Best late-flowering clematis for...

‘Princess Diana’ AGM

A striking texensis type, the petals of which glow reddish pink around cream stamens. Plant against a trellis, or train to grow through large shrubs. A good container clematis; needs mulching with shingle for shade and moisture. HxS: 8ftx39in (2½x1m).

C.x triternata ‘Rubromarginata’

Pretty and vigorous, with masses of starry white flowers edged and tipped with purple-pink, emitting a fragrance like hawthorn or marzipan. Dating back to 1862; a hybrid between C. flammula and C. viticella ‘Rubra’. HxS: 10x5ft (3x1½m).

Make plants secure so they won’t rock and set them 18in (45cm) away from the base of a wall or fence – further still from thirsty shrubs and trees.

Members of the buttercup family, clematis can live for 50-80 years, so if you get it right you could be enjoying their lovely flowers for decades.

‘Bill MacKenzie’ AGM

One of the tangutica tribe (named for the Tangut region of Tibet), this largeflowered cultivar was selected at Waterperry in Oxfordshire. Yellow lanterns dangle into November, and are followed by silken seedheads. HxS: 15x8ft (5x2.4m).

Blue Angel AGM

A wondrous viticella hybrid whose pale, crinkle-edged flowers, in soft mauveblue with creamy-yellow anthers, glisten and shimmer. A fast grower, it thrives in any aspect, producing blooms from June to October. HxS: 8x6ft (2½x1.8m).

‘Polish Spirit’ AGM

Plant for a generous supply of starshaped, deep purple flowers, opening against strong foliage on an easygoing viticella hybrid. The silky blooms may be smaller than those of ever-popular ‘Étoile Violette’ but they will go on for longer. HxS: 10ftx39in (3x1m).

‘Purpurea Plena Elegans’ AGM

This very old viticella hybrid, dating back to the 16th century, remains popular thanks to its liberal quantities of double flowers in dusky maroon-purple with paler centres. Can be used to decorate many a shrub. H: 8ft (2½m) S: 3ft (1m).