Clematis trichotoma

Clematis 'trichotoma' is a botanical wild species from South Korea, where it grows in open woodland and scrub up to an elevation of around 850 metres. In June it opens small, white flowers with four to six sepals and pale yellow stamens, appearing together in groups of at least five. Its most striking feature is an intense, sweet fragrance that resembles that of mock orange (Philadelphus).

Growing to around 400 cm, 'trichotoma' suits trellises, pergolas and fences, on which it climbs vigorously. The species tolerates both sunny and partly shaded positions and is not particular about soil pH – what matters most is consistently moist soil during the growing season, with somewhat drier conditions in winter.

'trichotoma' is considered very winter-hardy (zone 5, down to about -28.8 to -23.4 °C); in a Dutch trial winter it even survived temperatures down to -8 °C undamaged. For vigorous new growth and abundant flowering, cut the plant back to about 75 cm in March.