Clematis montana

These large clematis are useful for covering unsightly sheds, telegraph poles, or smothering next door’s leylandii with a pink or white waterfall! They provide privacy from neighbours and anywhere else you wish to be clothed in masses of bloom during April and May. Vigorous growth is the best-known characteristic of this group.

C.montana Jacqui raised in Hertfordshire has double, semidouble and single blooms of creamy white with a delicious fragrance, we offer a deep red and a full double pink, plus the old favourites. Some of the pink and red varieties have deep-red, bronzy and deep-green foliage, and the creams and whites have hairy and bronze-green leaves. Little or no pruning is required for plants on large sites. If major surgery is to be practised then do it immediately after flowering and new shoots will burst out in July to carry the following years blossom.

Gardener’s tip: If you are tempted to clothe next door’s leylandii, remember that a large clematis will require a large root system and therefore a large planting hole is necessary.

C.montana alba Creamy white 5cm flowers in profusion, with light green foliage. Grows to 9m	A
C.montana Alexander Fragrant creamy white, with twisted tepals. Grows to 9m	D
Broughton Star Raised by my friend in Preston, this is well worth growing. Full double strawberry pink flowers all over the plant	E
Chrysocoma A more compact form of this type of clematis. Hairy bronze-green leaves, with blooms of 7.5cm white cups that have pink edges and golden stamens. Grows as a shrub up to 3m	D
Elizabeth The celebrated vanilla-scented clematis. Although it is a pale pink the volume of bloom gives an impression of a darker shade. Good deep green/red foliage	C
Freda Cherry red flowers with white centres.This was the first of darker coloured C.montanas. Not as vigorous as some of this group, which may be an advantage	F
Gothenberg Pink flowers ,with a distinctive leaf. Deep bottle-green leaves, with wide silver veining	C
Grandiflora 7.5cm white saucers, with good scent and handsome foliage.The one to provide cover, and our form is the very best	D
Jacqui The British Clematis Society have presented Mrs Jacqui Williams with an award for this introduction, and to date a major UK nursery has sold some 30,000 plants	E
Marjorie Double salmon-orange. Very popular with gardeners	D
Mayleen A favourite at the nursery. Deepish pink bloom, with a rich velvety texture. One of the best	E
New Dawn Larger pink flowers than many of the other cultivars and distinctive bronze foliage	D
Odorata A strongly scented variety. Flowers of mid-pink, with a deeper pink to the centre	E
Pictons Variety Selected for its deep pink colour and strong fragrance	D
Pink Perfection Slightly deeper pink than Elizabeth. Very handsome foliage; deep red stems and leaves when in growth	D
Primrose Star A welcome addition to the group pale primrose. Full double flowers held separately on the plant	E
Rubens Olga Good deep pink flowers in profusion followed by the darkest red/green foliage we have ever seen on a montana. We are the only nursery propagating this cultivar. Well worth growing	D
Spoonerii Pure white 7.5cm blooms on long stems and deep green foliage	C
Sunrise Full double pinky-red blooms, 5cm across, displaying typical heavy flowering of this group	E
C.montana tetrarose Deep silky pink 5cm flowers, with dark red/green foliage making this a sought after plant. It is the longest flowering of this species, commencing in May and continuing until at least the end of June	E
Vera Mid pink with slight scent	D
Warwickshire Rose Deep rose pink with red-bronze foliage	D
Wilsonii Collected by the famous plant collector E.H. Wilson. Heavily scented, creamy white flowers in great profusion. One of our favourites	E