Clematis 'Julka'

Clematis 'Julka' was raised by the Polish breeder Szczepan Marczyński and named after his youngest daughter Julianna – Julka is the short form. It belongs to the 'Szczepan's ladies', which also include 'Barbara' and 'Hania'; its seed parent is thought to be 'Mrs. N. Thompson'. Its velvety flowers, 10–15 cm across, are violet with a striking purple-red bar down the middle of the usually six, sometimes eight sepals, set off by pale creamy-white anthers. The colour shifts through the season: the first flowers look deep violet-blue with a narrow bar, later ones lean towards a redder violet with dark edges.

At around 300 cm tall, 'Julka' climbs a trellis, pergola or support frame; its compact, bushy habit also makes it interesting for small gardens and large containers. It flowers from May to June. The colour looks best and lasts longest in partial shade – this cultivar is happy on an east, north or west aspect, but avoid hot, full-sun south-facing positions.

'Julka' is quite hardy (zone 6, down to about -23 °C). Cut the plant back to about 100 cm in June; no hard pruning is needed in spring. Its qualities were recognised early: a silver medal at Plantarium in Boskoop in 2002 and a silver medal at Chelsea in 2003.