Create a romantic cottage garden with deep violet-purple Clematis 'The President' and fragrant, blush-pink Climbing Rose 'A Shropshire Lad'. These flowering climbers produce spectacular blooms from late spring through summer, with repeat flowering into autumn. Perfect for garden arches, wooden fences, and trellises, they combine elegance, fragrance, and color.
Imagine a weathered wooden fence overflowing with soft pink roses and magnificent deep purple clematis flowers. The roses open in generous, beautifully layered rosettes, while velvety violet blooms weave between them, creating an irresistible contrast. Romantic, fragrant, and wonderfully abundant, this climbing combination brings the charm of an English cottage garden to a sunny wall, fence, or garden arch.
Two flowering climbers create the display: Clematis ‘The President’ and Rosa ‘A Shropshire Lad’ (English Climbing Rose). Their contrasting flower shapes, complementary colors, and overlapping bloom periods create a memorable summer display, with repeat flowering extending the season.
Main plants used: Clematis ‘The President’ and Rosa ‘A Shropshire Lad’.
The remarkable contrast between deep purple clematis and soft pink roses gives this combination its romantic character. Clematis ‘The President’ produces exceptionally showy, violet-purple flowers, often reaching 6-7 inches (15-18 cm) across. Its broad, overlapping sepals surround a distinctive central cluster of reddish-purple stamens, creating an elegant, velvety appearance.
Unlike many summer-only clematis, ‘The President’ typically produces its first flowers in late spring to early summer on growth from the previous year. A second flush may follow in late summer on new shoots, extending the display.
Rosa ‘A Shropshire Lad’ introduces a completely different flower shape. Its large, densely petalled blooms open in delicate peach-pink shades, gradually developing softer blush-pink tones. Their beautifully cupped, rosette-like form contrasts with the open clematis flowers, while the rose’s fruity, tea-like fragrance adds another dimension to the planting.
Repeat flowering makes this English rose particularly attractive for a summer garden. Its long, flexible stems can be trained across a fence or arch, providing a framework through which the clematis can climb.
The pairing works because the dramatic purple flowers make the softer roses appear more luminous, while the pink blooms prevent the purple from feeling too intense. Against weathered wood or pale stone, the result is exceptionally beautiful.
Create a romantic climbing display with fragrant blush-pink English roses and large violet-purple clematis flowers mingling across a weathered fence or sturdy garden arch.
Approximate visual proportions of the flowering display, not exact plant quantities.
Install a sturdy trellis or fence support and plant Rose ‘A Shropshire Lad’ where its principal stems can spread naturally. Train the main rose canes outward to encourage flowering shoots along their length. Plant Clematis ‘The President’ nearby, keeping its root crown separate from the rose and guiding the young stems upward through thin wires or mesh. Allow the clematis to mingle with the rose without becoming so tangled that either plant is difficult to prune.
Late spring brings the first magnificent purple flowers of Clematis ‘The President’, often overlapping with the first fragrant pink roses. Through summer, Rose ‘A Shropshire Lad’ produces additional flowering flushes, while the clematis may bloom again in late summer. In favorable conditions, the rose continues flowering into autumn, extending the beauty of the combination beyond the clematis’s principal display.
| Hardiness |
5 - 9 |
|---|---|
| Heat Zones |
5 - 9 |
| Climate Zones | 2, 2A, 2B, 3, 3A, 3B, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 |
| Exposure | Full Sun, Partial Sun |
| Season of Interest | Spring (Late), Summer (Early, Mid, Late), Fall |
| Maintenance | Average |
| Water Needs | Average |
| Soil Type | Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand |
| Soil pH | Alkaline, Neutral |
| Soil Drainage | Moist but Well-Drained |
| Characteristics | Cut Flowers, Fragrant, Plant of Merit, Showy |
| Tolerances | Clay Soil |
| Attracts | Bees, Butterflies, Hummingbirds |
| Landscaping Ideas | Arbors, Pergolas, Trellises, Walls And Fences |
| Garden Styles | Butterfly Garden, City and Courtyard, Informal and Cottage, Pollinator Garden, Traditional Garden |
| Hardiness |
5 - 9 |
|---|---|
| Heat Zones |
5 - 9 |
| Climate Zones | 2, 2A, 2B, 3, 3A, 3B, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 |
| Exposure | Full Sun, Partial Sun |
| Season of Interest | Spring (Late), Summer (Early, Mid, Late), Fall |
| Maintenance | Average |
| Water Needs | Average |
| Soil Type | Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand |
| Soil pH | Alkaline, Neutral |
| Soil Drainage | Moist but Well-Drained |
| Characteristics | Cut Flowers, Fragrant, Plant of Merit, Showy |
| Tolerances | Clay Soil |
| Attracts | Bees, Butterflies, Hummingbirds |
| Landscaping Ideas | Arbors, Pergolas, Trellises, Walls And Fences |
| Garden Styles | Butterfly Garden, City and Courtyard, Informal and Cottage, Pollinator Garden, Traditional Garden |
Recreate this garden. Specify the percentages you would like to have of each plant and input the dimensions of your garden space.We'll give you a shopping list so you know how many plants you need.
| Plant | Quantity | |
|---|---|---|
| Rosa A Shropshire Lad (English Rose) | N/A | Buy Plants |
| Clematis 'The President' (Early Large-Flowered Clematis) | N/A | Buy Plants |
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