Clematis ‘Aotearoa’ (Late Large-Flowered Clematis)

Clematis ‘Aotearoa’ is a very dependable bloomer that produces an abundance of richly colored, open star flowers, 3-5 in. across (8-12 cm), from mid to late summer. The attractive blooms are blessed with 6, rich violet-purple sepals, slightly overlapping, wavy-edged, and elegantly recurved at their tips. They make a lovely contrast to the greenish-yellow stamens. Very vigorous and free flowering, this clematis features handsome foliage of yellow-green leaves tinged red around the edges. Thriving equally well in the sun or shade, ‘Aotearoa’ is an excellent choice for scrambling through small trees or covering trellises, arbors, pergolas, and walls. Raised from a chance seedling by Alister Keay in 1992, Aotearoa is the Maori name for New Zealand and means ‘Land of the Long White Cloud’.

• Easy to grow and cultivate, this clematis thrives in moist, well-drained soils, in full sun or part shade. Ideally, Clematis prefer having their ‘heads in the sun and their feet in the shade’. Keep the roots cool and shaded by other plants or add a layer of pebbles or flat stones at the base.
• This clematis can quickly grow up to 9-12 ft. long (270-360 cm).
• Deadhead after the first wave of blooms to promote new blooms.
• This Clematis belongs to the third group of Clematis – a group including Clematis, which flower in late summer on growth made in that season. They should be pruned in late winter or early spring and require ‘hard pruning’: simply cut back the stems to a pair of strong buds about 1ft. (30 cm) above ground level before growth begins in early spring.
• Toxic to dogs, toxic to cats, toxic to horses.

As climbers, Clematis are unsurpassed in their long flowering presence, their rich diversity of flower shapes, their wide array of colors, and their tolerances in terms of exposure and climate. It is no wonder they are so popular! From tree huggers to container varieties, there is a Clematis for every garden and flowers for almost every month of the year! Members of the Ranunculaceae family, they include more than 300 species and hundreds of hybrids. They create year after year a ravishing colorful show in the garden whether solely trained on walls, arbors, or trellises, or grown in association with other climbers. They are divided into 3 groups which determine how they should be pruned. Regular pruning of Clematis is important as it promotes strong growth and flowering as well as a harmonious plant. If left unpruned, Clematis can turn into a mass of tangled stems with a bare base and flowers well above eye level.