesting and informative manner. And finally, if you feel your English may not be quite up to standard, do not fear, this can be corrected during editing. Ideally please submit articles electronically by , though other means are acceptable. If in doubt, please contact the Society. And don t forget some pictures, digital if possible. Deadline for Clematis International 2013 is 1 st January 2013, but why wait, why not get writing now. The Society would also love to hear from anyone who would like to support us by advertising in the Journal, please contact us directly for further information. Clematis on the Web Created and maintained by Richard Green and Ian Lang and operated on a platform provided by the University of Hull, Great Britain, Clematis on the Web is a very informative clematis database. If you haven t visited the site before I strongly recommend you do. You will find them at The database contains a wealth of information on nearly 3500 clematis cultivars, with almost half of them illustrated. Page 6 of 8 International Clematis Society September 2012 Newsletter

7 Registration of Clematis With evening nights drawing in, it is a good time to register any new clematis. The current International Clematis Registrar is Duncan Donald. Registration Forms can be downloaded from the RHS website, just visit The form also includes instructions as to where to send a completed form. Viticella Group Trial at RHS Wisley The RHS Clematis Viticella Group Trial at RHS Wisley in Surrey, England, is in its fourth and final (so I understand) year, but there is still time to visit and enjoy the later blooming cultivars. Ken and I were there a few weeks ago and there was a lot to see and admire. There were also a few cultivars that had not done so well, and that is also interesting to note. My article about the trial was published in Clematis International 2012, but I hope to write a Wisley Revisited piece for Clematis International Whilst we were visiting Wisley I also noticed what appears to be a second clematis trial being planted. I will report on this once I have further information. If you are anywhere near Wisley, near Woking in Surrey, Southern England then I would recommend that you visit as the opportunity to see so many clematis plants growing together so that you can compare them is unrivalled. And anyway, RHS Wisley is always worth a visit. Seed Exchange - Request for Seeds The Seed Exchange The seed exchange, run by Marita Opalka (see address on page 8), is a vital part of our Society and a key benefit to Members all over the world. In previous years the seed exchange has enabled Members to obtain Clematis seed which would normally be difficult if not impossible to find in their own countries. NOW is the time to start thinking about collecting seed and sending it to Marita. The best seed to donate is from species as these are most likely to germinate true to type. Please do NOT send seed from large flowered hybrids as no one orders it. Seed collected in the wild, especially from expeditions, is much appreciated by other members. Varieties common in one country are often difficult to find in another. Identifying Suitable Seeds The seeds that you donate to the Seed Exchange should be viable, generally the seed in the head will be visible, particularly with species. If it is not then the seed has probably not set and will not germinate. On a number of varieties you will find only one or two seeds are viable and the rest are not. The seeds should be well ripened and dry, this means that the seed head will be brown. International Clematis Society September 2012 Newsletter Page 7 of 8

8 With large flowered hybrids it is easy to identify seeds as the Clematis plants set with large heads. However, seed from hybrids is not the best seed to donate, as every seedling will be different and not the same as the parents. Packing the Seeds We would appreciate if you can put the dry seeds in a paper envelope and mark the outside with the name of the Clematis hybrid or species that you picked them from. If you collected them in the wild please add the name of the place that they were collected from. Send the seeds in a parcel marked Flower Seed: No Commercial Value to: Marita Opalka Wagnerstr. 7 OT Schwarze Pumpe D Spremberg GERMANY Tel. No: +49 (0) If you believe that you will be able to donate some seed but that it is not yet ripe, please write to Marita and let her know. The seeds are collected this year and early next year the Society will send you a list of the seeds available. The Society s Seed Exchange is non-profit making. We do not ask for a administration fee but ask that when you renew your membership in January that you consider making a small donation at that time to cover administration costs for seeds that you ordered last year. Growing Clematis Seeds Growing Clematis from seed is an interesting experience, seeds often do not come true to the parent varieties, especially seed from the large-flowered hybrids. Species are most likely to be successful and reasonably true to the parent plant, however experimentation can provide experts and beginners alike with hours of interest, fun and the possibility of a new variety! For our US members With the relaxation of seed import regulations in May 2006 via the Small Lots of Seeds rule, we would like to remind our US members that they can benefit from the Seed Exchange as they used to do. However our experience from last year is that the process can take a variable, and occasionally what seems an unusually long time, so patience is necessary. A Christmas Idea Christmas will soon be upon us all and if you re stuck for present for a gardening friend, why not give them a One Year Subscription to the Society? Better still, include a copy of Clematis International 2012 with their welcome pack. A One Year Membership costs 30. To include a copy of Clematis International 2012, the cost is 45. But I m sure your garden friend is worth it! Please contact the Secretary, giving full details of the person to whom you wish to make this gift, and whether you want the Welcome Membership Pack sent to yourself or direct to the person. At the same time please pay the appropriate amount, using one of the methods for normal membership renewal. Page 8 of 8 International Clematis Society September 2012 Newsletter