A Clematis for all Seasons

For the past few months I’ve been buying a beautiful blue clematis that is now being sold as a cut flower by some florists. Not only does it look wonderful in a vase, but it also lasts at least two weeks while the flowers progressively open. Thanks to a press release from the British Clematis Society I now know that it is an old-fashioned herbaceous clematis (grows to about 2 metres, so better for the back of a border than as a climber) called Clematis durandii. Obviously the flowers that I buy at this time of year are grown undercover, but I think I might buy a couple for relatively compact colour in the summer borders. It can also be grown in large containers.