Clematis 'Fascination'

Clematis 'Fascination' was raised in 1992 in Boskoop, the Netherlands, from a deliberate cross made by breeder Wim Snoeijer: the seed parent was Clematis 'Olgae' from the Integrifolia Group, the pollen parent the wild species Clematis fusca. The selection was named in 1998, and the J. van Zoest nursery introduced it in 2002, the same year it received an Award of Merit from the Royal Boskoop Horticultural Society and a Silver Medal at Plantarium. Its dark glossy violet flowers are bell-shaped and slightly nodding, with recurved sepal tips and pale, creamy white to golden-yellow stamens.

At around 150 cm, 'Fascination' stays pleasantly compact and flowers from June to August – ideal for pots, low trellises, obelisks or smaller gardens. Unlike many large-flowered hybrids it does not climb on its own but grows more upright and bushy: train the shoots along a trellis, support or a neighbouring plant. It thrives in sunny to semi-shaded spots with cool, well-drained soil, and after flowering it also produces attractive, silvery shimmering seed heads.

'Fascination' is reliably hardy (Zone 5, down to about -28 °C) and copes well even in exposed sites. It belongs to Pruning Group 3: cut the shoots back hard to about 25 cm in March, which encourages vigorous new growth and abundant flowering in summer.