Clematis 'Dorothy Walton'

Clematis 'Dorothy Walton' is a historic cultivar with an eventful naming story: it presumably comes from France and was originally known as 'Bagatelle', named after a small castle in the Bois de Boulogne outside Paris. In 1978 the English nurseryman Jim Fisk reintroduced it under the name of a customer, Dorothy Walton, who had found the unnamed plant in her garden – the name stuck, even though the plant is almost certainly 'Bagatelle'. The flowers measure 10–12 cm and appear violet to mauve, with a slightly darker bar on the long, pointed tepals, which leave small gaps between them. White filaments with purple-violet anthers add a fine accent at the centre.

At around 300 cm, 'Dorothy Walton' climbs trellises, fences and pergolas and can also be trained through shrubs. It flowers from June to September, filling the gap when many other clematis have finished. Choose a sunny to semi-shaded spot with moist, well-drained soil, preferably neutral to alkaline; it thrives in any aspect.

'Dorothy Walton' is reliably hardy (zone 6, down to about -23 °C). Since the flowers form on the current season's growth, cut the plant back to about 50 cm in March – this encourages vigorous new shoots and abundant flowering. It takes around two to five years to reach full size, so give it that time.