Clematis 'Mrs George Jackman'

Clematis 'Mrs George Jackman' is one of the oldest large-flowered hybrids still available today: the English nursery George Jackman & Son of Woking raised it in 1873 from 'Candida' and 'Fortunei' and introduced it in 1875 – named after the wife of nursery founder George Jackman. The 10–15 cm flowers show eight or more pointed, overlapping sepals in bright white with a fine satin sheen and a creamy central bar; beige stamens with reddish-brown connectives sit at the centre. The season's first flowers are occasionally semi-double.

'Mrs George Jackman' flowers reliably twice: in June on last year's wood, and again from July to August on the new shoots. At around 200 cm, it stays pleasantly compact and slender – ideal for obelisks, trellises and generous pots. Its simple, elegant flowers show to good effect in both sun and semi-shade, though as with all clematis the root area should be kept cool and shaded.

The variety is reliably winter-hardy (zone 6, down to about -23 °C) and belongs to pruning group 2. For vigorous growth and a rich second flush, cut 'Mrs George Jackman' back to about 100 cm after the first flowering in June. Since its introduction some 150 years ago, the variety has proven exceptionally reliable and has held the RHS Award of Garden Merit since 1993.