Clematis 'Dutch Sky'

Clematis 'Dutch Sky' was introduced in 2008 by Dutch breeder John Kraan at the Marco de Wit nursery – originally with the aim of raising a pure white 'Jackmanii'. What emerged instead was something quite its own: flowers 6–8 cm across with 4–6 sepals that open a delicate pale blue and fade to white with a fine blue edge as they age. The reverse of the sepals shows glossy, blue-violet ribs, set off by golden-yellow stamens – a play of colour that reminded the breeder of the cloudy sky over Holland and gave the variety its name.

From June to August, 'Dutch Sky' flowers exceptionally freely, and spent blooms drop on their own, so the plant always looks well-groomed. At around 200 cm, it suits trellises, climbing frames and obelisks as well as containers on balcony or terrace. It tolerates every aspect – including north-, east- and west-facing spots – and makes an especially good companion for roses, complementing their colours with its cool blue tone.

'Dutch Sky' is reliably winter-hardy (zone 5, -28.8 to -23.4 °C) and rewards a hard prune: cut the shoots back to about 25 cm in March so the plant produces vigorous new growth and abundant flowers each year. In International Clematis Society trials, it ranked among the top-rated varieties at all three test sites in 2014 – proof of its reliability in the garden.