Wisley Cream Clematis Plants

Wisley Cream Clematis Plants

Wisley Cream is an evergreen winter-flowering clematis with elegant pale cream green-tinged flowers from December into early spring, which are a great resource for pollinators in the lean season. The blooms are pretty, single bell-shaped affairs with lovely yellow stamens, which nod daintily from the plant. Worth a mention, too, are the soft, fluffy seedheads and rich purple-brown stems, which complement the flowers beautifully. It thrives in a spot in full sun, where it'll thrum with the buzz of bees throughout the flowering season. An RHS AGM winner, it's reliable, gorgeous and the ideal climber for a south or west-facing fence, arbour or pergola that can be seen and admired from the house, lifting the spirits in the winter months. Take a look at our full range of clematis varieties.

Features

• Size: 4m x 1m
• Colour: Cream, tinged with pale green
• Shape: Small, bell-shaped single flowers
• Scent: None
• Flowering: Dec-Mar
• Group: Climber
• Evergreen foliage
• Fluffy seedheads
• Type: Cirrhosa
• Habit: Climber
• Pruning group 1
• Ideal for pollinators
• RHS Award of Garden Merit
• Hardy to -10C

Growing Wisley Cream Clematis

This is a clematis that needs full sun and protection from harsh winds and the worst of the cold, so plant in a sheltered spot a couple of feet away from a south or west-facing fence, arbour or pergola, where it'll be bathed by the winter sun and attract plenty of bees and other pollinating insects for its valuable early-season nectar. It makes a big climber in a few years, so give it room to spread.

Plant ideally in autumn or spring and incorporate a generous amount of garden compost or leaf mould into the planting hole. Water in well and either cover the surrounding soil with small stones or plant shading evergreens at the base to protect against clematis wilt. If your winters regularly dip below 5-10C, then grow in a roomy pot with suitable climbing support, and bring the plant in under glass over winter. Either way, in spring, it's a good idea to feed with a slow-release fertiliser and mulch with garden compost.

Prune after flowering, if needed, to keep it in check, cutting back shoots to healthy buds.

Garden Design Ideas

Being evergreen, Wisley Cream will bring year-round interest to the garden. But to complement the pretty cream winter flowers, an underplanting of winter and early-spring bulbs is always a winner. A thick carpet of snowdrops beneath would complete that picture of wintry perfection, interspersed perhaps with jolly purple and white crocus.

History & Trivia

Named after the place it was raised, Wisley Cream hails from the magnificent RHS gardens at Wisley in Surrey, where it was bred by Ken Aslet in the 1970s.

Cirrhosa clematis are natives of Spain and Portugal, hence their love of sheltered, wind-protected spots. It's part of a group of well-loved winter-flowering clematis that are prized for their subtle, elegant blooms that bring joy to us and much-needed food for pollinators at the toughest time of the year.

Cirrhosa is from the same Greek root, kirros, meaning tawny or orange, as cirrhosis of the liver: what you do with that information is up to you.

Clematis is a genus of more than 200 species, evergreen and deciduous, which cling by twining leaf stalks. There are more than 400 different cultivars, with flowering times spanning all four seasons and colours ranging from white to cream, yellow, all manner of pinks and purples, through to red.

Wisley Cream's nodding bell-shaped flowers are particularly marvellous when viewed from below, so an arbour makes a great spot for growing this cultivar.

Clematis flowers range from a dainty 1-2cm to huge 20cm blooms.