Clematis 'Blue Belle'

Clematis 'Blue Belle' was raised around 1925 by the British breeder Ernest Markham. It belongs to the Viticella Group (Italian clematis) and bears large flowers 8 to 10 cm across in a very deep blue-violet that fades to plum-purple over time. The slightly bell-shaped flowers have four to six sepals and greenish-white to golden-yellow stamens, and are slightly hairy on the outside.

'Blue Belle' flowers from June to September and reaches about 300 cm in height. A vigorous climber, it suits a trellis, obelisk or climbing frame and can also be grown in a container at least 45 cm deep and wide. It thrives in full sun or partial shade and is not fussy about aspect; what matters is a cool, moisture-retentive, well-drained soil.

'Blue Belle' is very hardy (zone 5, about -28.8 to -23.4 °C). It flowers on the current year's growth and is cut back to about 25 cm in March. Plant it with the crown 5 to 8 cm below the soil surface – this encourages strong new shoots from the base.