Clematis Arabella - its features and reviews

For beginner growers who want something interesting, decorative, growing on the sides, and undemanding, Clematis Arabella is offered. Do not be afraid of the whimsicality of these flowers, it only seems to you. From this article you will learn about the characteristic features of the variety, how to properly plant and care for plants. Naturally, the choice is yours.

Clematis Arabella: variety description and features

Clematis Arabella: photo of the variety

Clematis Arabella was bred by British breeder B. Fratwell in the early 90s. 20th century. The species was named after the daughter of the Lords Hershel, the wife of Lieutenant General J. Kizheli.

There is another type of Arabella clematis. But it was bred in the 19th century, its inflorescences were painted in white, now the variety is considered lost for breeding.
The variety we are considering differs from other varieties of clematis in that it does not have the ability to climb, and this is unusual. It belongs to the type of clematis "Integrifolia", translated from the Latin "Whole-leaved". Indeed, the leaves of the flower are not dissected, in comparison with other clematis, and are slightly pubescent, so you might think that the ancestors of this variety were from the Lanuginoza group, which means “Woolly Clematis” in Latin.

The bush is in the form of a fairly regular raised hemisphere, the shoots are raised, overgrown, densely cover the bush. Moreover, the shoots do not cling to anything, for this reason, when cultivated on props, they need a constant garter to the support, comparable to climbing roses. Because of this characteristic, the cultivar often grows as a groundcover.
Shoots grow in length by 1.5-2 m. But if clematis grows like a ground cover plant, it can reach a length of 3 meters.

The flowering of botanical clematis Arabella occurs on the shoots of this season, for this reason, clematis belongs to the 3rd group of circumcision. The flowers are unique: when they begin to bloom, they acquire a deep, bright blue-purple coloration. With further flowering, the coloration becomes paler, and the flowers acquire a bluish tint. The petals are oblong, not pressed to each other, located separately, the flower can have 4-8 petals. Anthers with stamens are cream-colored, when they open, they can turn yellow.

Small flowers - 7.5-9 cm, when open, directed upward and to the sides.

Clematis varieties Arabella begin to bloom early enough, everything here depends on the cultivation area, in principle, flowering is observed already in the first summer month. Plants bloom for quite a long time, including September-October, here as the weather permits. After heavy rains, the bush may disintegrate, the flower may not be so beautiful for some period of time, but over time, new shoots with buds will appear from the buds, and then the plant will continue to bloom again.

Clematis Arabella: planting varieties

Clematis Arabella: photo of the variety

Clematis variety Arabella refers to clematis for beginners, because she will forgive the gardener a large number of mistakes, to which the more luxurious and whimsical varieties are negative. But still, if you plant flowers correctly, then they will grow for a long time and bloom profusely.

• How to choose a site and time for planting.
  All clematis like to grow in a well-lit area, and our variety is no exception, although it can grow in partial shade. Since the flower grows in a special way, it can be planted in a pots, in a basket, or cultivated as an ampelous plant.
  When planting in pots, or just in the ground, arrange a drainage layer for the root system to avoid stagnation of water in the roots when watering. It will not tolerate any clematis, due to stagnation of water, various diseases can appear.
  If the seedling has a closed root system, then it is allowed to cultivate it almost constantly in the warm season. The petioles that have taken root must first be grown in an individual container; in the future, you can cut the walls from it to prevent damage to the roots.
  If the seedling has an open root system, then it is recommended to plant it either late in the spring or early in the fall.
  In the first 30 days after planting, the plant must be shaded and always kept moist until it is completely rooted.
• How to choose seedlings.
  A large number of types of planting material are available for sale. Choose petioles that are rooted, small, and have dormant buds. They are easier to preserve until planting in the lower chamber of the refrigerator; at the beginning of awakening, you need to temporarily plant the seedlings in a container so that they grow up.
  Do not buy plants with thin shoots that have a whitish tint, such seedlings after planting will adapt for a long time and may get sick.
  Plants with a closed root system and green shoots are allowed to be purchased, if possible, to plant them in the soil for 7-14 days, otherwise, it will be necessary to find a room for prolonged overexposure.
  If you chose a seedling with an open root system, then it should contain 2-3 closed, but live buds and about 5 root shoots, up to 50 cm long.
• What should be the soil.
  The botanical clematis variety Arabella can grow on almost any soil, only it needs to be drained and fertilized with nutrients.
• How to plant plants correctly.
  If the planting is carried out directly into the soil, then a 20 cm drainage layer is laid out on the bottom of the planting pit, containing expanded clay or crushed stone. If you plant this variety in pots or baskets, a drainage system is also needed, but the layer can be about 10 cm.
  Keep in mind that the growth of clematis will continue for 3-4 years even in the largest pots, after this period the flower will need to be transplanted or divided.
  In order to plant clematis in a hanging basket, a mixture of soil from the garden with humus is prepared, a few handfuls of superphosphate are added there. When planting in open soil, it is also necessary to add humus and wood ash with superphosphate, because this procedure will provide the seedling with nutrients for a year.
  When planting, the root collar deepens by 5-10 cm, but in the north, where the humidity is increased, it is recommended to mulch the upper soil layer with organic substances.
  If you want to support the flowers, then install the support before planting the plant. Remember that thin shoots will not cling to the support, for this reason, you will need to constantly tie up clematis.

