April 25, 2026
A sizzling-pink ‘Princess Diana’ clematis greeted me on my friend Cat‘s front porch a few days ago. What an effusive welcome!
The vine’s botanical name, Clematis texensis ‘Princess Diana’, hints at its wild Texas origins.
‘Princess Diana’ is a cross between Clematis texensis and Clematis ‘Bees Jubilee’. Clematis texensis is our very own scarlet leatherflower, which is native only to the southeastern Edwards Plateau in Texas. Using it as a parent plant, British plantsman Barry Fretwell hybridized ‘Princess Diana’, naming it in honor of the Princess of Wales.
So there you go, a vine that wears a tiara and a cowboy hat equally well.
In Cat’s back garden, I spotted a goldfinch on a bubbling fountain.
It dipped for a drink and then hopped right in for a bath too.
What a cutie!
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