Clematis 'Jackmaniii Superba'

Clematis 'Jackmanii Superba' was raised around 1878 by the English nursery Thomas Cripps & Son — it derives from a cross of 'Jackmanii' and Clematis lanuginosa and came onto the market around 1882. As a larger-flowered selection of the famous parent variety, it shows noticeably broader sepals: four velvety deep-violet, 8–10 cm flowers open with a faint reddish bar along the midrib, accompanied by creamy-greenish stamens.

From July to September, 'Jackmanii Superba' flowers abundantly and reaches around 300 cm in height. This robust climber is superb on trellises, fences, pergolas and obelisks, and combines equally well with smaller shrubs or climbing roses. It thrives in sunny to semi-shaded positions in any aspect and has no special soil requirements — though the root area should be kept cool and shaded.

Hardy to zone 5 (−28.8 to −23.4 °C), 'Jackmanii Superba' belongs to pruning group 3. Since it flowers only on the current year's growth, cut it back hard to about 50 cm in March — it will reliably resprout from below and produce especially many new flowering shoots over the summer.