Clematis 'Eclipse'

Clematis 'Eclipse' was introduced in 1999 by Dutch breeder Pieter Zwijnenburg and belongs to the Heracleifolia Group, the shrubby herbaceous clematis with an upright, non-climbing habit. The small, 2 cm dark blue flowers cluster in tubular form, carry a pleasant fragrance and feature striking pale yellow stamens; the four petals curve slightly back at the tips.

From July to September, 'Eclipse' produces its fragrant flower clusters in the leaf axils, making it a reliable late-summer bloomer. Growing to a compact 60-80 cm, it is ideal for the front of a herbaceous border, a patio container or as an edging for sunny beds - it needs no support, as it develops a bushy, upright habit rather than twining. A sunny to partially shaded position with well-drained, moderately moist soil encourages the strongest growth.

'Eclipse' is reliably hardy (zone 5, to about -23.4°C) and survives harsher winters in the border without special protection. As it flowers on the current year's growth, cut the plant back hard to about 10 cm above the ground in March - this encourages dense, floriferous new growth in spring.