About Clematis Proteus

History

• In 1846, British gardeners Charles Noble and John Standish established the Sunningdale Nursery in Surrey. At the height of its success, the nursery's operations extended for a mile on both sides of a busy thoroughfare. Noble, who continued managing the nursery after the partnership dissolved in 1856, began a Clematis hybridization program. Proteus, resulting from his cross of C. vitacella "Grandiflora" and Clematis "Fortunei," became commercially available in 1876.

Parents

• Italian clematis (C. vitacella) arrived in England from southern Europe during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. The 12- to 16-foot vine, native to Italy and Spain, produces flowers from mid to late summer. The purple four-petaled blooms dangle from slender stems on branches of tapering, green foliage. John Standish received a Clematis "Fortunei" cultivar from Scottish plant collector Robert Fortune in 1860. Hailing form Japan, this vine blooms from late spring into midsummer. Its 3- to 6-inch, double flowers unfurl greenish-white and age to pale pink. They have an orange-blossomlike fragrance. Fortunei may no longer be under cultivation.

Appearance

• Proteus climbs from 7 1/2 to 9 feet, with twining stems and medium-green foliage. Its first flush of bloom, in late spring and early summer produces large, double lavender-pink flowers. The white-stamened, ruffle-edged blooms appear on the vine's old growth. If left unpruned after the first flowering, Proteus manages a late summer and early fall flush of smaller, single lavender flowers.

Cold and Heat Tolerance

• Proteus survives winter temperatures between minus 20 and minus 30 degrees F in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zone 4. The AHS Heat Zone Map divides the U.S. into 12 zones according to each region's number of days with temperatures exceeding plant-stressing 86 degrees. Proteus performs best in American Horticultural Society Heat Zones 9 to 1, with no more than 150 days above 86 F.

Growing Clematis Proteus

• Proteus thrives in moist, well-drained locations and full sun to partial shade. Its flowers retain their lavender-pink color best in partially shaded areas. Loamy, pH-neutral soil is best. Each clematis belongs to one of three pruning groups. As a large-flowered, repeat bloomer, Proteus falls into Group 2. Its first set of flowers bloom on the previous year's growth; its second, on the current year's. Late winter or early spring pruning, before the vine sends out new growth, maximizes flowering.