Clematis of the month for July, 2010

Clematis 'Pagoda'

I adore my ‘Pagoda’ because it so prolific and in my garden I get 3 crops a year.  Unfortunately, you will see Clematis ‘Pagoda’ being sold in this country as C. texensis ‘Pagoda’.  I hate it when there is any confusion associated with the naming and the classification of plants, especially clematis because it just makes it more difficult for gardeners to get correct information. 

Clematis ‘Pagoda’ in fact belongs to the Viticella Group.  I feel safe in saying that because I have two well-respected people in the clematis world who have classified it so: its breeder, John Treasure and clematarian, Wim Snoeijer.  Just look at its parentage* and you will see that there is 3 three quarters viticella blood in its lineage.  It also does not have the traditional upward tulip-faced flowers associated with others such as C. ‘Duchess of Albany’ that are in the Texensis Group.  Instead, it has the bell-shaped flowers like those of C. ‘Abundance’ (in the Viticella Group).  So, I hope this will end any confusion about the correct naming and classification.  The good news for you is since it is in the Viticella Group you can be assured it will be dependable and easy to grow.

If you choose to give it a place in your garden it will reward you with hundreds of sweet little gems.  The upper sides of the tepals are painted white with mauve-pink edges and veining.  The undersides are mauve-pink with a dark-purple center bar. The flower is 1½” to 3" in diameter and has 4 tepals. Its stamens are creamy-yellow.  Each of these little bells loves to sway in the slightest breeze making them a joy to behold.  It blooms in USDA Zones 4 through 11.  It grows to a height of 6 to 9 feet making it a good choice for a trellis. It is vigorous and free flowering.  It thrives equally in sunny or shady locations and can be pruned hard or optionally.

C. ‘Pagoda’ was raised in 1983 in England by plantsman, John Treasure.  This wonderful cultivar is the result of the crossing of ‘Etiole Rose’ x C. viticella.

* C. ‘Etoile Rose’ was raised by Lemoine et Fils, appearing on their list in 1903. The parentage was given as C. x globulosa crossed with a variety of C. viticella. (C. x globulosa was raised by Lemoine in 1891 and was a hybrid of C. hirsutissima var scottii x C. texensis). Source (http://www.clematis.hull.ac.uk/new-clemdetail.cfm?dbkey=526)

From Our Clematis Database

Clematis 'Pagoda'

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5.0/5 stars

Group Viticella
Color Pink
Flower Size 1 1/2, nodding
Height Medium-tall
Light Exposure Sun
Prune Hard, Optional
Fragrance n/a
Suitable for container Yes
Grows in Zones
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11