Clematis Taiga A new, very showy, hybrid clematis with flowers that vary through the seasons, Clematis Taiga (‘River’) is a fast-growing, herbaceous climber with mid-green, typical tripartite clematis leaves. From July to September, the plant carries big, deep blue-purple flowers, sometimes double with greenish-cream tips, sometimes single with cream centres, and sometimes star-shaped. The main flush comes at midsummer, but the flowers appear through summer into autumn. It’s an easy-to-prune Group 3 clematis, so prune in late winter to two fat buds about 6-8”/15-20cm above the ground, removing the dead stems. Then apply a balanced slow-release fertiliser and mulch well, keeping the mulch away from the stems and crown – clematis love cool, moist roots. As clematis Taiga is quite small, it can be grown in soil-based compost in a large container on an obelisk and fed weekly – clematis are hungry plants. Site: ShelteredSoil: Humus-rich, moisture-retentive, well-drained soil, preferably neutralPosition: Full sun or partial shadeSeason of interest: July to SeptemberHardiness: Fully hardyHeight: 6’6” (2m) Spread: 39” (1m) Photos by HQ, cropped, and licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.