Clematis 'Sunset'

Clematis 'Sunset' was raised around 1990 by American nurseryman Arthur H. Steffen and has earned the RHS Award of Garden Merit. Its 10–15 cm flowers glow in deep purple-red with a darker, velvety-sheened central bar on the usually 6 to 8 broad, slightly overlapping tepals, set off by bright yellow stamens.

At around 250 cm, 'Sunset' is superbly suited to fences, walls, pergolas, obelisks and other supports, yet stays compact enough to thrive in a container on patio or balcony. It flowers from July to September and, thanks to its undemanding nature, does equally well on south-, north-, east- or west-facing sites.

'Sunset' is reliably winter-hardy (zone 6, down to about -23 °C). After the first flowering, cut the plant back to about 100 cm in June; in early spring it is enough to remove dead and weak shoots.