Raymond Evison has dedicated sixty years of his life to breeding and developing some of the best Clematis in the world.  Throughout this time he has bred many outstanding varieties and won multiple gold medals for his exhibits at the RHS shows. Here I want to highlight  the wonderful Boulevard Clematis, bred by Raymond at his nursery in Guernsey.  Below I list some of their excellent attributes:-

1. These varieties are perfect for growing in containers on patios and in small spaces.  They can be grown up a trellis or obelisk.
2. They are very compact in comparison to some Clematis which can be sprawling.  They have a height of only 0.75m – 1.5m (2ft6 – 5ft}
3. They have a very long flowering season from Spring to late Summer, up to six months of the year for many years to come.
4. After a hard pruning, which Raymond calls the ponytail cut, they will vigorously produce fresh growth in spring.
5. If you have grown other varieties of Clematis you may have noticed that there is often a gap at the base of the plant where no flowers are produced.  The Boulevard varieties have been bred to produce flowers right from the base upwards.
6. These stunning varieties can even be grown as an indoor pot plant for the first season, before planting outside.
7. Raymond has added many varieties to the Boulevard collection over the years, so there is a flower to suit most colour schemes.

I have a small collection of these varieties on my own patio and thoroughly recommend that my readers introduce them to your gardens, even if you only have a tiny space.

To view a selection of Boulevard Clematis at YouGarden click here

Mark Snelling

All images copyright YouGarden

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