Clematis 'Dr. Ruppel'

Clematis 'Dr. Ruppel' was bred by Dr. Ruppel and introduced to the trade by the English nursery Fisk's Clematis Nursery, which named it after its breeder. Its large, 10-15 cm flowers appear pink with violet stripes: a broad, bold central bar sits on a pink base, surrounded by 6 to 8 slightly wavy tepals, with white to cream-coloured stamens and pale anthers. Occasionally the first flowers even open semi-double.

'Dr. Ruppel' flowers twice a year — from May to June and again from July to August — reaching a height of around 300 cm. With its compact habit and rich green foliage, it is excellent for trellises, obelisks and climbing frames, and also thrives in containers on a patio or balcony. It tolerates full sun without issue and keeps its bold colour in sunny spots; even so, keep the root area cool and shaded, for example with low companion plants or a layer of mulch.

The variety is reliably hardy (zone 6, -23.3 to -17.8 °C). Cut 'Dr. Ruppel' back to around 100 cm after its first flush in June, and a second flush will reliably follow; avoid a hard prune in early spring, however, as flowers form on the previous year's growth. For its garden merit, 'Dr. Ruppel' has been awarded the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.