Clematis 'Shirayukihime'

Clematis 'Shirayukihime' was introduced in 1989 by Japanese breeder Takashi Watanabe. Its name means 'Snow White' in Japanese – named after the same fairy-tale character known here too. The snow-white flowers reach up to 14 cm across and show striking yellow stamens that create an attractive contrast against the pure white petals.

'Shirayukihime' is one of the early hybrids and flowers from June to August; after the main flush, a second flowering can follow into autumn. With a compact, bushy habit of around 200 cm, it is well suited to container growing, as well as to smaller obelisks, trellises or as a companion to roses and shrubs that need spring pruning. The site should be well drained and offer full sun to semi-shade; against a dark background such as conifers or dark-leaved shrubs, the white flowers show to best advantage.

As an early hybrid, 'Shirayukihime' is reliably hardy (zone 6, -23.3 to -17.8 °C) and copes well with cooler sites too. Cut the stems back to about 25 cm in March so the plant flowers freely on the new growth.