About
Clematis 'Ballet Skirt' is a sturdy deciduous vine featuring distinctively toothed yellow-green foliage that is segmented into leaflets with pronounced serrations. The plant produces nodding, semi-double, bell-shaped blooms characterized by pale red-purple outer sepals that are lanceolate in shape, surrounded by numerous smaller, occasionally lighter petal-like stamens at the center. This variety is known for its reliable flowering in the spring season.
About the genus
Clematis includes a variety of plants, ranging from deciduous and evergreen shrubs to herbaceous perennials. Many of these species are climbers, utilizing twining leaf stalks for support, and they frequently produce prominent flowers. In the fall, certain varieties develop appealing fluffy seed heads.
Growing conditions
- Sunlight
- Full sun, Partial shade
- Soil type
- Clay, Loam, Sand
- Soil pH
- Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
- Soil moisture
- Moist but well-drained
- Aspect
- North-facing, West-facing, East-facing, South-facing
- Exposure
- Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H6
Plant details
- Plant type
- Climber Wall Shrub
- Habit
- Climbing
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Height
- 1.5-2.5 metres
- Spread
- 0.5-1 metres
- Time to full height
- 2-5 years
- Suggested uses
- City and courtyard gardens, Cottage and informal garden, Patio and container plants
- Toxicity
- Skin irritant. Wear gloves and other protective equipment when handling. Pets (rabbits): Harmful if eaten. For further information and contact numbers regarding pets, see the HTA guide to potentially harmful plants
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Plant in a moisture-retentive, well-drained soil, with the roots and base of the plant kept cool and shaded by other plants or a layer of pebbles at the base. Plant with the crown 5-8cm deep to encourage new shoots to grow from below ground level. Can be grown in containers at least 45cm (18in) deep and wide in a peat-free, loam-based potting compost. See clematis cultivation for more advice
- Pruning
- Clematis pruning: group one
- Propagation
- Propagate by softwood cuttings in spring, semi-ripe cuttings in summer or propagate by layering in late winter or early spring
- Pest resistance
- May be susceptible to aphids, snails and caterpillars; petals may be eaten by earwigs
- Disease resistance
- May be susceptible to honey fungus (rarely), clematis wilt and clematis slime flux