Clematis Burning Love

Clematis 'Burning Love' is an exceptional new variety that combines the robustness of the Italian clematis, native to the Mediterranean basin, with larger, more open flowers. The intense red colour comes from its second parent, the 'Westerplatte' clematis. These flowers bloom all summer on a robust and vigorous plant that can climb up to four metres on neighbouring plants. Easy to grow and hardy, it thrives in ordinary, well-cultivated garden soil and can live for many years in the garden.

The Clematis genus belongs to the Ranunculaceae family. 'Burning Love' is a very recent horticultural variety, derived from Clematis viticella, native to Southern Europe. It belongs to the group of clematis that bloom in summer on the current year's growth. It is a semi-woody, climbing perennial that can reach 3 to 5 metres (10 to 16 feet) high and spread over an area of 1.50 square metres.

This clematis bears single, 6 to 8 cm (2 to 3in) diameter flowers from June to September, mainly in the upper half of the plant. The flowers are solitary, more or less upright or pendant with 4 broad and thick, slightly toothed sepals, curled at the edges, in a vivid velvety red colour that does not fade in the sun. They are almost fully open in a star shape, with a small yellow stamen centre. The flowers are followed by small feathery, greyish silver seed heads. The leaves are single, divided into small ovate to lanceolate leaflets, fairly light green with irregularly toothed edges. This clematis attaches itself to support or host plants through petioles transformed into tendrils. The deciduous foliage dries up in winter.

Plant clematis alongside your climbing roses to extend the flowering season of your walls and pergolas until the end of summer. This diverse genus has varieties available in all colours, shapes, and sizes. Take advantage of the easy cultivation of C.viticella varieties to give your garden a romantic and bohemian touch. 'Burning Love' is easy to grow in a sunny location and ordinary soil, and it will tolerate dry summers better than large-flowered clematis. It can be allowed to climb a shrub with a different flowering time, such as lilac, mock orange, or Japanese quince. It forms a beautiful combination with the 'Prince Charles' variety, which has light blue flowers.