Overwintering Clematis: Winter Protection and Hardy Varieties at a Glance

Clematis are perennial plants, which means they grow again after winter. That is why the question of the hardiness of clematis keeps coming up. What is usually meant is so-called overwintering. This not entirely accurate term refers to what the gardener does in autumn in the form of frost protection, which helps the plant survive somewhat lower temperatures than it would without protection.

So do clematis need to be overwintered?

Whether clematis need special protection in winter (= whether they have to be overwintered) can be answered briefly and clearly:

No. Clematis do not need winter protection.

Clematis are quite hardy in Germany. This applies both to the open ground and to growing them in containers.

But there is no rule without an exception: of course this does not apply to all of the approximately 400 varieties of clematis that we carry. There are simply too many different species and also exotics among them.

We therefore state for each variety the climate zone, including the temperature range in which it is generally hardy. Our clematis search also lets you filter for varieties that are frost-hardy in a particular climate zone.

Clematis from these species are not (fully) hardy:

The following species are generally somewhat frost-tender and should be given winter protection or be overwintered in the house, cellar or garage:

Cl. florida, most evergreen clematis and also some further varieties not widely available in trade here. Clematis montana are often described as only partly hardy; this applies above all to the first years after planting, whereas well-established plants only rarely and in extremely cold years die back.

Particularly hardy are above all the varieties among the early-flowering wild species as well as the 'old man's beard' and also most herbaceous clematis and most of the fragrant clematis. These are also suitable for higher altitudes in Austria or Switzerland and for extremely exposed locations.

In the reviews from our visitors you will find valuable information on the actual hardiness of a variety, often with further details on the location and microclimate. It often turns out that even somewhat frost-prone clematis survive successfully for several years without special winter protection in sheltered courtyards or in milder climates, such as the Rhineland.

=> To the overview of all clematis species