Clematis 'Golden Dream'

Clematis 'Golden Dream' is a creation of Polish clematis breeder Szczepan Marczyński, introduced in 2020 as an exceptional novelty; the breeder has not disclosed its parentage. Its 7–9 cm, semi-double to double, bell-shaped flowers appear in bright lime yellow, shading to orange-red and reddish-purple towards the base of the tepals, with yellow staminodes at the centre – and, unusually for this group, a distinct grapefruit fragrance.

The main flush of flowers appears in May, with occasional repeat blooms extending well into summer through August, followed by decorative seed heads in autumn. At 200–300 cm, 'Golden Dream' suits fences, small buildings, conifers and other climbing supports well, and can also be grown as a trailing ground cover. It thrives best in a sunny to semi-shaded, well-drained spot.

'Golden Dream' is reliably winter-hardy (zone 4, down to about -34 °C) and grows vigorously without fuss. Cut the plant back to around 100 cm in June to keep it compact and encourage abundant flowering the following year; pruning group 1 otherwise usually needs just a light tidy after flowering.