Clematis 'Propertius'

Clematis 'Propertius' was bred in 1979 by Swedish breeder Magnus Johnson from a cross of Clematis koreana var. fragrans and the cultivar 'Rosy O'Grady'. It is named after the Roman poet Sextus Propertius – one of twenty hybrids Johnson named after Roman authors. The nodding, pleasantly scented flowers reach about 8 cm across and appear in a rich purple-violet; their semi-double form comes from a dense ring of staminodes at the centre of the four sepals.

'Propertius' flowers from April to May and reaches a height of around 250 cm. This makes it ideal for trellises, pergolas, obelisks and spacious containers, and it also happily climbs through sturdy shrubs. As an Atragene hybrid it thrives in sun or partial shade and flowers reliably in almost any aspect.

This variety is reliably hardy (zone 5, down to about -28 °C) and copes with harsh winters without special protection. For compact growth and abundant flowering, cut 'Propertius' back to about 100 cm in June. Once established, the plant proves easy to care for and rewards well-drained, evenly moist soil with a wealth of flowers.