Clematis 'Pink Dream'

Clematis 'Pink Dream' was bred by the Polish nurseryman Szczepan Marczyński and introduced to the market in 2012 as one of five large-flowered, fragrant novelties in the Atragene group. Its always double, bell-shaped flowers open 8-10 cm wide in delicate pink with purple-red shading at the base and along the veins, fading to cream towards the centre, with a faint citrus scent.

The main flush begins in April, followed by a second, lighter flush in summer between July and August. At 200-300 cm, 'Pink Dream' suits trellises, pergolas and pots against house walls; as an early-flowering clematis it tolerates sun to part shade, provided the root area stays cool and shaded.

'Pink Dream' is very winter-hardy (zone 4, down to about -34 °C) and belongs to pruning group 1: pruning is not strictly necessary, though in our own stock cutting back to about 150 cm in June has proven useful to keep the plant compact. Like most alpine clematis, it takes a little time to establish after planting, but then flowers reliably.