Spectacularly beautiful Belle of Woking was introduced in 1875 by Jackman and Son in England---the name in early clematis breeding. And it was...and is...so beautiful, its never really been equaled. Oh, there are other doubles, but this one is still the standard. The silvery petals go from mauve to a light blue as they age. And best of all, you have two flushes of bloom with the Belle. She blooms early on old wood (last years stems) and then again on the new growth before fall.

Woking is a large town in Surrey a few miles from London, where the Jackman Nursery was established in 1810. The Jackmans, fathers and sons, continued the nursery over five generations, ending in 1967. Of course, the world favorite, Clematis Jackmanii is their crowning achievement, but the family must have known a very beautiful belle who lived in their old hometown in Victorian times!

Belle of Woking is a type 2 Clematis. Clematis in this group produce flowers from both the prior year's growth and the current seasons. The best time to prune them is in early spring.