PLANT PROFILE24 www.dobbies.com spring/summer 2012When it comes to climbing plants, little beats the beauty and glamour of a clematis. With blooms in no end of colours, shapes and sizes they're an incredibly versatile plant, guaranteed to put on a show and create a striking focal point. Clematis have a long flowering period, with some performing as early as May and others as late as September. This means you can have non-stop ClematisPerfect for scrambling up walls, arches and arbours, there's a clematis for every garden - here's our top 10 'Josephine'With extravagant, double blooms, Josephine really makes a statement. It flowers in June-September, is fast to grow and just the plant for covering a wall or fence. Cut back to new growth in the spring and you can't go wrong. It likes a fertile, sunny spot. blooms for the entire summer if you pick varieties carefully. Some are also evergreen, which is useful. They're not difficult to grow - just remember to plant the rootball deeply and cover the earth with stones or pieces of slate to keep the roots cool. Some late-flowering clematis need pruning in the spring (the label will tell you if this is necessary), although it's not a tricky process - just cut all the stems to the ground and new ones will grow. 'C. armandii'An evergreen clematis ideal for year-round interest. It has glossy oval leaves, and white, beautifully scented flowers in spring. Armandii is fast to grow, although needs a sheltered spot to thrive - around a porch is ideal as you can enjoy the scent as you pass by. GAPPHOTOS

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