Clematis alpina
Clematis macropetala

Brilliant displays of hanging lanterns of many hues – single on alpinas and double on macropetalas; plants measure 180cm high and 150cm across. These are among the hardiest clematis grown at the nursery; they are showing well in the chill winds of March. They bloom for a long time and retain their colour, since light levels are low early in the year. The plants require little or no pruning just after flowering to keep them tidy. Grow them over walls, down banks, through shrubs with a C.viticella for continuous blooming through July, August and September. Foliage is ferny and light green, and seedheads are carried into the winter.

Gardener’s tip: lots of customers grow a pink and a blue clematis together in an Alibaba jar.

C.alpina
All the C.alpinas listed below have hanging lantern shaped flowers with four tepals some having more staminodes in the centre of the flower than others.

Albiflora Long creamy white, with strong stems light green foliage	C
Bettina Deepest maroon, a dramatic addition, much sought after	E
Blue Dancer Extra long tepals of pale blue	C
Brunette Extra large deep-red flowers	E
Columbine Pale Satin blue flowers in profusion	C
Constance Pinky Red semi-double, with white staminodes	D
Foxy The palest of pinks	C
Francis Rivis (European) Widely-flung, deep-blue tepals with white staminodes	E
Francis Rivis (English) Pale sky-blue 5cm hanging lanterns	E
Frankie Huge mid-blue flowers, with white staminodes	E
Helsingborg The avant garde C.alpina. Deepest violet, with well-shaped deep lanterns and the smartest foliage carried on black stems	E
Islington A cheeky little mid-blue with prominent staminodes of blue/white, making it one of the best for flowers	A
Jacqueline du Pre The largest mid-pink tepals edged with silver. A beautiful variety and much in demand	D
Pamela Jackman The famous deep blue, much sought after with a long history in English gardens	D
Pauline Large bright blue flowers with white staminodes	C
Pink Flamingo Masses of pink flowers, all edged in a deep pink. Very pretty	F
Priorswood Red flare An important new C.alpina variety that throws the deep red lanterns upwards on the flowers, some having up to six tepals on longer than average flower stalks, with clear white staminodes. We think this variety has a future and is a significant improvement on C.alpina Ruby. Plant Breeders Rights have been applied for	D
Rosy Pagoda Pale pink lanterns in profusion, with red edges on tepals and staminodes	E
Ruby Deep red lanterns, flowering for many months. Popular for ruby weddings	E
Sibirica White Moth Full double outflung flowers that look like white moths. Always in demand	E
Willy Two shades of pink with a paler inside to the lanterns, popular variety	C
White columbine Delicate white lanterns in profusion with a foil of yellow green foliage making this a very attractive plant	E

C.macropetala
Similar in every respect to C.alpinas, but with double flowers.

Ballet Skirt Very wide, 10cm, rose pink, with paler staminodes. In short supply	C
Bluebird Extra long ballerina-tutu flowers of two shades of blue fading to white. Every visitor to the nursery wants one	E
Floralia A profusion of palest blue small flowers with outflung tepals	C
Jan Lindmark Deep purple-pink with deeper streaks. Grows well	C
Lagoon A solid deep blue that demands everyone’s attention. Very attractive, easy to grow	E
C.macropetala species Introduced from China in 1829. We have John Treasure’s clone. Full double lavender flowers all over the plant. Would be difficult to improve upon	C
Maidwell Hall Synonymous with Lagoon	E
Markhams Pink The best known and most requested Pink C.macropetala. Raised at Gravetye Manor in Kent by Ernest Markham, dating back to around 1935	D
Pauline Large bright blue flowers with white staminodes	D
Purple Spider Very deep purple almost to black	F
Snowbird Large, solid white cogwheels hang out from waxy pale-green foliage, difficult to propagate, but delightful in the garden	F
Wesselton Extra large seedling from Mr J. Fisk. An excellent mid-blue variety	D
White Swan Creamy white, long pixie bells with a touch of brown on the cap	E