Clematis 'Zo08160' SPOTLIGHT

Do you remember the 80’s pop music? The name of this clematis SPOTLIGHT takes me back exactly to the time when one of the biggest pop stars, aka the Queen of Pop, was Madonna. I was obviously interested in her music as a former DJ, not just because of the attention, commotion, and controversy she brilliantly caused everywhere she popped up, but mainly because of the music she made. She was always at least one step ahead of everyone else in the industry. Inarguably she was never the very best singer, perhaps apart for the excellent job she performed on Evita, but she wisely chose her composers and producers who helped her become the icon. In 1987, she decided to spice up her pop career with pure dance music and recorded the album You Can Dance. It was a continuous mix of extended dance versions of some of her hits including the mega hit Holiday plus a couple of new ones such as the first track: a very catchy song Spotlight composed by the same composer as Holiday, yet never released as a single. Madonna literally overnight became a new dance music artist to be reckoned with. She always sought the spotlight in her career and the spotlight loved her. Going back to botany, this clematis was given the same name because it is so unique that it does deserve to be in the spotlight.

SPOTLIGHT is a clematis variety bred by Jan van Zoest from the Netherlands and introduced by Thorncroft Clematis at the prestigious Chelsea Flower Show in England in 2019. It bears medium-sized, 8-10 cm wide flowers with 6 petals. The first flush of flowers in spring brings lovely, pale lavender-mauve petals with a prominent lilac stripe across, and the second flush in summer changes this stripe to almost pure white, while the entire flower is about one to two degrees lighter. The centers are decorated with a number of light beige to creamy stamens. The variety is compact and grows quickly to a height of around 2m. It needs a support to vine around. Granted patens: EU 58595 (Europe – 2021) and PP32543 (USA – 2020).

It belongs to Group 2 clematis. Its flowers appear first in late spring and early summer on last year’s sideshoots, and in mid- and late summer at the tips of the current year's shoots. In early spring remove dead and damaged stems before growth begins, trimming all remaining stems to where strong buds are visible. These buds provide a framework of second-year shoots that flower in late spring and early summer. The flowers may then be removed. Young shoots bear more flowers later in the summer.

Clematis likes deep, fertile, moist but well-drained soil that remains cool. You can grow a plant below clematis that will provide shade for its roots. Add garden compost in late winter and mulch it well. Fully hardy to min. -34°C (USDA zone 4).

Last update 13-08-2023