Clematis Alionushka

Clematis ‘Alionushka’

Categories: Integrifolia group, pink clematis, 3 pruning group, winter-hardy, shrubby

The clematis variety ‘Alyonushka’ was created in the Nikitsky Botanical Garden by A. N. Volosenko-Valenis and M. A. Beskaravayna in 1963. It was obtained as a result of crossing clematis integrifolia (Clematis integrifolia) and the variety of clematis “Nezhdanny”. It is a very winter-hardy, healthy variety, which can be recommended to novice flower growers.

Table of Contents

Characteristics

Group: Integrifolia
Pruning Group: 3 (heavy)
Height: 4.9-6.6 ft (1.5-2 m)
Blossoms: medium-sized, bell-shaped, pink
Blooming: from June to September
Frost Resistance: zones 4-9

Description

Clematis ‘Alyonushka’ is not a liana, but a subshrub with drooping and stalked stems. It grows as a groundcover plant without garter. The plant forms non-clinging flexible shoots up to 2 meters long. The bush is dense, collapsing. Leaves are unpaired, dense, consisting of 5-7 leaflets.

Clematis blooms on the shoots of the current year from June until frost, flowering is very abundant. Flowers are located on 3-5 upper nodes and form a dichasium or double dichasium. The flowers are 4.5 to 6 cm long. Sepals are 4 (5,6), they are rhomboidal, with pointed tips and outwardly curved edges. The color of sepals is light purple. Stamens and anthers are light yellow.ots of the current year from June until frost, flowering is very abundant. Flowers are located on 3-5 upper nodes and form a dichasium or double dichasium. The flowers are 4.5 to 6 cm long. Sepals are 4 (5,6), they are rhomboidal, with pointed tips and outwardly curved edges. The color of sepals is light purple. Stamens and anthers are light yellow.

Pictures

Clematis ‘Alyonushka’ planting and care


Like most varieties of the Integrifolia group, Clematis ‘Alyonushka’ is very unpretentious, hardy and easy to care for. It is one of the easiest clematis to grow in northern states with cold winters, such as Michigan, Wisconsin, South Dakota and others. If you plant this clematis in your garden, it will bloom for a very long time and will not give you any problems.

Planting Timing

Clematis is best planted in late summer or early fall, but you can also plant it in the spring before it starts to actively grow. Planting clematis in summer is not recommended because you can easily damage its roots or green stems, but you can transplant it in summer with a clump of soil straight from the pot.

Site selection

Clematis ‘Alyonushka’ grows well in full sun and semi-shade on any light and fertile soil. For him it is not so important whether the soil is slightly acidic, neutral or slightly alkaline, but neutral and slightly alkaline is preferable. In such soil, pathogenic fungi that cause clematis wilt are less likely to develop.

How to prepare a planting hole for planting clematis ‘Alyonushka’?

For planting clematis, it is better to prepare a large enough planting hole. It should be about 1.5 feet in diameter and also 1.5 feet deep. Take the soil you took out of the hole and mix it in a 1:1 ratio with compost or humus, add to it about 1 ounce of superphosphate and 1 ounce of potassium sulfate. This will provide adequate mineral nutrition for the plant for the first year when planted in the spring and fall.

How do I plant clematis?

When planting in spring and fall, pull apart, inspect and spread the roots. If there are rotted and damaged roots, cut them off and cover the cuts with ash. In addition, all roots should also be covered with a mixture of sand and ash to protect against pathogenic fungi. When planting, the roots should be spread out to the sides, the soil should be tamped well and the clematis should be watered after planting.

Care of Clematis ‘Alyonushka’

Watering

Water Clematis integrifolia should be watered only in severe drought, because in general they are quite drought-resistant and do not like too wet soil. It is better to use warm water for watering.

Fertilization

In general, Clematis integrifolia will bloom and grow well even if you do not feed it, but it is still better to use fertilizer to get more abundant and bright blooms every year.

The first year after planting, you can apply about 5 grams of nitrogen to the soil in the spring to ensure better green growth. No other fertilizer needs to be used.

Starting in the 2nd year, feed the clematis according to the following scheme:

  1. In the spring at the beginning of the growing season, apply organic fertilizer, such as compost or humus, just spreading it on the surface without embedding it in the soil. Also introduce mineral fertilizers in the form of a solution, which will contain about 10 grams of nitrogen, 5 grams of potassium and 5 grams of phosphorus by active substance.
  2. In the second feeding, which is carried out at the beginning of budding, put into the soil a solution of mineral fertilizer, which contains 5 grams of nitrogen, 5 grams of phosphorus and 5 grams of potassium by active substance. It is also worth feeding clematis with a solution of macro- and microelements such as zinc, calcium, magnesium, molybdenum and others.
  3. The third feeding is carried out about 3 weeks after the second. It has the same composition.
  4. The fourth fertilization is carried out at the end of summer, around the end of August. Apply 5 grams of phosphorus and 5 grams of potassium in the form of a solution to the soil.

Pruning clematis

Clematis ‘Alyonushka’, like all clematis of the Integrifolia group, belongs to pruning group 3. This means that they are cut short for winter. In the fall, cut back the clematis, leaving only a stem 10-15 cm high. This remaining stem should preferably be covered if you live in a region with severe frosts, such as South or North Dakota. In most states in the USA, as well as in many European countries, it is not necessary to cover ‘Alyonushka’ clematis at all.

Diseases

The only serious disease of clematis is wilt; however, in my observations, wilt quite rarely affects clematis of the Integrifolia group. For some other serious problems in many years of growing these clematis I have not noticed.

Reviews

Most reviews of clematis ‘Alyonushka’ are left by authors from Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, because it is a variety of Soviet origin. They note that clematis is extremely unpretentious, not demanding to growing conditions and every year abundantly blooms, but requires careful gartering.

From other countries in Europe and the United States, I found only one review, the author of which lives in Colorado. He notes that he bought this clematis a long time ago from a collector, and it turned out to be a perfect complement for ‘Arabella’ clematis, because ‘Arabella’ looks almost the same, but it has blue flowers, while ‘Alyonushka’ clematis has pink flowers.

If you have also grown Clematis ‘Alyonushka’, please leave your feedback in the comments to this article.

About the author

Fedor Fironov
Graduate of Plant Protection Faculty at GSAU. Main area of interest – clematis, peonies and perennials of Lamiaceae .

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