Clematis Barbara Harrington®

The Clematis or Clematis 'Barbara Harrington®' is a recent variety of clematis, prized for its rich and intense cherry red flowers contrasting with a bright heart composed of white stamens and cream yellow anthers! This climbing perennial is adorned with 12 cm (5in) diameter flowers with petals beautifully curved downwards, from May-June and in August-September. With a compact size, it is well-suited for small gardens as ground cover or in containers, climbing on a trellis. Perfectly hardy and easy, plant it with the "head in the sun and the feet in the shade".

The genus Clematis belongs to the ranunculaceae family. 'Barbara Harrington®' is a natural mutation of the Clematis 'Comtesse de Bouchard', obtained by sowing by D. Harrington in 1996 in the United Kingdom and marketed from 2003.

It is a woody and climbing perennial plant with short stems, which will not exceed 3 m (10ft) in height, with a spread of 2 m (7ft). The deciduous leaves fall in winter. They are bright green, composed of 3 ovate to lanceolate leaflets measuring 3 to 7 cm (1 to 3in) long and 1.5 to 5 cm (1 to 2in) wide, and traversed by relatively prominent veins. The flowers are composed of 6 broadly elliptical tepals with tips curved backwards at their ends. They are 12 cm (5in) wide in diameter. The flower is a very intense cherry red, crowned with white stamens and yellow anthers. The colour of the flowers tends to fade at full bloom, especially when the plant is grown in very sunny exposure. This clematis clings to the support or host plant by means of voluble stems with petioles transformed into tendrils. This variety has good health and hardiness.

Plant your clematis alongside your climbing roses or lianas to extend the flowering of your walls and pergolas until the end of summer. It 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. The vibrant colour of the flowers of the 'Barbara Harrington®' variety would be perfect alongside yellow flowers or against a backdrop of golden or light foliage, such as on a hedge of variegated privet or on a Mexican orange 'Goldfinger'. Thanks to its relatively small size, it will easily find its place in a small garden and will be perfectly happy in a pot on a balcony or next to an entrance door, embracing a small bamboo structure to welcome visitors with its magically coloured flowering.