Clematis 'Yukikomachi'

'Yukikomachi' is a Japanese hybrid of unknown parents. This clematis was raised by Chieko Kurasawa but the year is unknown. This hybrid was first published in 1984 and belongs to the early large-flowered group. C. 'Yukikomachi' is now available in Europe. It has a good combination of colours in the flower, notably very soft colours.

This compact plant is usually no more than 2.5 metres tall. The special coloured flowers are 8-12 cm across. The flower has 6-8 broad yet pointed sepals, slightly cupped and overlapping near the base. The sepals are pale lavender with a central white bar. The tips of the sepals are tinged yellowish brown. The stamens are deep greenish yellow.

The flowers appear in early spring on the previous year's growth. The plant grows well in a shaded position and under these conditions has the best colours. Avoid a place in full sun, otherwise the pale lavender colour becomes paler.

The pruning group is 2 and if you hard prune in the beginning of spring you eliminate most or possibly all of the early blooms. Instead, prune after flowering by cutting back the top one-third to one-half of some stems. Pruning keeps the plant in a good condition and form.