Forum home› Plants

Wild Clematis

WaysideWayside Posts: 845
in Plants
Is this a good or bad thing to have rambling up and over everything?

https://easywildflowers.wordpress.com/about/cream-wildflowers-of-the-uk/clematis-vitalba-the-wild-clematis/

I pull it out of trees and what not, seems to happily seed all over the place on chalk in the south east of the UK.

I read that in NZ they class it as an invasive.  Assume that means it is not liked.

Pull or not?

Posts

  • WaysideWayside Posts: 845
    Oh and another thing, article link states it can only grow about a metre in height unassisted.  So how comes it appears to just go upward about 30 ft with no support at all?  Is this magic?
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 29,848
    edited May 2018
    If you're in the UK and like it then leave it to do its thing but, being the wild form, it will be far less decorative than other clems bred to flower longer or more prettily and be less rampant.  Some even have the almondy perfume and all except the doubles are great for insects.

    In NZ it is an introduced plant and will out compete local wild plants and become invasive - like Japanese knotweed, Himalayan Balsam, some rhodos and marginal and aquatic plants that have been introduced here.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
  • WaysideWayside Posts: 845
    edited May 2018
    @Obelixx have you smoked it?
  • WaysideWayside Posts: 845
    edited May 2018
    I do like it, I just wondered if it was an evil.  It seems to ramble without too much harm.  I've recently been pulling it down along with brambles.  Will probably leave in the future, but it can, kind of take over.
  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,740
    Although I've not seen it anywhere near here ( ie within miles ) this year I've got masses of them self seeded. 
    Devon.
Sign In or Register to comment.