Winter Blooming Clematis

CLEMATIS CIRROSA var. BALEARICA ‘FRECKLES’, A WINTER BLOOMING EVERGREEN CLEMATIS FOR COLD GREENHOUSES, OR WINTER-MILD GARDENS IN CALIFORNIA.

 We have all have a vision of clematis vines, but winter-blooming clematis? Not so much. If your idea of clematis  brings to mind a motif which involves tacky lamp posts in the summer, there are some very choice species and selections that are more interesting, particularly a species that comes from the mild winter climate of Spain and Italy.

Selections of C. cirrhosa are always hard to find in the states, look for then names which often have Christmas titles –  C. cirrhosa ‘Jingle Bells ( an all white form) comes to mind. My first C. cirrhosa Jingle Bells’ came as a Holiday gift plant. Other selections to look for are ‘Wisley Cream’, ( a white and greenish blossom, and  ‘Freckles’, shown here. A few commercial growers are selling a few of these Clematis to retailers like Whole Foods and flower markets, trained as wreathes  as a seasonal pot plant in the north, but if you have a cold greenhouse, the species makes a magnificent show ( this is my first year growing it, but I have seen some vines in greenhouses that are often in full bloom at Christmas).  Commonly grown in gardens in the  United Kingdom, in North America, the species and named varieties are harder to find.