Jackman Hybrid Clematis               KLEM-a-tis

• Deciduous vine, 5-20 ft (1.5-6 m), twining, needs support.  Leaves opposite, pinnately compound, upper leaves often simple, leaflets ovate, slightly hairy on the underside.  Flowers rich violet-purple, 11-14 cm across, generally 4 (5) petal-like sepals; blooming summer to fall.
• Part shade, most Clematis can handle sun if soil cool (not exposed), but semi-shade protects blossoms from fading.  Prefers well-drained, organic, moist soil.
• Hardy to USDA Zone [3 with protection, (Snyder, 2000)] 4      Thought to be from a cross in 1858 of C. lanuginosa × C. viticella by George Jackman and Son, Woring, Surry, England and made available about 1862.  Many other selections have been developed since the original violet-purple form (C. × jackmanii), these are designated as the Jackman Group and include:
  • ‘Alba’  -  (syn. Jackmanii ‘Alba’)  white flowers with bluish tinge around the margins of the sepals, about 11 cm wide, double, single later in the season.
  • ‘Comtesse de Bouchard’  -  flowers almost circular, satin pink flushed with lilac, cream stamens.
  • ‘Rubra’  -  red to purple, double, single later in the season.
  • ‘Star of India’  -  reddish plum with a red midstripe, stamens yellow.
  • ‘Superba’  -  (syn. ‘Purpurea Superba’, Jackmanii ‘Superba’)  deep violet, considered a improvement of C. × jackmanii.
• For descriptions of additional Clematis in the Jackman Group, see Dirr (1998), Sunset Western Garden Book, and/or the websites of the American Clematis Society.