Clematis virginiana

Clematis 'virginiana' is a wild woodland vine native to eastern North America, introduced to Britain as early as 1767. Its small, fragrant flowers open greenish and mature to creamy white to white; they usually consist of four, occasionally five, narrow, elliptic to spoon-shaped tepals, from the centre of which filaments emerge green at first and later turn white.

From August to September, 'virginiana' opens its many small flowers. At around 300 cm tall, it makes a fine climber for fences, trellises and larger wall surfaces, where it spreads quickly; as a vigorous wild species it appreciates a sunny to partly shaded spot with moist, well-drained soil.

'virginiana' is very winter-hardy (zone 5, -28.8 to -23.4 °C) and easy to care for. Cut the plant back to about 25 cm in March so it reshoots vigorously and flowers abundantly; we supply it in a 2-litre pot with strong shoots.