Getting clematis ready for the Chelsea Flower Show can be tricky. The later flowering types in particular can be hard to encourage into flower in May and of course at the same time there's also the need to keep the early ones at their peak.
Thorncroft Clematis had earmarked a number of newcomers for Chelsea - some of them made it, some didn't and one of the newcomers they didn't plan to include surprised them by opening just in time.
I wrote about ‘Geoffrey Tolver' before the show and there it is looking especially sultry. The other new introductions on their impressive Gold Medal winning exhibit are 'Gojogawa' and ‘Temptation'.
'Gojogawa' is an unusual shape and an unusual colour. The slender pink petals have a pale central stripe matched well by its creamy cluster of stamens and are carried in two or three layers with the addition of a few slender creamy petal fragments in the centre. The effect is delightful. Raised in Japan by Hiroshi Takeuch, 'Gojogawa' is named after a river in Iwakura City, Japan. It flowers in May and June and again in August and September, reaching 1.8-2.4m/6-8ft.
‘Temptation' was the surprise performer for the show. Its sultry red petals surround a bold mass of smaller petals creating an anemone centre. This form is typical of early flowers in May and June, later blooms in August and September tend to be single. Raised in Holland by renowned clematis breeder Wim Snoeijer it reaches only 1-1.5m/3-4.5ft so is ideal for small gardens and containers.
You can order all three clematis at the show or order ‘Geoffrey Tolver', 'Gojogawa' and ‘Temptation' from the Thorncroft Clematis website.