Clematis 'Wesselton'

Clematis macropetala 'Wesselton' was introduced by English breeder Jim Fisk as a selection of Clematis macropetala; the first published record appears in a 1996 Thorncroft catalogue. It is named after Westleton, a village near Saxmundham in Suffolk – Fisk deliberately chose an older spelling of the place name. The nodding, bell-shaped flowers reach 7-8 cm across and show four blue outer sepals; inside, a dense ring of paler staminodes, almost white towards the base with a greenish-yellow tinge, surrounds the centre and gives the variety its characteristically full, double appearance.

'Wesselton' flowers from April to May and reaches a height of around 300 cm. This makes it ideal for trellises, pergolas and obelisks, and it also thrives in a large container. As an Atragene hybrid it grows well in almost any aspect, from full sun to semi-shade – the only requirement is keeping the root area and base of the plant cool and shaded, for example with low companion planting or a layer of gravel.

This variety is reliably winter-hardy (zone 5, down to about -28 °C) and copes with harsh winters without protection. For vigorous growth and abundant flowering the following year, cut 'Wesselton' back to about 100 cm in June. The Royal Horticultural Society has honoured the variety with the Award of Garden Merit – proof of its reliability and garden performance.