An ACS Book Review
Clematis The Montanas
Author: John Howells, M.D.
Copyright 2005
Publisher: Garden Art Press
ISBN: 1870673514
Hardcover: 215 pages
Price: $24.95
Editor’s Note: Clematis montanas are for a select group of American gardens because they have the reputation of needing a frost-free location. Even though the warmer USDA Zones 10 and 11 are normally frost-free, montanas are out of the question because they require a winter chill to bloom. So, this book probably best serves gardeners living in USDA Zones 7-9 which translates into a location with winter temperatures that do not dip below 0° F but reach at least 25° F. I used these “safe” temperatures just as a guideline because I presently know of no other documentation that states that they can grow in the colder locales that I just mentioned. Hope does springs eternal that there are some microclimates in Zones 5 and 6 that can accommodate the Clematis montanas and I applaud any of you who might want to throw caution to the wind and give them a try. Here are some words from Dr. Howells’ book that might encourage you: “given the right climate the only complaint of a gardener is usually that they grow too well!”
If you liked Dr. Howells’ book, Trouble Free Clematis the Viticellas (see page 11 of the Nov/Dec 1999 The Clematis Chronicle) then you will also love this one. It is packed full of 230 stunning colored pictures not to mention 29 drawings and maps. It is written with his usual amiable grace and style which makes it an enjoyable read.
Dr. Howells features 36 cultivars in chapter 3 and gives the reader an astonishing amount of information about each one. It includes their name, origin, habits, flowers, foliage, special features but the pièce de résistance is the interesting anecdotal facts about each selection. Clematis montanas are big ‘babies’ and because of their size, they require special supports. Chapter 6, which is entitled “Displaying Your Montanas”, supplies you with some very nice examples of how to showcase them. This chapter is especially instructive because it also covers flowering times, flower durations, plant size, flower color, fragrance, as well as information on combining them with companion plants and, finally, using their foliage as a display option.
My favorite gardening books are the ones that have lots of good quality pictures and the authors are proficient at addressing several different skill levels effortlessly. My hat goes off to authors who do not talk down to beginning gardeners (because we all have to start somewhere) and are still capable of keeping their subject informative and interesting for the more experienced gardeners in their readership.
Dr. Howells fits my above description of a consummate author to a tee. In this book he has created the perfect balance for the apprentice clematis gardener among us with his impressive array of true to life pictures and an extensive amount of cultural information while at the same time providing the more seasoned pro with a very impressive retrospective of the historical evolution of C. montanas and how to propagate them. So, if you live in USDA Zones 7-9 and have room for big clematis or just have the need, as I do, to acquire every book about clematis ever written, this book is an absolute “must” for you!
This is an review excerpted from the Winter 2006 The Clematis Chronicle.