Agrotechnical techniques

Clematis Arabella: photo of the variety

It is not so difficult to care for the Arabella variety of clematis.

• Watering.
  You can water once / 7 days. If the weather is hot and dry, then watering can be done more often.
• Top dressing.
  It will be necessary to regularly feed clematis from 2 years of growth. Ready-made complexes of organic matter and minerals are used 1 time / 14 days.
• How to mulch the soil.
  The root system does not like hot and dry times, for this reason, in order to maintain moisture and a suitable temperature regime, it is recommended immediately after planting to carry out abundant mulching of the root zone with straw, compost fertilizer or humus. In the future, monitor and renew the mulch layer 1 time / 30-60 days.
• Clematis trimming group Arabella
  Clematis Arabella variety belongs to the 3rd pruning group, for this reason pruning is carried out in the autumn season and strongly. Only small 15-20 cm stumps with 2-3 buds are left.
• How to cover plants for the winter season.
  Botanical clematis Arabella has good tolerance to frost periods, therefore, you can simply cover the branches with organic substances and fix the material for shelter at the top.
• Diseases and harmful insects.
  The variety, as a rule, is resistant to any bad weather, adversity, if all the rules of agricultural technology are followed, then diseases and harmful insects will bypass clematis. As a preventive measure, plants can be treated with Fitosporin (solution), and Fitoverm bioinsecticide can be used to combat harmful insects.

Clematis Arabella: variety breeding

Reproduction of the Clematis Arabella variety occurs only vegetatively, because if you carry out reproduction by seed, you may get a result that differs from the source.

• Reproduction cuttings - the easiest and most affordable way, but the rooting of clematis petioles is slow and bad.
• The best breeding option is layering... Since the stems often creep along the surface of the soil, it is very easy to bend them to the soil and secure with pins. The cuttings are separated from the mother in the autumn season, before the circumcision procedure.
• Share the bush it is also considered an available method, but in this case, a large amount of material for planting will not come out immediately.
• Specialists at times inoculate clematis, but this method may not be suitable for new flower growers.

Clematis Arabella in garden design

Clematis Arabella: photo of the variety

Clematis Arabella will look great as a groundcover in a mixborder, a blooming picture will form in it, and at the base of the walls, they will be decorated with curling plants with large flowers.

Also, Clematis Arabella is used in rock gardens and on supporting stone walls. When clematis is planted near small conifers or perennials, flower shoots will sprout through them and become a decoration.
You can grow the botanical clematis Arabella on a support, you only need to perform a garter.

At the moment, it has become popular to use the variety to decorate balconies and terraces in pots and hanging baskets.

Clematis Arabella: reviews

Veronika, 40 years old, Belgorod region: “I liked the Arabella clematis variety for its universal purpose and undemandingness. Initially, the flowers grew on a retaining wall that encloses a rocky hill. Later, I divided the bush, planted some of the plants in containers, they became a decoration of the terrace. It turned out very decorative. Clematis Arabella tolerates winter on the terrace, it is glazed, I cover with 2-3 layers of lutrasil. "

Svetlana, 33 years old, Moscow region: “She used to grow the botanical clematis variety Arabella traditionally, on a trellis, but she constantly tied it up and was tired. She transplanted the plant to a garden plot, now clematis grows well in a mixborder with perennial and annual plants, as a ground cover plant. I do the pruning in the autumn season, I do the same shelter as for roses. "

Outcomes

For those who have long wanted to grow clematis, but could not decide and did not know what to do in the beginning, there is a variety of clematis Arabella. The variety is undemanding, but it will bloom all summer and autumn. Plus, Clematis Arabella grows well in containers on the balcony or terrace. "

Botanical clematis Arabella: video about the variety