Clematis 'Pamela'

Clematis recta 'Pamela' was raised in 1962 by the Canadian breeder Frank Skinner from a cross between Clematis recta and Clematis terniflora. Its small, star-shaped flowers open pure white with a striking crown of creamy stamens; compared with other recta varieties they are somewhat larger. They also give off a delicate, sweet scent that is strongest on sunny days.

From June to September 'Pamela' bears its flowers in great numbers. At around 125 cm it grows as a herbaceous perennial rather than a climber, and its blue-green foliage suits it well among perennials and roses in a border, or as a solitary specimen with light support. Choose a sunny, warm spot — the scent is strongest there.

'Pamela' is reliably winter-hardy (zone 5, -28.8 to -23.4 °C). Cut it back hard to about 10 cm in March — it reliably reshoots from the rootstock and rewards the pruning with dense growth and abundant flowers. Give it one to two years after planting to establish, after which it shows its full flowering power.