Clematis 'Red Passion'

Clematis 'Red Passion' was raised by the Dutch nursery J. van Zoest in Boskoop and is a sister cultivar to the well-known 'Green Passion'. Its 8–10 cm flowers appear in a strong red, double to semi-double with numerous narrow petals — the colour leans towards purplish-red, with fine light-green markings at the petal tips, and the later flush is often even more densely filled.

The main flush appears from May to June on last year's wood. At around 200 cm, 'Red Passion' suits trellises, obelisks and other supports well, and its compact growth also makes it a good container plant. Remove spent flower heads promptly and the plant will often produce a second flush on new growth in late summer.

'Red Passion' is reliably winter-hardy (zone 6, down to about -23 °C) and copes well with the wet winters of Central Europe. For vigorous growth and abundant flowering, cut the plant back to about 75 cm in June. A nutrient-rich, free-draining soil with a cool root run encourages flowering.