Clematis Princess Diana: description and characteristics of the variety, cultivation, reproduction

Clematis Princess Diana has original flowers and lush foliage. A powerful vine is planted next to gazebos, terraces, hedges. The hybrid is easy to propagate. It is not difficult to care for him, which is why Russian flower growers love him. It is grown in different climatic zones.

History of selection

Clematis Princess Diana flower growers have been growing since 1984. It is bred in England, named after Lady Diana. The author of the hybrid Barry Fretwell. In the course of hybridization, he used representatives of the Clematis texensis group.These varieties have the original shape of the flowers, it resembles a tulip.

Other varieties of this group are popular with amateur growers:

Odoriba;
Etoile Rose;
Lawrence

They differ only in the color of the petals. All adapt well to any climate zone. Not afraid of heat, low temperatures. Clematis texensis varieties belong to the 3rd pruning group.

Description and characteristics of clematis Diana

Princess Diana hybrid blooms long and profusely. The buds open from July to September. The flowers are funnel-shaped, similar to a tulip. The color of the pointed petals is bright pink, the color of the stamens is bright yellow, white or cream. Liana flowers are quite large. Their diameter is 5-7 cm. They are all directed upwards.

Flower buds are forming on this year's young shoots.Blooms from late June to October. Hybrid of the 3rd pruning class, all shoots are cut for the winter. During the season, new ones grow from 1.5 to 2.5 m long. Clematis Princess Diana can be grown in the regions of the 4th winter hardiness zone. The underground part of the perennial does not freeze at -35 ° C.

Advantages and disadvantages of culture

Clematis Princess Diana has a flaw. Perennial is not resistant to fungal diseases. Several pluses:

winter hardiness;
long flowering;
original flowers;
no special requirements for soil, care.

Features of growing flowers

Liana Princess Diana, planted with love and according to the rules, lives long. In summer, she decorates the garden with her bright flowers.

Date of planting

Princess Diana's seedlings are planted in a permanent place in spring and autumn.The exact dates depend on the climatic conditions of the area.

Autumn North Caucasus August (end of the month), September (beginning of the month) Middle StripSeptember (until the middle of the month) April (end of the month) , May (beginning of the month)

Spring
	October (beginning of the month)	April (beginning of the month)
Krasnodar region		Leningrad region
May
Siberia		Ural

Preparing the site

The root zone of clematis should be in the shade, and the aerial part should be illuminated by the sun for at least 5 hours a day. For Princess Diana, areas located in a lowland, in a draft, in the shade are not suitable. Perennials cannot be planted along the walls of the house if there is no drain on the roof. The soil needs loose, fertile, neutral or slightly acidic.

Selection and preparation of planting material

It is better for a beginner to buy a seedling in a container. He will get on well. Landing dates do not play a big role. When buying a cutting of Princess Diana, in which the roots are open, they evaluate:

root condition;
appearance of the shoot(s);
presence of dormant buds.

The absence of mechanical damage is an important condition. Planting material is stored in a cool room.

Boarding process

To fill the pit, prepare a mixture of humus, garden soil in a ratio of 1:1. It is filled with superphosphate, dolomite flour. Consume for 2 buckets:

150 g superphosphate;
400 g dolomite flour.

Dimensions of landing pits - 606070 cm. They are dug no closer than 30 cm from the support, fence. The bottom is covered with rubble, broken bricks or a mixture of them. So that the water does not stagnate, they withstand a thickness of 20 cm.

Seedlings with an open root system are set on a small mound, which is poured into the center of the planting pit. It is covered with a prepared fertile mixture. The root neck is deepened. After planting, it should be at a depth of 10 cm. There should be a support next to the vine, its optimal height is 1.5-2 m.

Further care

Care is simple, but requires a systematic approach. Only when all activities are completed, clematis Princess Diana blooms profusely and for a long time in summer.

Irrigation

If the plant lacks moisture, the flowers and leaves become smaller and crumble. It loses its decorative effect. Young vines are watered at least once a week. In hot, dry weather more often - 1 time in 5 days. The need for watering occurs when the soil dries up at a depth of 20 cm.

Feeding

In the first year of life, the liana is not fed. Starting from the second year, nutrients are applied annually:

at the beginning of spring - fertilizers containing nitrogen (urea, ammonium nitrate) and milk of lime;
when buds appear - fats containing potassium;
in autumn (after flowering) - superphosphate;
complex fertilizer for clematis - late autumn.

Mulching and loosening

Princess Diana loves when the soil around the bush is wet. To create comfortable conditions for the plant, the root zone is mulched with peat, humus, compost. To provide oxygen to the roots, the earth is loosened after watering (rain).

Cutting

Cliana shoots are cut in autumn. They leave small stumps 10-15 cm high. In the southern regions, if they want early flowering, 1-2 strong shoots are left. In summer, pruning stimulates abundant flowering. Remove faded tops of shoots.

Preparing for winter

When weather forecasters predict the first frosts, the Princess Diana bush is spudded. A mound 10-15 cm high is formed around the stumps. It will protect the perennial from the first frosts. The soil around the bush is sprayed with a fungicide solution, sprinkled with ash. This is the prevention of fungal diseases.

Shelter for the winter

Flower growers of the Urals, Siberia do not deprive themselves of pleasure, they grow clematis Princess Diana on their plots. From severe frosts, an air-dry shelter is being built over perennials:

put a frame 40 cm high (boxes, arches);
throw insulating material (film, foam rubber, reed mats).

Shelter is put up when the temperature drops below zero at night.

Protection from diseases and pests

The hybrid is resistant to powdery mildew pathogens, it can suffer from other types of fungus. From wilt (verticillium wilt), the vine must be protected:

in the spring, water the soil around the bush with the Previcur solution, add 25 ml of the product to 10 liters of water;
spray growing shoots with a 3% solution of copper sulphate;
powder the root zone and soil with ash.

If brown spots appear on the leaves in summer, the bush is sprayed with cuprum oxychloride. At the end of summer and autumn, they treat with copper sulphate from cylindrosporiosis, ascotichosis.

Methods of reproduction

Princess Diana is propagated vegetatively. The old bush is rejuvenated by dividing the rhizome. In autumn, they dig it up, divide the root into parts, leaving 1-2 buds on each division. In the spring, when the vine releases young shoots, it is propagated by layering:

dig a shallow groove;
put an escape into it;
pin up;
the groove is covered with soil when the shoot sprouts 10 cm long.

Pinch the tops of the sprouts in summer. A year later, the rooted vines are separated from the mother bush and transplanted to a new place.

At the end of May, early June, the Princess Diana hybrid is propagated by cuttings. On each, 2 kidneys and one internode are left. The material is rooted in fertile soil, which is poured into a container, glass, or on a ridge.

Using Diana in landscape design

Liana is used as an element of vertical garden compositions. Princess Diana decorates pavilions, terraces, masks the working areas of the local area. If the landscape has a difficult topography, the hybrid is used as a ground cover.

Clematis Princess Diana is planted in the center of flower garden arrangements. Annuals are planted around the vines. They cover the lower part of the bush, creating a useful shadow, hiding the shoots that are bare below.