Clematis 'Princess Diana'

A delightfully different Clematis, this charming rebloomer will, like its namesake, quickly become the star of any setting! The dainty, upright blooms are shaped like Tulips, with a soft pink-to-white base and a rich darker pink stripe distinguishing every blossom. Very, very abundantly borne on neat little vines, they blanket the garden first in mid- to late summer, then return for an encore in fall.

'Princess Diana' is a species Clematis, thought to be a long-ago cross of one of the classic varieties, Jackmanii. Instead of offering dangling blooms or wide-open flowers, these 2- to 2 1/2-inch beauties sit upright, making the plant one of very few Clematis suitable for use as a groundcover. Few sights compare with looking down at a mass of upturned "faces"! Yet 'Princess Diana' also flourishes in large containers (trained up a trellis or let cascade over the side) and in the traditional glory spots reserved for Clematis -- pillars, lampposts, mailboxes, arbors, trellises, fences, and the Rose garden (where this vine twines comfortably up the open, widely-branched stems of hybrid teas.

This vine grows just 8 feet tall and wide in sunny to partly shaded soil. Like most Clematis, it prefers an eastern exposure and rich, moist soil. Mulch around the base of the plant to keep the roots cool. Hardy just about everywhere in the U.S., this is a vine to treasure! Pruning Group III. Zones 4-8.