PLANT PORN: WILD CLEMATIS AKA OLD MAN'S BEARD

THE DEETS

As September rolls around, the hedgerows and overgrown fences that once held host to a host of tiny white flower start to become peppered with a fuzzy grey haze that lasts right through to Christmas.

Wild clematis flowers are all well and good, but the real starring moment for this one comes after the petals all fall off. Clematis in general have some of the best seed heads there are, but none more so than it's wild variety, and it only gets prettier as the days get colder.

RATING

Easy as, once this one pops it won't stop. If you see one bit of this you're likely to see a whole lot more.

NAMECHECK

This one's got a few. Wild clematis, traveller’s joy, old man’s beard, smokewood - they're all pretty romantic and it's easy to see why. It's proper name, clematis vitalba, which basically translates to 'climbing white branches', doesn't quite hit the same.