Clematis 'Albina Plena'

Clematis macropetala 'Albina Plena' was bred in 1982 by the Swedish breeder Magnus Johnson from a cross of Clematis fauriei and Clematis sibirica, and was awarded 'Elitplanta' status in Sweden in 1995. It bears fully double, bell-shaped, slightly nodding flowers around 6 cm across with pale yellow stamens – creamy white when young, ageing to pure white and noticeably fuller than the single flowers of the wild form.

At around 200 cm, 'Albina Plena' suits smaller trellises, fences and containers, making it a good fit for compact gardens too; it flowers on previous year's growth from May to June. Like most alpine clematis, it prefers a sunny to semi-shaded position.

'Albina Plena' belongs to pruning group 1 and is winter-hardy (zone 5, down to about -28 °C); waterlogging in winter should be avoided. Cut the plant back to about 100 cm after flowering in June to encourage a compact, bushy habit.