Clematis 'Fairydust'

Clematis 'Fairydust' arose as a sport (spontaneous mutation) of 'Venosa Violacea' at the American nursery Spring Valley Greenhouse and has been listed in the international clematis register since 2001. Its roughly 12 cm flowers appear in vivid pink, carried on four to six narrow, pointed, overlapping sepals with white filaments and purple anthers.

At around 300 cm in height, 'Fairydust' is well suited to trellises, trellis panels, pergolas or fences. Flowering starts comparatively late and runs from August to October – a welcome splash of colour once many other climbers have finished, and a lovely companion to early-summer bloomers.

'Fairydust' is exceptionally hardy (zone 4, down to about -34 °C) and belongs to pruning group 3: cut it back hard to about 25 cm in March, and it will shoot out vigorously the same year and flower reliably on the new wood. As a robust viticella hybrid, it also suits beginner gardeners well.