Clematis 'Sander'

Clematis 'Sander' was raised in 1991 by Dutch breeder Rinus Zwijnenburg from a seedling of Clematis potaninii var. fargesii, likely pollinated by Clematis heracleifolia, and belongs to the Clematis heracleifolia group of herbaceous clematis. Its small, 3-4 cm flowers are bell-shaped and hyacinth-like at first, later opening into a star shape – pale blue on the outside, white with a blue edge on the inside, with yellow stamens. The flowers are pleasantly fragrant.

'Sander' flowers from July to August and reaches a height of around 100 cm. Unlike climbing clematis varieties, it grows in a bushy, sub-shrubby habit and scrambles loosely over neighbouring plants or low supports rather than climbing high on its own. This makes it ideal for the front to middle of a border, for container growing, or combined with perennials and small shrubs, in a sunny to lightly shaded spot with well-drained but not overly dry soil.

Hardy to zone 5 (down to about -28.8 to -23.4 °C), 'Sander' copes easily with harsh winters outdoors. For vigorous growth and abundant flowering, cut it back to about 25 cm in March – a hard prune that the Heracleifolia group tolerates and needs.