Clematis 'Willy'

Clematis alpina 'Willy' was selected from Clematis alpina and named in 1971 by Dutch breeder Pieter Zwijnenburg. Its 6–7 cm, bell-shaped flowers are pale pink, darker toned at the base of the outer tepals, with creamy stamens at the centre – a delicate eye-catcher from the Atragene group.

Flowering begins as early as April and often continues into May, making 'Willy' one of the earliest climbers of the gardening year. At around 300 cm, it is well suited to trellises, obelisks and pergolas, but also grows well in a large container. Like all alpine clematis, it prefers a sunny to semi-shaded spot with cool, shaded roots.

'Willy' is reliably winter-hardy (zone 5, down to about -28 °C) and grows vigorously and without fuss. For compact growth and abundant flowering the following year, cut the plant back to about 100 cm in June; for this early-flowering group, hard pruning is otherwise rarely needed – light tidying after flowering is usually enough. Since 'Willy' flowers on the previous year's wood, it reaches its full flowering glory only after one to two years of establishment.