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

Climber Wall Shrub

Clematis patens

open-flowered clematis

Slender, deciduous climber long cultivated in Japan, an old species clematis about 3m tall, with single upright flowers to 13cm across, in variable colours from white to shades of pink and blue with reddish-mauve anthers, flowering from mid spring to early summer, then late summer

Synonyms

Clematis caerulea

Save to My plants

Ultimate height

2.5–4 metres

Time to ultimate height

2–5 years

Ultimate spread

1.5–2.5 metres

Chalk

Clay

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Moist but well–drained

pH

Acid, Alkaline, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun
Partial shade

Aspect

South–facing or West–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 the UK: 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: Correct
Plant range: China, Japan, Korea

How to grow

Cultivation

Plant in 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. Ideal for a trellis or garden obelisk. See clematis cultivation

Propagation

Propagate by softwood cuttings in spring, semi-ripe cuttings in early summer or layering

Suggested planting locations and garden types

City and courtyard gardens
Cottage and informal garden
Patio and container plants
Climber and wall shrubs
Wall side borders

Pruning

See clematis pruning: group two

Pests

May be susceptible to aphid, slug, snail or caterpillar damage on young growth

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.