Jackmanii Hybrid Clematis 'Piilu'

Clematis 'Piilu' is a free flowering variety with a compact growth habit. The light purple to pink flowers average 7-12cm across and have a deeper, magenta bar through the centre of each petal. The flowers vary between double, semi double and single.

'Piilu' means 'Little Duckling' in Estonian and is pronounced pea –loo. It was bred by Clematis devotees, Uno and Aili Kivistik. Together this husband and wife team raised over 6000 hybrids in 50 years, of those, just 140 were worthy enough to be named.

A deciduous, climbing Clematis in pruning group 2, they flower on new and old growth – cut back dead/spindly stems winter back to healthy buds, around 30cm from the base. A second, light prune of spent flowers in summer after, the initial flowering will stimulate new shoots and give you a bigger second flush. It is a good idea to add some fertiliser after pruning.
Jackmanii Clematis hybrids are gorgeous, large flowering Clematis that produce months of colour. The strong vine tendrils establish quickly and in no time are covered in flowers, that glow like brilliant jewels strung up in your garden.
Their elegant form is perfect for softening harsh edges such as posts, pergolas fences and walls or even trees. They require a trellis/twine/wire or similar with something under thin enough to wrap their tendrils around.
Clematis grow well where Roses grow well. They are also excellent in combination. You can use similar colours for a lovely blend or create some drama with complimentary shades. In fact, Clematis intermingle well with many plants – trees and shrubs especially as they can be used for climbing in a beautiful symbiosis. They are so versatile, you can even grow them in pots.
The old adage is to plant your clematis so their 'head' is in the sun and their 'feet' are in the shade. In other words they like their root zone to be cool and protected, and the stem to grow up into a sunny position. You can protect the root zone with mulch and/or by using other plants to shield the roots from the sun.
Grow Clematis in humus rich, moist, well drained soil. They need good drainage or the roots can rot. Plant so they will receive around six hours sun a day and are shielded from the hot afternoon rays. To perform at their best they should be fertilised well, to do this you can use a Rose Fertiliser every three months or so. Clematis get better and better as they establish, so while the first season might be a bit ho hum, prepare to be amazed in the next.

Supplied as: Pots
Size: 10 cm