Clematis I am Lady J - Italian Leather Flower

Clematis 'I Am Lady J' is a flowering variety of viticella clematis covered in small bicoloured, white flowers with bright violet edges and a slight downward tilt throughout summer. This lovely climber has a natural charm and is an easy-to-care-for plant that will delight experienced or beginner gardeners, in all regions!

Clematis belong to the ranunculaceae family. They are found in both hemispheres, including Europe, the Himalayas, China, Australia, and North and Central America. 'I Am Lady J' is a robust, perennial, hardy, semi-woody climber with slender stems, which can reach between 3m (10ft) and 4m (13ft) high, with a minimum spread of 1m (3ft). It possesses the genes of C. viticella, particularly disease-resistant and tolerant of chalky soils, even fairly dry in summer.

The flowers of Clematis 'I Am Lady J' are not very large, they measure just 5-6 cm (2in) in diameter and are composed of 4 petals or tepals that are quite narrow and slightly twisted. They appear on the new shoots from June-July until the end of September in successive waves. The flowers are solitary or grouped in cymes and carried by a long pedicel. They are trailing to semi-erect and have recurved, white tepals with veins and a beautiful violet border. The centre of the flower has cream-to-greenish stamens with purplish anthers. The flowers are followed by decorative silvery grey feathery seed heads that persist until winter. The smooth, pinnate leaves with lanceolate leaflets with acute tips are a fairly deep olive green. This clematis clings to its support or host plant using petioles transformed into tendrils. Its deciduous leaves dry up and disappear in winter.

Plant clematis alongside your climbing roses, rambling roses, or vines to extend the flowering of your walls and pergolas until the end of summer. Plant next to pretty perennials such as geraniums, carnations, garden iris, peonies, nemorosa sage and phlox, which will provide the shade it likes at its base. Clematis is a diverse genus, with varieties available in all colours, shapes, and sizes. Take advantage of the ease of cultivation to give your garden a romantic and bohemian touch. The 'I Am Lady J' clematis loves to weave through bushes and performs well in a large pot. Let it climb on a lilac, a Fargesia bamboo, a large shrub rose, or even in an informal hedge. It is particularly successful grown with Happy Birthday clematis, with its very dark flowers.

You can prune it in March to a height of 25 cm (10in).