Purple leaved grape vine and Jackman’s clematis
‘There is a harmony in autumn’. So wrote Percy Shelley, and how right he was, I have long noticed that autumn seldom needs help from me. It’s true that I planted these two climbers originally but they were both intended to grow in the opposite direction: one through a rose and the other through a shrub that has since died but they made their own pairing this year and it beats anything I could have dreamt up!
The beautiful vine takes on all hues from burgundy to plum-purple and even crimson as the temperature drops; and depending on the time of year and time of day, also its position in the
Clematis ‘Jackmanii’needs no introduction from me, it flowers intermittently into September – these precious late blooms being all the more valuable for their scarcity. No special pruning is required for either: the clematis is in Group 3 so just take it down to the lowest set of buds in February, and the vine can be pruned back to its framework at the same time. A sunny position is preferable for both but mine aren’t complaining too much on an east facing wall!
It was only when I typed the two names as my title, did I realise that they both have the seal of approval from the RHS: not for nothing have the pair been awarded the AGM!
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