Clematis x viticella ‘Zoiamha’ I am Happy - Clématite italienne, Clématite fausse-vigne

The Clematis ‘Zoiamha’, sold under the name I AM HAPPY, is a Viticella group clematis whose small bicoloured flowers differ markedly from the large flat corollas of classic hybrids. Throughout the summer, it produces numerous open, nodding bell-shaped flowers, purplish-red towards the edges and almost white in the centre, finely veined with red. It reaches about 3 m in height, a size suitable for arches and wire fences. Robust, hardy and easy to prune, it flowers again each year on new growth.

This clematis belongs to the Ranunculaceae family. It was bred in the Netherlands by Wim Snoeijer, who selected it in 1998. The first seedling flowered in 2001, and the variety was then named, registered and introduced by the J. van Zoest nursery in 2009. Its official horticultural name is ‘Zoiamha’, while I AM HAPPY is its trade name. It is classified in the Viticella group, which brings together selections and hybrids of Clematis viticella, a species naturally occurring from southeastern Europe to western Syria and northern Iran. These clematis are valued for their prolonged summer flowering, hardiness and ease of care. I AM HAPPY is a semi-woody perennial climbing plant: the young stems, initially green and flexible, turn brown and become woody as they age. They do not twine directly around their support; instead, the leaf petioles cling to wires, trellises or fairly fine twigs. The plant reaches 2.50 to 3 m in height and spreads about 1 m in width. Its deciduous foliage falls in autumn. The leaves, medium green, are divided into five to seven simple or further divided leaflets. Flowering, from June to September, occurs only on shoots formed since spring. The slightly nodding flowers are borne in groups of three to seven on slender stalks. Broadly campanulate, they measure 5 to 6 cm in diameter. Each has four sepals, sometimes up to six, wide enough to touch at the edges. Their margin is a deep purplish-red, the centre is creamy white. Reddish-purple veins run through the pale area, enhancing the bicoloured character of the flower. The greenish stamens, tinged reddish-purple at the base, remain discreet. Like other clematis in the Viticella group, it is hardy down to -20°C and less prone to dieback than large-flowered hybrids.

On an arch or trellis, this I AM HAPPY variety can be paired with the climbing rose ‘New Dawn’, a very pale pink. The two plants should be trained separately to facilitate pruning. In a large border, the clematis can also climb into the branches of a shrub that is not pruned in summer, for example the Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Diabolo’ with its dark purple foliage. To flower and shade the base of the clematis in summer, you can plant the Phlox paniculata ‘David’ for its white panicles and the geranium ‘Orion’, a vigorous groundcover adorned with large violet-blue flowers.