Clematis 'Kiss of Spring'

Clematis montana 'Kiss of Spring' was bred and registered in 2015 by British breeder C. W. Welch from an unnamed Montana seedling and the popular cultivar 'Mayleen'. Its 7–8 cm flowers open with deep pink margins around a pale pink centre and fade over time to a uniform, soft pink; the four narrow, slightly wavy tepals surround creamy stamens with pale green connectives. A hint of vanilla and almond fills the air whenever the plant is in bloom.

From May to June, 'Kiss of Spring' flowers in great abundance and grows vigorously to 500–800 cm – enough to cover pergolas, tall trellises or old trees. After flowering, decorative, silky feathery seed heads form, extending its garden appeal well into autumn. Like all Himalayan clematis, it likes a sunny to semi-shaded spot with cool, shaded roots.

'Kiss of Spring' is reliably winter-hardy (zone 7, down to about -17.7 °C). As it belongs to pruning group 1 and flowers on the previous year's wood, it needs no hard pruning: to keep it in shape, cut the plant back to about 200 cm in June. Give it a year or two to establish, and it will show its full flowering glory.