Clematis Viennetta

Clematis 'Viennetta' is a new, astonishing variety that produces some truly unusual large flowers during the season, reminiscent of passion flowers, with a perfectly arranged white and violet bicoloured pompom at their centre, surrounded by wide cream-white petals to create a quite fantastic bicoloured effect. They bloom throughout the summer, even until Christmas if the plant is placed in a cool conservatory. This small, floriferous climbing plant with modest growth, is perfectly suited for containers. In the garden, it will appreciate a sunny and sheltered position away from extreme cold. Despite its exotic appearance, 'Viennetta' is easy to grow and simply needs to be pruned to 20 cm (8in) above ground in late winter.

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The Clematis genus belongs to the buttercup family. Clematis Viennetta creates a sensation every year at the famous Chelsea Flower Show and was recently bred in Guernsey by the renowned Raymond Evison, a world-renowned specialist in varieties suitable for containers and small gardens. This hybrid possesses, among others, genes of Clematis florida 'Alba Plena' and 'Sieboldii', which have given it double flowers and a very long flowering period. At maturity, it will reach a maximum height of 2.50 m (8ft) and produce large flowers up to 10 cm (4in) in diameter on the current year's shoots. The flowering period lasts for approximately 5 months, from May-June to September-October. Each star-shaped flower is composed of a collar of wide and pointed pale white sepals surrounding a large heart of stamens transformed into small bicoloured petals with white reverses and violet edges. These petaloids surround a cluster of true, pale green-yellow stamens. The stems bear more or less deciduous to semi-evergreen dark green leaves, depending on the severity of winter.

Plant clematis alongside your climbing roses to extend the flowering period of your walls and pergolas until the end of summer. This is a diverse genus, with flowers of all colours, shapes and sizes. Take advantage of their easy cultivation to give your garden a romantic and bohemian touch. To protect the base of your clematis from excessive heat and drying out, plant it in the shade of a ground-covering perennial or a bush. Thanks to its moderate growth, 'Viennetta' will easily fit in a small garden and will thrive in a pot on a balcony, or next to an entrance door. These exotic flowers will be enhanced by dark-foliaged bushes such as Physocarpus, Cotinus Royal Purple, or Black Lace elderberry... This variety is slightly sensitive to wind and will benefit from being planted near an evergreen hedge.