Clematis 'Barbara'

Clematis 'Barbara' was raised by Polish breeder Szczepan Marczyński from 'Hagley Hybrid' and an unknown parent and introduced to the market in 2001 – he named it after his wife, Barbara Marczyńska, one of his first three cultivars alongside 'Hania' (named for his mother) and 'Julka' (named for his daughter). Its 10–12 cm flowers glow in vivid pink with lighter flecks and turn a rich purplish red with a dark central bar as summer progresses; pink filaments, paler towards the base, and deep purple anthers complete the picture.

At around 300 cm, 'Barbara' climbs vigorously on fences, trellises and pergolas and also cuts a fine figure in a large container. It flowers continuously from July to September on the new growth and tolerates virtually any aspect – south, north, east or west.

'Barbara' is reliably winter-hardy (zone 6, down to about -23 °C). Cut the plant back hard to about 25 cm in March – this keeps growth compact and encourages a rich, continuous summer flush. Its quality was confirmed in 2002 with a gold medal at the Plantarium trade fair in the Netherlands.