Clematis Beth Currie

Clematis 'Beth Currie', also known as C. 'Vivienne', produces a profusion of large violet flowers (10 to 15cm (4 to 6in)) with a centre marked by a red-purple stripe. It blooms between May and June, with a second flowering in late summer on the current year's shoots.

This English cultivar has a moderate growth rate, reaching a height of 2 to 3m (7 to 10ft) and a spread of 1.2 to 1.5m (4 to 5ft). It was developed in 1980. It produces an abundance of blooms and easily fits into small spaces. It belongs to the Ranunculaceae family. This beautiful climber can be used to hide an unattractive fence, or climb up a trellis or pergola, to which it will cling with its tendrils. It also grows very well in pots, brightening up a patio or balcony.

Like most large-flowered clematis, 'Beth Currie' likes to have its base in the shade (for example behind a small bush or under a tile) and its head in the sun. This hardy plant appreciates moist and rich soil. In poorly drained soil, however, it can be sensitive to wilt disease, which is characterised by a sudden withering of leaves and stems. In this case, remove the affected parts at ground level and improve drainage. It is often recommended to plant clematis with the root ball horizontal and bury the stems a few centimetres deep to increase the number of new shoots from the base.

It flowers in spring on last year's stems and again in late summer on the current year's shoots.

Prune in winter, leaving one stem out of two a few tens of centimetres above the ground, above a pair of buds.

It can be grown with clumbing roses, or combined with other clematis in matching tones, such as Clematis 'General Sikorski' or C. 'Piilu'. It can also be trained to climb into bushes to complement their flowering, such as Hibiscus syriacus, which blooms in similar tones during its summer break, or forsythias, which have finished blooming when it takes over.