Clematis 'Morning Sky'

Clematis 'Morning Sky' was bred by Polish hybridiser Szczepan Marczyński – selected in 2004, officially named in 2014 and awarded a gold medal at the FlowersExpo in Russia that same year. Its 8–10 cm, almost circular flowers are a light violet with white that lightens further towards the centre, veined with delicate pink. The 4 to 6 rhombic, pointed sepals surround short, darkly coloured stamens on yellow filaments.

At around 300 cm, 'Morning Sky' climbs vigorously over fences, pergolas and trellises, and also likes to scramble into shrubs and small trees. It flowers from June to September – the main flush appears from late June to mid-August, followed by a sparser second flush into September. As a robust, undemanding cultivar it thrives in south-, east- or west-facing positions alike.

'Morning Sky' is exceptionally winter-hardy (zone 4, down to about -34 °C) and reliably survives harsh winters. Cut the plant back hard to about 50 cm in March – this hard pruning encourages compact growth and an especially rich flowering display throughout the season.