Princess Diana Clematis

Every garden should have a groundcover Clematis, and this native American delight belongs front and center in your finest landscape setting! Tulip-shaped blooms with pastel stripes, quick-spreading coverage, and two seasons of flowers every year make Princess Diana a must-have!

Instead of climbing, this Clematis prefers to scramble across the soil, blanketing it in rich color. The upward-facing flowers have a soft shell-pink to pure white base with a darker pink (almost lavender) stripe running up each petal. So showy -- and so abundantly borne on plants that spread 6 to 8 feet long!

Expect two seasons of blooms every year: first in mid- to late summer, then again in early fall, when most other Clematis have passed their season of glory. What a great way to extend your Clematis display!

Princess Diana comes by its vigorous growth and beautiful looks honestly. It is a selection of a species -- C. texensis -- known for its thick, leathery flower petals and groundcover habit. The species sets scarlet blooms, but Princess Diana is the result of many crosses, including in its parentage the classic blue variety Jackmanii. The flowers are 2 to 2½ inches high, retaining the C. texensis tulip shape and durable texture but brilliantly colored in new shades!

But groundcover isn't the only use for this Clematis. Train Princess Diana up a small trellis or orb set into a container, or tie it up supports around a mailbox, pillar, or other small vertical accent.

Like most Clematis, Princess Diana prefers an eastern exposure and rich, moist soil, with its aboveground growth in full sun and its roots well mulched to remain evenly cool in the soil. Hardy just about everywhere in the U.S., this is a perennial to treasure! Pruning Group III. Zones 4-8.