My Clematis cirrhosa, whose straggly stems climb through a crab apple tree in my garden, managed to produce just this single flower before the first spell of freezing weather arrived. There are more well developed flower buds on it but the icy weather has returned and it's doubtful if they'll open now. Bearing in mind that this species hails from the Balearic Islands it's a small miracle that it survives here at all. It came through last winter safely so I'm optimistic that it'll do so again.
In milder parts of southern England there have been several reports of bumblebees that emerge on mild days in mid-winter visiting these flowers, along with Mahonia blossoms, but that's unlikely during this winter's icy blast.
Mm, very nice flower.. colours are fantastics..
ReplyDeleteVery beautiful and unusual Clematis. Great picture...
ReplyDeleteI am really enjoying your digital botanic garden. It's especially wonderful this time of year. Carolyn
ReplyDeleteHi Dejemonos sorprender, it certainly brightens upo the winter months.
ReplyDeleteHi Americo M.S. Pereira, it's a very attractive plant and I wish I had grown it in a cold greenhouse in a pot - the plant outside in my garden is now frozen in the snow!
ReplyDeleteHi Carolyn, thank you for visiting and for the kind comment. Tomorrow is the winter solstice, soon the days will be lengthening and there'll be another gardening year to look forward to... can't wait!
ReplyDeleteI'm enjoying your digital garden so much; thank you for showing these fantastic botanicals!
ReplyDeleteThe clematis cirrhosa is especially interesting as i have the auto-immune liver disease primary biliary cirrhosis; wondering how or why it's named so will google it asap.
You know...come to think of it, it does look alot like a cross cut of a diseased liver; isn't that weird and wonderful!
Thanks for the kind comments Lorraina. Sorry to hear about your misfortune. I just checked out the Latin name cirrhosa in William T. Stearn's Botanical Latin and he says that in plants it means tendrilled - and this plant does climb with tendrils. Like you, I thought it had something to do with liver lesions. Best wishes for Christmas and for 2011. kind regards, Phil
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