SOME of the finest species and hybrid clematis have small flowers with late-winter or spring blooms that are up to about 3in (7.5cm) across. Some have their four petals flared to show off the internal colours and patterns in flat-faced flowers and, on some, their petals hang down to create a more bell-shaped look. Most have four-petalled single flowers, while some have extra petals inside their flowers to create double-flowered varieties.
Evergreen and deciduous
Some of these clematis are evergreen and some deciduous, their leaf stalks all clinging by twisting around their supports. Flower clusters are formed at the leaf joints on growth that developed the previous year. Some spring clematis flower towards the end of winter in mild climates, others later.
