Alba Clematis Plants

Clematis montana Alba: Pot-Grown White Himalayan Clematis

This variety is rugged and reliable, with masses of simple flowers in April to May or June.

Vigorous to about 8-12 metres by 4 metres.

Browse our other clematis, or all of our climbing plants.

Delivery season: Clematis are delivered in pots year round, when in stock. It is usually best not to plant out pot grown plants in winter, but to keep them until Spring, because they will establish faster in warm soil and give you better first year growth.

Features:

• White.
• Flowers: April-May/June
• Type: Montana
• Habit: Climber
• Pruning group 1
• To 10+ by 4 metres

Growing Alba Clematis

It will be happiest in alkaline or neutral soil. It prefers a warm, sunny corner, but does will in moderate shade. It is hardy, and tolerates a bit of wind. Cut back after flowering to keep it under control

In Your Garden Design

Not one for a small garden - Clematis montana is a rampant creature and will charge away, which is wonderful if you want to cover a wall or let it rampage along a fence or up into a tree. An early flowerer, it will bring a mass of scented white flowers to the garden. Roses are their ideal companion plants: try intertwining with other abundant climbers such as the wonderful Agatha Christie, Bantry Bay or Danse du Feu. Wisteria are great partners for clematis too: the Amethyst Chinese would look really striking with it, a bit like a blue and white china combination.

Did You Know?

First recorded in 1818 and introduced to the UK from India by Lady Sarah Amherst in 1831 (1762–1838), after whom the delightful pheasant Chrysolophus amherstiae is named; when I was young, they were roaming free in several areas of Great Britain, but apparently they are no longer around outside captivity.

Back to our clematis: taxonomists immediately began duelling over the name, which was originally C. odorata. For a while, it was the only C. montana, then relegated to C. montana var montana. It has been in cultivation for so long that most people have settled for calling it Alba.

How to Grow Clematis montana Alba:

• Give it a deep, moist spot to bury its roots into.
• The soil needs to be a well-drained (it won't tolerate waterlogging).
• The climber needs a supporting structure - the plant will become heavy if left unpruned.
• Final height of 7m makes it well suited to scrambling through large trees, or covering large walls/fences.
• Pruning group 1 - no regular pruning required. If you want to reduce their size, prune immediately after flowering.
• All clematis like a mulch of well-rotted manure or garden compost in late spring.

Look out for: Aphids and caterpillars are fond of the young shoots

Follow planting instructions to minimize the risk of clematis wilt

Clematis slime flux, a bacterial infection of damaged tissue, can kill large specimens in a short period of time. It can be pruned out if spotted early.