Not the plant you're looking for? Search over 300,000 plants

Climber Wall Shrub

Clematis 'White Swan' (A/d)

clematis 'White Swan'

A early-flowering, deciduous, climbing perennial up to 3m in height with green divided leaves. Double, pure-white flowers, with very long and twisted sepals, are borne from spring to early summer, followed by decorative, cream-coloured silky seedheads that become fluffier and grey with age

Synonyms

Clematis macropetala 'White Swan'

Save to My plants

Buy this plant

Plant nurseries
1 suppliers

Ultimate height

2.5–4 metres

Time to ultimate height

2–5 years

Ultimate spread

2.5–4 metres

Chalk

Clay

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Moist but well–drained, Well–drained

pH

Acid, Alkaline, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun
Partial shade

Aspect

West–facing or South–facing or North–facing or East–facing

Exposure

Exposed or Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Ranunculaceae
Native to GB / Ireland: No
Foliage: Deciduous
Habit: Climbing
Potentially harmful: Skin irritant. Wear gloves and other protective equipment when handling. Pets (rabbits): Harmful if eaten. For further information and contact numbers regarding pets, see the HTA guide to potentially harmful plants
Genus: Clematis can be deciduous or evergreen shrubs or herbaceous perennials, mostly climbing by twining leaf-stalks, and often with showy flowers. Some have attractive fluffy seedheads in autumn
Name status: Accepted
Horticultural Group: Atragene Group Clematis consists of woody climbers with deciduous, 1 to 2-ternate leaves and nodding, bell-shaped, single or double flowers to 10cm across, on old wood in spring and early summer, occasionally also later, on current year's growth

How to grow

Cultivation

Plant in a moisture-retentive, well-drained soil, with the roots and base of the plant kept cool and shaded by other plants or a layer of pebbles at the base. Plant with the crown 5-8cm deep to encourage new shoots to grow from below ground level. Can be grown in containers at least 45cm deep and wide in a peat-free, loam-based potting compost. See also clematis cultivation

Propagation

Propagate by layering or semi-hardwood cuttings

Suggested planting locations and garden types

City and courtyard gardens
Patio and container plants
Cottage and informal garden
Low Maintenance
Hedging and screens
Flower borders and beds
Wall side borders

Pruning

Clematis pruning: group one

Pests

May be susceptible to aphids, snails and caterpillars; petals may be eaten by earwigs

Diseases

May be susceptible to honey fungus (rarely), clematis wilt and clematis slime flux

Get involved

The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.