Clematis Montana Grandiflora Climber

Clematis Montana Grandiflora is a vigorous profusely flowering deciduous clematis climber. It’s an RHS AGM winner and superb on a shady wall.

Clematis Montana is native to the mountains of Asia from Afghanistan to Taiwan, hence the name ‘Montana’. Clematis Grandiflora has larger flowers than its parent plant Clematis Montana, but keeps the attributes that make it so successful in the UK such as its strong climbing habit and profuse flowering.

Grandiflora’s flowers are single and measure up to 7 centimetres, which is a good few centimetres bigger than standard Clematis Montana. They’re borne across the whole vine in May and early June in a bright splash of white that attracts lots of bees and butterflies. Occasional flowers may appear later in the year.

Its foliage appears before the flowers. The trifoliate leaves are dark green with purple tinges and they remain on the vine until the autumn frosts.

This is a popular choice to cover walls, unsightly sheds, or dead trees. Clematis Grandiflora scrambles easily and suits a shady spot.

Height And Spread of Clematis Montana Grandiflora
It can grow to a height of 12 meters and spread over four in just two-five years.

How Hardy Is Clematis Montana Grandiflora
Clematis Grandiflora is hardy in the UK when its roots are well drained. It copes with frost, wind (if it’s well secured), and some drought once established.

How To Use Clematis Montana Grandiflora
This is an excellent low-maintenance choice for a shady wall in need of cheering up. Clematis Grandiflora will also cover an ugly shed, dead trees, and scramble across slopes and banks.
Its simple white flowers and dark foliage suit modern gardens and light up shady spaces. The large open flowers create lots of nectar for pollinators so it’s a good bee-friendly choice too.

How To Care For Clematis Montana Grandiflora
This vigorous clematis prefers a sunny to a partially shady spot in moist but well-drained soil of any type. When planting, keep it at least a foot away from the wall so rain can reach its roots and give it strong wire support to cling to.
In low-maintenance gardens you can leave it to grow, but in most cases when it’s left unpruned it can turn into a tangle of stems with no foliage or flowers near the base. If it becomes overgrown, prune it immediately after flowering cutting back to a healthy pair of buds.
In very overgrown specimens, you can shear off the mass of vines to a few feet, leaving four to five stems that will reshoot healthier and stronger than before.
Water Clematis Grandiflora well until it’s established and apply a thick layer of well-rotted organic mulch to the roots in early spring.

See also Climbers - How best to Use them.