Categories: white clematis, 3 pruning group, 1 pruning group, winter-hardy
The variety Clematis tangutica ‘Anita’ was obtained by crossing Clematis tangutica and one of the forms of Clematis potaninii var. fargesii. It was obtained by breeders of the Dutch nursery ‘Rinus Zvijnenburg Nursery’ in 1988. It is a winter-hardy, unpretentious and abundantly flowering variety.
Characteristics
| Group | Tangutica |
| Pruning Group | 3 (hard pruning) |
| Height | 6.5-16.5 feet (2-5 meters) |
| Flowers | small, with 4-6 sepals |
| Flower Color | white |
| Blooming Period | from July to September |
| Hardiness Zones | 3-9 |
Description
Clematis ‘Anita’ is a very strong-growing liana: the length of shoots can reach 5 m. Flowering begins in July and lasts until September and sometimes into October. Flowers are small, about 3…4 cm across. At the beginning of flowering the flowers are drooping and then lift up. Sepals are 4, 5 or 6, slightly curved. The color of the sepals is creamy white. Stamens with greenish stamen filaments and yellow anthers.
Pictures
Clematis ‘Anita’ planting and care
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All the varieties of the tangutica group that I know, including ‘Anita’, are characterized by rare unpretentiousness and frost resistance. I am fully confident that in practically all countries of Europe, as well as in all states of the USA, where there is at least some winter, from mild to severe, clematis ‘Anita’ will grow excellently, even if you take almost no care of it. How it will grow in states where it is summer year-round, such as Florida or Hawaii, I don’t know; I have little knowledge of growing northern clematis in such regions. Overall, this is an extremely easy to care for clematis. I recommend it for growing to all beginning flower growers if they want a vigorous liana with white flowers.
How and when to plant?
You can plant ‘Anita’ in spring or fall, at the beginning or end of the growing season, respectively. The specific timing does not play a big role, because it is very unpretentious and takes root easily in a new place. If you plant it at the height of summer, when the clematis is actively growing, you may have problems – you can damage the shoots or roots. When planting at this time, the clod of earth should not be disassembled, you must carefully pile the plant with the clod of earth.
Choosing a location for clematis ‘Anita’
‘Anita’ grows well in light fertile soils and prefers slightly alkaline soils. Loamy loam and light loams are suitable. This clematis does not grow well in heavy loam because its roots can rot in such conditions, but I have seen specimens that have grown well in heavy loamy soil for many years without being cared for at all.
Preparing the planting hole
I always recommend preparing a large enough planting hole for clematis. It should be at least 1.5 feet in diameter and also about 1.5 feet deep. However, I have seen specimens that have been planted in a hole dug with a shovel, and they too have grown well. That said, I am always diligent in preparing the pit to give the clematis the best conditions.
I mix the soil removed from the hole with compost in a 1:1 ratio and add about an ounce of potassium sulphate and an ounce of superphosphate. This is to ensure that the clematis root system gets adequate nutrition within the planting hole. This is the mixture I use to fill the hole
Because it is a small-flowered clematis, its root system does not look like that of large-flowered clematis and it is not necessary to take the clump apart and inspect the roots when repotting. If you buy a potted clematis and when you take it out you see that the roots have become very braided and have braided the whole clump, you should spread them out a little in different directions. If the roots have not braided the whole clump, you can simply transplant.
If you are planting a young plant, whose lower part of the stem has not become woody, it is undesirable to bury it. An adult plant can be buried by 2-3 nodes to get a better lowering from the ground. After planting, the clematis should be watered.
Care of clematis ‘Anita’
Watering
Like all clematis of the tangutica group, ‘Anita’ prefers moderately moist soil, but it is better to keep it less moist than overwatered. Water ‘Anita’ clematis only when there is a prolonged drought. Watering should be infrequent and abundant. Pour at least 10 liters of water under mature plants and at least 5 liters of water under young plants.
Mulching
Frankly speaking, I do not mulch any clematis from the tangutica group in my garden, because they grow quite well as they are. However, if you mulch the soil around the clematis with freshly cut grass, hay or straw, it will probably be an added benefit. In any case, you will protect the roots from overheating in summer and provide an additional source of organic matter for the soil
Fertilization of clematis ‘Anita’
I have repeatedly observed clematis from the tangutica group growing in the same place for 15 or more years without any fertilizing, and yet every year giving a huge green mass with a large number of flowers. At the same time, I do at least one fertilization of clematis of the tangutica group every year. It is carried out at the very beginning of their vegetation. For me it is about the middle or end of April. First I apply an organic fertilizer, which is compost, in an amount of about 10 liters per adult plant. I simply sprinkle this compost around the stems, but do not press it in closely. After a while I also apply a complete fertilizer, which contains about 10 grams of nitrogen, 10 grams of phosphorus and 10 grams of potassium per adult plant by active ingredient. I do not fertilize clematis tangutica, including ‘Anita’, any more throughout the season, although it is desirable to do so. In fact, of course, it is better to do a full 4-stage fertilization, as with large-flowered clematis, but since they are not very demanding on soil fertility, ‘Anita’ grows perfectly well without it.
Pruning Clematis ‘Anita’
Clematis ‘Anita’ formally belongs to pruning group 3. This means that it should be cut short in the fall, and it will regrow almost from the ground every year. However, I do not recommend to do so and consider clematis tangutica, including ‘Anita’, to be clematis of pruning group 1. The fact is that on ‘Anita’ and other clematis of their group tangutica on perennial shoots are very poorly formed buds. So if you cut all the young shoots down to the root and leave only the old ones, the clematis may die because it will not form additional buds. I therefore think that for ‘Anita’ clematis, we should only use formative pruning at the end of flowering, when we simply remove the excess and damaged shoots and leave the rest on the support. This is how it will overwinter.
Preparing Clematis ‘Anita’ for winter
Clematis ‘Anita’ does not require covering in any state in the United States except perhaps Alaska, but I have never heard of it being grown in Alaska. It will winter excellently in Michigan, Wisconsin, and North Dakota without requiring any sheltering. Since this clematis is extremely hardy and can withstand temperatures as low as -33ºF, and my climate is much milder, I never cover any of the tangutica clematis.
Reviews
- Wisconsin: Clematis ‘Anita’ is the only clematis with small white colored flowers in the author’s collection. He has no problems with it, the clematis just grows on the fence and forms a huge mass each year.
- UK, near Lancashire: Clematis ‘Anita’ has been growing since the farm was purchased and has now been growing for at least 18 years. In that time it has never been fed once. It is pruned back quite short each year and each year it forms a huge number of shoots with leaves and flowers again. The flowers are small and in themselves unimpressive, but due to the huge number the liana as a whole looks very spectacular.
- Prescott, Arizona: Clematis ‘Anita’ was purchased 2 years ago and is still growing very poorly. Probably needs time to root.
- Poland, near Warsaw: Clematis ‘Anita’ was purchased from Marczyński Nursery about 6 years ago. By now it has grown so much that every year it requires serious pruning. During this time it has been fed only once with a full mineral complex, as well as organics.
If you have grown or are growing Clematis ‘Anita’, please leave your feedback in the comments to the article.
About the author
Fedor Fironov
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