Clematis 'BLUE RIVER'

Clematis 'BLUE RIVER' (botanically Clematis diversifolia 'BLUE RIVER', Zoblueriver) was bred by Dutch hybridiser Wim Snoeijer and introduced at the Plantarium trade show in 2008. The star-shaped, slightly nodding flowers open bell-shaped to almost flat, usually carry six tepals, and appear in a striking blue-violet with a purple centre and conspicuous white stamens. At 6 to 8 cm across, they create dense, vivid accents in the border.

From June to September, 'BLUE RIVER' produces a continuous succession of flowers. Reaching around 180 cm in height, with stems up to 1.70 m, the variety stays compact and is therefore particularly well suited to container planting on patios and balconies, as well as to smaller gardens and the front of a border. A sunny position encourages abundant flowering. Because the flowers keep well in water, 'BLUE RIVER' is also popular with florists and flower lovers.

'BLUE RIVER' is reliably hardy (zone 5, down to around -23.4 to -28.8 °C) and copes well even with colder winters. Cut the stems back to about 10 cm in March so the plant can put on vigorous new growth each year.