Clematis Viticella Sea Breeze

27.06.2023 - 08:42 / aberdeengardening.co.uk

Clematis Viticella Sea Breeze flowering well in its first year

Planted in the courtyard garden in March this year Clematis Viticella Sea Breeze is looking very promising.

I never expect much from Clematis in the first year so I am surprised at the number of blooms clinging to the young Rowan tree, each one on quite a long stem nodding slightly in the sea breeze of our coastal village.

We planted five Clematis in this border the others as yet are not ready to be shown off. I have high hopes for next year.

Sea Breeze started to bloom at the beginning of July, encouraged by the brilliant weather.

Check out this other blue clematis in our garden

The Viticella group of Clematis which Sea Breeze belongs to is the easiest to care for. When it comes to pruning, all you have to do is simply cut the stems back in early March to about 20cm/8inches from ground level, prune just above a bud.

Sea breeze has numerous blooms of a pale blue shade, slightly paler than  Blue Angel, another favourite Clematis of ours.

Sea breeze is a new introduction for 2018. Flowers are a pale blue turning white at the centre as they age. Grows to a height of about 10/12 feet and said to do well in tubs.

Tests have shown that it has a very long flowering period, claiming to still be in bloom in November.

• Hardiness – fully hardy

• Soil – any reasonable free draining garden soil

• Position – full sun/part shade

• Height – 8/12 feet, ideal for the small garden and said to be good in pots

• Pruning – hard prune as described above viticella are very resistant to clematis wilt. keep well watered in the first year.

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A look at the back garden in mid-July