Mission and Goals
The Society was formed in 1984 by Raymond Evison. The membership now covers more than 20 countries, providing the world-wide interest and appeal for this fascinating genus. Members come from many different cultures, making the Society truly international.
Mission
- The mission of the Society is to stimulate international cooperation and understanding of the cultivation of the genus clematis for the education of our Members and the world-wide gardening community.
Goals
The Society shares knowledge by:
- Creating educational publications (including an annual Journal and a website) which may include anecdotal stories and reports of the past and future events of the Society.
- Publicizing scientific and historical research.
- Holding international conferences and meetings and other clematis related events and offering Membership to all clematis enthusiasts.
The language of the Society is English.
Benefits of Membership
The Society is trying to reduce costs, global footprint and the time and effort required to run the Society by using electronic communication whenever and wherever possible. The main exception to this is our annual journal, Clematis International. We ask all members, existing and new, to only request hard copy if there really is no other option. Thank you. Members of the Society receive a copy of the Society's publication, 'Clematis International', as well as a minimum of two newsletters a year (normally) containing details of the Society's activities and offering participation in the Seed Exchange, a means by which members are provided with the opportunity to grow varieties of Clematis often unobtainable in their own country.A Membership List is normally issued annually, enabling Members to contact one another.
The International Clematis Society is affiliated to the Royal Horticultural Society of the United Kingdom.
Conferences and Meetings
Since the Society started it has held a number of successful conferences in various countries. Prior to the creation of this website, there were events in 1985 in London; 1989 in Sweden; 1992 in Latvia and Estonia; 1994 in Germany; 1995 in Stuttgart, Southern Germany, and Switzerland and 1996 in Cambridge, Great Britain.
For events from 1997 in Sagamihara City, Japan, to the present day, please visit our Past Events section. Information on future event planning can be found at Future Events.
'Clematis International'
This is the Society's journal, normally produced annually and generally dispatched in the first half of the year. It contains news and updates on Clematis issues, articles from members from around the world, both academic and practical, book reviews and much more.
The Seed Exchange
Members can take advantage of seeds being offered by the Society and, of course, contribute seed to the Seed Exchange, giving the opportunity and fun of trying something new and exciting from other countries.
Requests for donations of seeds are sent out in September/October, with the Seed Exchange List itself available from February/March the following year.More information on the Seed Exchange is given on the Web page 2022/2023 Seed Exchange.
International Clematis Registrar
The Society works closely with the International Clematis Registrar for Clematis. It encourages members to assist personally by providing details of old and new cultivars so that the register of names can be as complete as possible.