Clematis 'Snowdrift'

Clematis armandii 'Snowdrift' was selected in 1935 by the British nursery George Jackman & Son from the Chinese wild species Clematis armandii and remains one of the best-known varieties of this evergreen clematis today. Its star-shaped, pure white flowers with narrow, pointed tepals and pale stamens appear in dense clusters and give off an intense, almond-like fragrance – slimmer in form and purer in colour than its pink-tinged sister variety 'Apple Blossom'.

'Snowdrift' is one of the earliest clematis of the year, flowering from March to April, often before other varieties have even leafed out. Growing to around 400 cm, it makes a vigorous climber for a trellis, pergola or sunny house wall, where its evergreen, leathery foliage of three dark green leaflets provides year-round screening. It performs best in a warm, sheltered south- or south-west-facing spot with sun reaching right down to the base, so it stays densely leaved lower down as well.

Its hardiness rating is zone 9 (-6.6 to -1.2 °C), so 'Snowdrift' overwinters reliably mainly in mild locations and with the protection of a wall. As it belongs to pruning group 1 and flowers on the previous year's wood, it should only be pruned if needed, right after flowering – cutting back to around 200 cm in May is recommended to encourage vigorous new growth and abundant flowering the following year.