The pretty double, and single, mid mauvy-pink flowers have deep rose-pink bars, irregular white markings and a crown of yellow stamens. The later blooms are always single. Pronounced Pee-loo.
Clematis 'Piilu' was bred in the early 1980's in Estonia by the late Uno Kivistik an admired clematis grower and nurseryman.
'Piilu' was developed through an extensive breeding programme managed and run by the Kivistik family searching for very hardy varieties of clematis for the Baltic and Eastern European countries.
From the outset it was a popular plant because of its robust and prolific nature and in the milder climates of western Europe it was discovered that it will flower with double blooms from the previous years woody growth.
Read on to find out more.
In the first flowering period of May - July, pretty double and single, mid mauvy-pink flowers are produced with deep rose-pink bars, irregular white markings and a crown of yellow stamens. The later blooms of September-October are always single.
The plant can be treated as a Light Prune type of clematis, so pruning is carried out in late winter or early spring. Leaving a neat and tidy framework of the previous years growth at between 2-3 feet from the soil will allow the plant to produce double flowers and after these have finished, dead-heading or a general tidy up will encourage further growth from which it will flower a second time in the late summer and autumn.
The flowers of 'Piilu' are between 2-4 inches across so not the largest, however what they lack in size they make up for in quantity and they look just right on a plant that makes an ultimate height of about 5-6 feet tall.
The compact and prolific nature of 'Piilu' makes it ideal for use on a small obelisk or trellis and it is also ideal for a small patio container.
Being a very hardy plant it will not require any winter protection and can stay outside all year round even when grown in a pot.
The name is pronounced Pee-loo and translated it means Little Duckling. How cute is that?!
So what remains to be said about this super little plant?
Well let us take the words of a customer review - I have had this plant for 2 years now and it has never failed to delight me with its beautiful little blooms. The number of flowers it produces and the ease with which it grows is amazing and from now on I shall never be without one in my garden.
Rosemary from Doncaster.
Cultivation Advice.
Large flowered clematis prefer a good quality soil with high nutrient levels and a soil which is moist but free-draining. Improve planting holes with at least 2 forkfuls of well rotted manure or garden compost and if you don't have these use a 'Soil Improver' compost. The Improvement material added should be placed under the root of the plant not around it. This encourages the roots to grow downwards and remain deep and cool during summer. If your clematis flowers in May-June(late spring), cut the dead flower heads when they have finished to encourage a second set of flowers to be produced in the late summer and autumn. Be prepared to wait for a couple of years before they will be at their best - Our saying is - 1st year = Roots, 2nd year = Shoots, 3rd year = Flowers!
Delivery from £7.99 and most customers never pay over £9.99!
We offer a year-round Mail Order and Delivery service (subject to weather and availability). We do not dispatch small or young plants, but send our mature plants in 3 litre pots anywhere in the United Kingdom and Europe.
We dispatch Monday to Thursday each week so usually your order will be dispatched within 1-2 days of ordering, however during busy periods this can be expected to increase. Any significant delays will be notified by email and posted on the website.
Orders made after midday Thursday are usually dispatched on the following Monday.
We use DHL for all our deliveries. To get the most out of the delivery service download the DHL App. Find out more here - DHL APP.
Our last dispatch before Christmas 2022 will be 15th December - all orders placed after this will be sent in the New Year and that is to be from the 9th January onwards.
Instructions to Nursery - At the checkout stage you are able to add an instruction to the nursery such as, 'Please avoid March 20th - 25th' or 'Away in June'.
Instructions to courier - Please give us details of a safe place where the parcel can be left (Please note - this is at the customer's risk). If no instructions to leave the parcel are given and there is no one to sign for it, then our carrier will try to deliver the following day.
Please provide your mobile number or email address and our carrier will tell you the hour your delivery will be made within and if it is not convenient you will be able to re-arrange the delivery directly with them.
UK Delivery Charges
| Area | Post Codes | Number of Plants | | |
| Standard postal area | Any not listed below | 1-4 £7.99 | 5 + £9.99 | N/A |
| Isle of Wight Scilly Isles (2 Day Service) | PO30-41 TR21-25 | 1-8 £12.99 | 9-12 £16.99 | 13+ £20.99 |
| Scottish Highlands & Islands Isle of Man Channel Islands (2 Day Service) | AB 31-38 & 40-56 HS; IV KA 27-28 KW PA 20-38; 41-49 & 60-78 PH 4-44 & 49-50 ZE; IM; GY; JE | 1-4 £12.99 | 5-8 £18.99 | 9+ £24.99 |
Export to Northern Ireland and outside the UK
We no longer offer to export to Northern Ireland or outside the United Kingdom and are sorry for any disappointment this has caused.
Click & Collect
Although we do not open on a regular basis, we are delighted to offer a Click & Collect option for you to collect your orders from our Rails End Nursery location in Worcestershire.
While we get to grips with this new offering we will have to restrict the collection day to a Friday only between 10:00 & 3PM with the hope of expanding that at a later date if we feel it is possible.
Make your online order, checkout and pay online just as if it was a delivery order but of course select Click & Collect instead of a shipping method.
Because we are predominantly a mail order business, our systems are automated and much of the terminology revolves around the kinds of terms used in mail order, so please forgive us for this.
You will receive the following automated emails after making your order.
1. Order acknowledgement. - Full details of your order.
2. Order Status Update - Pending - meaning your order is received into our order processing system
3. Order Status Update - Processing - meaning we are picking and cleaning your plants
4. Order Status Update - Dispatched - in the case of Collection orders, your plants are almost ready for you to pick up.
5. Order Status Update - Completed - your plants are ready for you to pick up on the next Friday.
You can collect from our new location at:
Rails End Nursery
Back Lane
Ashton-Under-Hill
Evesham
Worcestershire
WR11 7RG
At Thorncroft the quality of our clematis plants is very important to us and we will not compromise on keeping up the high standards our customers have come to expect.
We supply plants mostly in a 3 litre container, growing on a 3 foot (1 meter) bamboo cane support, occasionally a 2 litre pot is sufficient to ensure a quality plant is produced. Your clematis can not always be delivered in full flower, however we will aim to send you the most advanced plant for you so that you get the best display possible in the first year of our plants being in your garden.
Chelsea Chop - Also from time to time we will need to prune plants back to keep them tidy on their cane. While every effort is made to only supply plants in full leaf we may on occasions send plants that have been recently pruned or had leaves removed and will include notes to explain why this has been done. It's known as the 'Chelsea Chop' and is commonly seen in late May and June.
Please keep in mind that some of the more specialist clematis have different habits, so these standards can vary depending on the type you are buying but it gives you a good guide on what to expect.
From the very outset, the Thorncroft philosophy is to provide a clematis which will thrive for the customer in their garden but also to provide the expert knowledge that we have gained over the years to help advise you which clematis are the best.
We have been sending plants by mail order to customers all over the world and have build up a good knowledge of which plants perform best in various parts of the globe. We also value your experience and if would like to tell us about which clematis you grow in your country, please do, it will allow us to continue learning
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Awarded the RHS Award of Garden Merit