Clematis 'I AM LADY J'

Clematis 'Lady J' belongs to the I AM®™ series and was bred by the Dutch breeder Wim Snoeijer: raised in 1996, named in 2008 and introduced as a novelty in 2009. It belongs to the Viticella Group and produces nodding, open bell-shaped flowers 5-6 cm across in purple with white; the four loosely arranged, slightly recurved tepals show pale green filaments with purple connectives.

From June to September, 'Lady J' opens a continuous succession of new flowers, giving a long flowering season in the garden. Reaching a height of around 300 cm, it is well suited to trellises, climbing frames and obelisks, as well as for covering fences or larger supports in containers. It thrives in a sunny to semi-shaded spot with the root area kept cool and shaded – for example by low companion plants or a layer of mulch.

'Lady J' is reliably hardy (zone 5, down to about -28.8 to -23.4 °C) and copes well even with colder winters. Prune it back to about 25 cm in March, as it belongs to pruning group 3 and produces its flowers on the current year's growth. As a free-flowering, robust variety, it is also well suited to less experienced gardeners.