Clematis 'Pleniflora'

The clematis 'Pleniflora' arose around 1980 as a chance seedling from a batch of Himalayan seed and was discovered and introduced by the Swiss grower Hansreudi Horn-Gfeller. Its 4-6 cm flowers appear pure white and semi-double – unusually for the montana group, they tend to face upward rather than outward. Occasionally a second, weaker flush appears with fewer tepals.

With a height of around 400 cm, 'Pleniflora' makes a vigorous climber for trellises, pergolas or house walls, and keeps a good shape with the recommended pruning. Flowering falls in June, extending the succession of clematis blooms in the garden. Thanks to its Himalayan seed origin, it shows the vigorous growth typical of the montana group.

'Pleniflora' is reliably hardy (zone 7, down to about -17.7 to -12.3 °C) and, like most montana varieties, belongs to pruning group 1, which basically needs no pruning at all. In practice, however, it is recommended to cut the plant back to around 100 cm in June after flowering to keep it compact and free-flowering. This way the robust climber establishes reliably and rewards the care with its strikingly semi-double flowers.