Clematis Double Up Barnadine + Masa: two flower colours on one support

Your care table

Two shades tell a shared story

Double Up does not look like a single uniformly coloured curtain of flowers. Pale and darker violet stars appear among green foliage and meet on the same support. This mixture makes the pot interesting beside a seat where it can be seen close up. We like the small differences between a newly opened flower and an older one. The offer is called Barnadine + Masa; Double Up describes the combination. It does not promise double flowers. Open star-shaped flowers are clearly recognisable in the original image.

A combination needs a jointly planned position

One 23 cm pot is delivered at approximately seventy centimetres overall height including container and structure. Both components stand together in that pot. They are not two separately offered containers. Later stems may grow at different strengths. Provide a climbing area where both have room rather than tying them into one narrow bundle. Delivery height is not final growth height. For additional planting in a bed, leave enough space from neighbouring root balls. A general narrow row spacing would suit neither the combination nor its later climbing area.

Light on the flowers and calm at the root ball

A sunny to partly shaded position suits if extreme heat does not build up at the container. Clematis can climb into light while the root area remains shaded and evenly supplied. Near a wall leave a gap so rain and watering reach the root ball. On the terrace, do not put the container immediately before a strongly heated metal surface. Spring or early autumn suit garden planting in appropriate weather. Frozen soil, severe dryness and a water-filled planting hole are poor starting points regardless of the calendar.

The support must be grippable

Clematis clings to slender supports with leaf stalks. A very thick smooth post offers little grip. A grid, several slender bars or wires help further growth. Guide young stems carefully and attach them only loosely. Keep some clarity between both components so later pruning reveals which stem belongs where. Wind must not repeatedly knock sensitive tips against hard edges. We distribute new stems gradually rather than forcibly pulling apart a densely tangled structure later. This also retains light in the lower part.

Moisture and food accompany flowers

Before watering, check soil and pot weight. A flowering container may use water rapidly on warm days. Supply slowly and thoroughly so the root ball absorbs moisture; excess water must drain. A dry surface in a large container does not always mean a completely dry root ball. Humus-rich structurally stable soil helps combine both. During growth, feed appropriately according to the label and consider fresh pre-fertilised soil. Fertiliser does not remedy dry roots. With suddenly limp stems, first check moisture, heat and possible damage at the base.

Keep both components in view when pruning

For the known commercial forms Masa and Bernadine, cutting back before spring growth is described. Nevertheless keep the delivery label and distinguish stems of the actual duo. Reliable identification is more helpful in a combination than one universal pruning date for every clematis. Remove damaged or dead parts selectively, wear gloves and use clean tools. Do not precautionarily cut the whole structure hard during full flowering. Warm-season flowering develops from each component and its cultivation; all flowers need not appear simultaneously or for identical periods.

A garden position still needs care in winter

Deciduous clematis change appearance in autumn. A container needs protection from severe freezing through and lasting winter wetness even when its garden plants are cultivated as hardy. Insulate the container, shelter from drying wind and check soil on frost-free days. Do not simply leave a dry root ball unattended until spring. In spring, inspect new buds and support condition. As growth increases, light, water and food come together again. Then Double Up’s attraction reappears: two intertwined plants unfolding their different flowers in a well-cared-for position.

One plant, several views

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