Clematis

`Clematis' by Andrew Mikolajski and `Clematis for all Seasons' by John Feltwell are two slim, relatively inexpensive guides to a very popular flowering perennial climbing vine with a large geographical range (although not quite the great range as the ubiquitous orchid), but exceptionally well suited to temperate climates. The first question which comes to mind when comparing the books is the fact that the latter lists for almost twice the cost as the former, in spite of the fact that Feltwell's book is soft covered and Mikolajski's volume is hard covered with a dust jacket. Thankfully, the comparison is a bit easier in that the more expensive book also has almost exactly twice the pages as the less expensive book, so all issues rely strictly on quality. The most dramatic difference I can see between the two books is that while both group clematis species and cultivars into three, the two authors do it in a slightly different manner. Mikolajski groups by blooming season and Feltwell groups by when and how to prune. I sense the two methods end up putting plants in the same groups. It just depends on how you want to think about them. Another difference I see between the two books is the fact that Feltwell's photography seems just a bit more vibrant and more skillfully done. Where Mikolajski's pictures of individual plants are often very small, Feltwell's pics are uniformly almost life-sized and cropped just right so the picture features the flower and nothing but the flower. Even though both books cover very similar material, Feltwell's layout just seems to be more inviting. He looks at the genus clematis in many different and useful ways, by season (and pruning group), by color, by location (microclimates) and by horticultural technique. Due to the difference in the number of pages, it is no surprise to see all subjects given at least twice the space in Feltwell. While `Pests and Diseases' cover two pages in Mikolajski, they cover four pages in two different chapters in Feltwell. Lastly, Feltwell's `directory' of clematis cultivars seems superior in that its information seems just a smidge more useful. For example on the `Maureen' cultivar, Mikolajski gives size and color, but Feltwell adds that the flowers fade fast. On `Minuet', Feltwell adds that the cultivar looks especially well growing into trees. Mikolajski simply gives us color, size and season. Also, Feltwell's directory isn't limited to `others' that he has not discussed elsewhere. While I commonly buy two or more cookbooks on the same subject, here, I would opt for owning only Feltwell's volume. My one caveat is that much `local knowledge' is about growing the genus in the UK but I see on way in which this interferes with the value of the information in the book.