After considerable deliberation we have decided to include on 'Clematis on the Web' a list of clematis collections that we, or personal friends, deem worthy of a visit. Let's be clear that these are 'collections'. You will not find here gardens that have just a few clematis in them; rather you will find listed public or private gardens with an array of clematis that we consider worth seeing even if you have to travel a hundred miles or more. Some of these are public displays that can be visited at almost any time, others are in private gardens that may be open only on specific days or by appointment; in such cases there is generally some sort of entrance fee donated to a charity. You should not expect private collections to have clematis plants for sale.

Where private gardens are open by appointment you should contact the owner(s) at least ten days before you intend to visit. Please inform the owner(s) if, for any reason, you have to cancel. For reasons of privacy, detailed addresses are not given for private gardens, just an e-mail address. If you mail this with your name, address, telephone number and e-mail address the owner(s) will get in touch with you to provide maps or other details that you may need for a visit.

If you have suggestions for collections that should be included (or removed) from this list, please get in touch. When judging collections, though, please be aware of the time of year; don't expect a viticella collection to be at its best in June or alpinas to look good in August!

The majority of the photos on this site were taken in the garden that houses our own private collection of around five hundred clematis, both species and cultivars of all groups. There is usually something in flower because although the bulk of our clematis are flowering between mid-April and September, we also have a large collection of hardy perennials, roses, shrubs and spring bulbs. Visits by prior appointment.

To ask for an appointment click here.

 

Mike Brown holds the NCCPG National Collection of herbaceous clematis but his collection extends far beyond this. Mike is a member of the International Clematis Society and is a past Chairman of the British Clematis Society (BCS); he has written many articles on the genus. Mike is the raiser of the popular clematis 'Barbara Wheeler' and has just named a new cultivar 'Geoffrey Tolver'. For many years Mike has been involved in organising the annual BCS seed exchange programme and in trialling new clematis for BCS awards.

In agreeing to be listed here Mike wanted to stress that, whilst he welcomes visitors to his garden from time to time, he does not have plants for sale.

To make an appointment and get directions, click here.

 

Brian is a keen amateur clematis raiser and breeder. His collection, housed in a very large greenhouse, is an ever changing "work in progress" of seed raising, first-flowerings and hybridisations. In August 2005 he admitted to "some 150 plants in pots, along with 180 seedlings at all stages including a lot of texensis, a lot (40 or 50 or so) of brand new LFH hybrid seedlings (some currently coming to flower of course, as always), some exotic crosses-in-progress, and a good number of other species seedlings, crispas, floridas, viornas, viticellas, montanae, hybrids of the viornae, integrifoliae, some new meclatis, freemontiis, etc etc. (= too many plants!)" Obviously, the number of clematis in flower will depend on the time of year.

Contact Brian to make an appointment and get directions by clicking here. His collection is conveniently close to a motorway.

 

Kinzy Faire is a large private garden SE of Portland, Oregon USA, in the foothills of Mount Hood that hosts over two hundred different clematis. The garden was never intended as a clematis collection but the introduction of clematis seemed a natural progression as trees and shrubs began to mature and made wonderful hosts for clematis and other vines.

Regrettably, it has become necessary to suspend visits to Kinzy Faire for a time.

 

The Rogerson Clematis Collection, started by Brewster Rogerson in the late 1970s, is now maintained and preserved by the Friends of the Rogerson Clematis Collection (FRCC). The collection has been given provisional status as a national collection through the North American Plant Collections Consortium, with 700 taxa from all clematis horticultural groups. Display gardens continue to be developed at Luscher Farm, a farm/park owned and operated by the City of Lake Oswego, outside Portland, Oregon (www.luscherfarm.org). In its capacity as a public park, the FRCC display gardens are open from dawn to dusk daily.

Most clematis and companion plants are labeled. The greenhouse, where some clematis await planting, is open for drop-in visitors from 10 am to noon on Fridays from April through October, and at other times by appointment. For groups larger than six persons requesting a guided tour, a $50 donation is requested. FRCC offers classes at Luscher Farm in propagation, seed collecting and starting, pruning, and other topics.

 

Roogoja talu is home to the Kivistik family. Uno Kivistik, and his wife, Aili, were amongst the most prolific breeders of clematis in the 20th century. Sadly, Uno died in 1998 but the family business is now run by Aili and her son and daughter-in-law, Taavi and Aime. Their display garden houses a huge collection - mainly of the Kivistiks' own cultivars, but many other clematis too.

Further information and contact details on their website: www.hot.ee/roogoja

 

Hans Jørgen Kuus has collected plants since 1986; he is a member of the AGS and BCS.

His garden is 1300 m2 with over 2000 different plants including many rare shrubs, trees and climbers.

Hans has about 180 different clematis, mostly species; he especially likes the texensis types.

Contact: hjkuus@vip.cybercity.dk

 

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