Clematis 'Pink Perfection'

Clematis montana 'Pink Perfection' was selected in the early 1950s by the English nursery George Jackman and Sons in Woking, from seedlings of the mountain clematis Clematis montana var. rubens, whose wild form the plant collector Ernest Henry Wilson had brought to Europe from China in the early 20th century. Its flowers open in a rich pink that fades to a softer shade as they mature, with distinctly overlapping, almost square-shaped tepals and bright yellow stamens – plus a pleasant fragrance that many other Montana varieties lack.

From May to June, 'Pink Perfection' covers itself in these 6-8 cm flowers while growing vigorously to a height of up to 500 cm. This makes it ideal for quickly covering fences, pergolas, trellises or larger wall areas – best in a sunny to partly shaded spot, while keeping the root area cool and shaded, for example with low planting or a layer of gravel.

'Pink Perfection' is reliably hardy (zone 7, down to about -17.7 °C) and has received the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. Since it flowers on last year's wood, it is best to prune the shoots back to about 100 cm right after flowering in June – this keeps the plant compact without sacrificing next year's flowers.