Discover some of the best new clematis for pergolas, borders, patio pots and even as house plants that double up as outdoor climbers!
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| Clematis 'Bourbon'
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'The striking flowers of 'Bourbon', forming on both old and new growth, are a velvety red colour with darker margins and yellow stamens'
Clematis 'Bourbon' – dwarf patio variety
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| Clematis 'Cassis'
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We had a sneak preview of the dwarf patio variety
Clematis 'Bourbon' (main image above) at Chelsea in 2005, but the official launch is this year. 'It's one of the best' says Chris Finlay, sales manager for a wholesale grower. There's wide availability at specialist nurseries and by mail order. Look for the Temptations brand in garden centres – 3-litre pots with tripod, rrp £13.75. The striking flowers, forming on both old and new growth, are a velvety red colour with darker margins and yellow stamens.
Clematis 'Cassis' – good for pots
The flowers of
Clematis 'Cassis' form unusual double rosettes with white veins. Raised in Guernsey by Raymond Evison, this variety is a cross from C. 'Venosa Violacea'. 'Cassis' has a long flowering season, from early summer onwards, and is almost evergreen. The flowers appear along the stem, making the variety suitable for growing in pots and training around hoops. Look for plants in garden centres, and from specialist suppliers such as Thorncroft and Taylors Clematis. Expect to pay about £12 for a 2-litre pot.
Clematis 'Confetti' – robust, vigorous and easy to grow
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| Clematis 'Confetti'
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Clematis 'Confetti' was introduced at Chelsea last year. It is a vigorous variety, growing to about 3m (10ft), and is suitable for planting in the garden on a trellis or around an arch. Dainty, pink, nodding flowers appear for many weeks during the summer months. 'Confetti' is said to have a strong constitution and to be very easy to grow. Search garden centres for plants in the Temptations range, which cost £10.99 each for a 3-litre pot.
Clematis 'Fond Memories' – proving hardier than expected
Clematis 'Fond Memories', first shown at Chelsea 2004 by Ruth and Jonathon Gooch of Thorncroft Clematis Nursery, is now more widely available. This early, large-flowered clematis is a seedling from
C. florida var
sieboldiana found by Ruth's father. Its large flowers don't look much like the parent though, and it has proved much hardier than would be expected from a
C. florida hybrid, surviving temperatures as low as -25 degrees.
Clematis 'Fond Memories' will be sold in garden centres this year. A 2-litre pot costs £12 from Thorncroft Clematis Nursery.
Clematis 'Kingfisher' – launching at Chelsea 2007
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| Clematis 'Fond Memories'
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Due to be launched at Chelsea next month by Guernsey Clematis,
Clematis 'Kingfisher' is well named. Large, intense-blue blooms offset by creamy stamens appear in late spring to early summer. There's a second flowering in late summer when large numbers of slightly smaller blooms are followed by feathery seed heads. 'Kingfisher' grows to 2-2.5m (6-8ft) and will be in garden centres and nurseries from May onwards. Thorncroft Clematis Nursery quotes £13.50 for a 2 litre pot.
Garland clematis – from house plant to outdoor climber
In the house-plant section of your local garden centre, you might come across Garland clematis, which is essentially a hoop attached to a pot with clematis weaving around it; and it looks very attractive. The clematis varieties used (including 'Cassis' above) have been developed to produce many flowers per plant. The promise is that it will last as a spring-flowering house plant for six to eight weeks on a cold windowsill with regular watering and weekly feeding. Once flowering declines, it can be planted outside in a bed or pot, where it will grow to a fully hardy climber.
Urn-shaped clematis in new breeding trial
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| Clematis 'Kingfisher'
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A garden centre in Manchester is helping the clematis world by giving an amateur clematis breeder the use of a large glasshouse and
space to bring on his seedlings. Brian Collingwood is undertaking innovative work using North American species and hybrids not used in previous breeding programmes. He aims to blend the urn-shaped blooms of the species with existing large-flowered forms. 'There is enormous scope for new crosses,' he says, 'although it is extremely difficult to bring new varieties onto the market.'
Brian has hundreds of seedlings on trial and has already named several. The tubular flowers of Clematis 'Reverie' and 'Vicki Ann' clearly show the C. viorna parentage. 'Suzy Mac', an early, large-flowered clematis, is being propagated in Florida and Guernsey with UK distribution in mind. For details of Brian's breeding work visit Worsley Hall Garden Centre.
TIP for growing annual climbers from seed
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| Clematis 'Vicki Ann' |
It's not too late to grow annual climbers from seed in a warm propagator or even the kitchen windowsill. Tender subjects can be sown late this month, or even in May. Think morning glories (
Ipomoea), cup and saucer vines (
Cobaea scandens) and Chilean glory vines (
Eccremocarpus scaber).
Look further
Clematis on the Web is a database run in conjunction with the University of Hull featuring more than 3,000 clematis varieties, with pictures of most of them. You can check out the history and pruning needs of a named variety, or even try the search facility to identify an unknown variety. A new section features clematis people – a sort of 'clematis who's who'.
The British Clematis Society brings together enthusiasts and breeders, and also helps less-experienced gardeners enjoy growing clematis. The Society plans to attend six major flower shows in 2007, where advice and information on clematis will be available.
denotes Subscriber-only content | Thursday 20 November 2008 | Help | Glossary 
