WHICH IS THE BEST CLEMATIS MONTANA? |The Garden of Eaden

Clematis montana var. grandiflora

Clematis montana has proven itself to be a fantastic garden climbing plant and rightly so. It produces exotic, luxurious foliage and is one the first impressive early bloomers of spring. Native to the mountainous regions of Asia, from Afghanistan to Taiwan, it is a vigorous, deciduous climber coveted for its mass of small, fragrant blooms which appear for a period of about four weeks in late spring. Is is almost bulletproof hardy and a fantastic addition to the northern European garden.

Clematis montana ‘Van Gogh’

So when it come to choosing a Clematis montana cultivar for your garden, assuming that you have enough room, which is the best clematis montana? This of course depends on your point of view and requirements, but with so many selected cultivars to choose from we will consider the following as the best of the bunch.

As an overall winner, Clematis montana ‘By the Way’ is arguably one of the best single flowering, medium cultivars, producing a flurry of soft-pink, deliciously fragrant open blooms from top to bottom.

If perfume is important then Clematis montana 'Mayleen' is the cultivar for you as it produces the strongest fragrant scent of all. This one must be at top of your list.

When looking for something with maximum sized blooms, look no further than Clematis 'Giant Star'. This mid-pink, upward facing form has some of the largest sized cup-shaped flowers in the genus.

Clematis montana are usually in bloom for no more than a few weeks but if that isn't enough for you then consider Clematis montana ‘Van Gogh’. It has some of the deepest coloured flowers and can remain in bloom for an impressive six weeks!

If you want a Clematis montana but don't have the space then you have to look at Clematis ‘Primrose Star’. Not only is it an excellent compact choice it is unusual in that it produces a lemon-yellow, double-flower. If this colour is not your cup of tea then the compact Clematis ‘Freda’ with its single mauve-pink blooms will tick the box.

Many gardeners just want hardy and reliable and you can beat one of the original garden favourites Clematis montana var. grandiflora. This white flowered marvel is one of the best selling and well known of all the montana cultivars and for good reason.