Clematis 'Warwickshire Rose'

Clematis montana 'Warwickshire Rose' arose around 1990 as a chance seedling of Clematis montana var. rubens: British garden designer John Williams discovered the plant in his own garden, and its name refers to the English county of Warwickshire. The 5–6 cm, star-shaped flowers appear in a rich violet, with narrow, slightly wavy sepals, recurved tips and yellow stamens; the foliage matures from dark purplish-green to reddish bronze and purple-brown tones. According to British clematis expert John Howells, 'Warwickshire Rose' shows notably deeper colouring in leaf and flower than its close relative 'Freda' — on warm, sunny days it also releases a delicate chocolate scent.

The flowering period runs from May to June. At a vigorous height of around 350 cm, 'Warwickshire Rose' is excellent for quickly covering trellises, fences and walls, and it is undemanding about aspect — it thrives on north-facing walls just as well as south-, east- or west-facing ones. It is less suited to container growing given its vigorous habit; it shows to best advantage in a permanent spot where it can climb upward or scramble through small trees and shrubs. As with all montana clematis, keep the roots and base of the plant cool and shaded, for example with a layer of mulch or underplanting.

'Warwickshire Rose' is reliably hardy (zone 7, -17.7 to -12.3 °C) and belongs to pruning group 1: it flowers on the previous year's wood and needs no regular pruning. For vigorous, compact growth and abundant flowering the following year, cut the plant back to about 100 cm right after flowering in June. In a sunny to semi-shaded spot with free-draining, moisture-retentive soil, it rewards care with especially lush, richly coloured blooms.