atience is a virtue, as the saying goes, and it's certainly true for the latest addition to the Clematis Amazing family. Although, "new"... This pink beauty might seem familiar to some of you. She was first introduced in 2018, but in the summer of 2021, we had to temporarily stop the harvest of Clematis Amazing® Tokyo.
For three years, Tokyo was out of our assortment.
Why stop with this special flower? Well, she was so exclusive that demand far exceeded supply. The solution: more plants. And so, Tokyo returned to the propagation program. We patiently waited for three years, and now she is back. And how!
Designer feedback
You can tell: we are enthusiastic. But what do florists think? We distributed stems among designers both domestic and abroad. Read and see their reactions:
'A beautiful contrast'
Designer Krisztián Köver is Hungarian champion, Master Florist, and ambassador of Floral Fundamentals.
He worked with Tokyo during a photoshoot. Krisztián: "It was amazing to work with Clematis Amazing® Tokyo. The first thing that stood out was how many flowers there were on a single stem. Then the beautiful colour and the size of the flowers. The lovely veining of the petals contrasts so beautifully with the stamens... A really nice combination. Highly recommended!"
Krisztián uses the stems in their entirety, but also in shorter pieces, as you can see in this design. He combines the Clematis with the Craspedia Paintball™ Pop.
'Branch structure is really an advantage'
European champion Hanneke Frankema tested Tokyo during one of her masterclasses in Friesland. Both the participants and Hanneke herself got to work with it. Hanneke created several designs with it, including this bouquet and table piece.
Her reaction: "Beautiful variety, this Tokyo. The stems are wonderfully long and also super long-lasting. Great for large bouquets." Additionally, Hanneke highlights the advantage of the branch structure in three 'layers'. The branch starts blooming at the bottom, then the middle, and lastly, the top buds open: "That's really an advantage, if the lower ones are too ripe you can remove them, the other layers still look beautiful."
'Delicate and flexible'
One of the participants in Hanneke's masterclass was Gerrit van Aalst. Gerrit is the Dutch junior champion in flower arranging. We noticed that he shared photos of his work on social media, so we also asked him for feedback.
Gerrit: "Clematis Amazing® Tokyo is a beautiful, long, and strong type of Clematis; very suitable for various types of floral work, both refined and large-scale. What I like about this variety is that there are six flowers on the stem and that the stem is very flexible. This allows you to easily place the flower in the right spot without it breaking. The flower of Tokyo is large but remains super delicate, which is what appeals to me most about this variety."
'Special: the fuchsia stem'
Frédéric Dupré (Master Florist, French champion, and international teacher) has always been a fan of Clematis. He recently conducted a masterclass on texture at the Boerma Institute for an international group of florists.
Frédéric: "I find this Clematis incredible for various reasons: the length of the stems and the number of flowers per stem." Additionally, he is very pleased with the size of the flowers and the fuchsia colour of the stems.
"This variety fits perfectly with the current 'garden style' trend. It gives the impression of a Clematis picked from a garden - with its wild and natural side. But it can also be adapted to more contemporary works. The longevity is very good, and the flowers stretch upright when you use the branch horizontally." This stretching effect is called geotropism, a response to the combination of gravity and the plant hormone 'auxin'.
Frédéric warns, however, that the flower needs to be treated correctly: "She hates being without water for more than 15 minutes."
Clematis is a strong flower, but indeed cannot be used in installations without water. For more care tips, we refer you to this video from the Ask Marginpar series.
'Great length'
While Frédéric and his masterclass students were working, teacher Mike Boerma (of Boerma Instituut) observed our Tokyo behind the scenes. Mike travels the world for demonstrations and has seen many special flowers. Tokyo can join that list.
Mike: "In my opinion, this Clematis is incredibly special! Not only does it come in a great length that you can use in various ways, but the stem also has a very beautiful, vibrant colour. I think it offers you great possibilities in designing, both in lush, cascading bridal works and in elegant and delicate elongated designs."
From left to right: Alex Segura, Gregor Lersch, Mike Boerma en Frédéric Dupré
'Beautiful, strong, and long'
Belgian demonstrator and teacher Chantal Post used Tokyo for her floral pieces in the high-end design magazine DPK.
Chantal: "The large-flowered Clematis Amazing® Tokyo is not only very beautiful but also strong and long-lasting. I really love the warm, radiant colour.
In floral creations, you can use Clematis Tokyo very well because the stems between each flower pair (where they sit in pairs on the branch) are long enough. Even as a flowering vine, I find the variety very beautiful. The vine does need some support because it is so long."
Chantal created several pieces with it, including this funeral arrangement.
More of her work can be seen in DPK Magazine edition 3 - 2024.
Photo credits: Aurélien Lacroix / DPK
'A beautiful farewell'
Chris Derksen and Lilian Janssen also used Clematis Amazing® Tokyo in funeral work. Together they lead the florist collective ‘Afscheid met Bloemen’ ('Farewell with Flowers'). All associated florists have a special affinity with farewell flowers. Chris and Lilian design collections of funeral arrangements and comfort bouquets. This collection is featured in example books used by associated florists. The piece below was created for a special book with arrangements for children's funerals.
Chris: "Funeral work for children is different from funeral work for adults. You can't show a funeral arrangement for adults and say to the customer, 'This, but smaller.' That's why we create a separate book with these special pieces. This large pink Clematis works very well in the coffin piece below. The special colour and beautiful shape give it a very nice appearance. We always remove the leaves for the flower's longevity and place them 24 hours in water prior to using them."
This arrangement is made on TerraBrick™ from Smithers Oasis, suitable for a sustainable funeral and natural burial grounds. Chris: "We prefer to use sustainably produced flowers as well." That is one of the reasons why we regularly see Marginpar flowers in Chris and Lilian's arrangements. Clematis Amazing® Tokyo has an MPS A+ certification.
Photo credits: Afscheid met Bloemen
'My favourite flower'
Master Florist Harijanto Setiawan is from Indonesia. In Singapore, he founded Boenga Flowers, a floral studio specialising in luxury events and weddings. After winning many awards, he also works as a demonstrator, teacher, and judges international competitions. He introduced 'Haribana' – an Ikebana-inspired design technique where he creates floral artworks from minimal materials such as steel grass and... Clematis.
As a Clematis lover, what does he think of Tokyo? Harijanto: "Clematis Amazing® Tokyo is an extraordinary, lush flower, not only because of its large size but also due to its vibrant colour tone. It creates a very good balanced mix with other flowers in an arrangement. It is simply my favourite flower that gives every arrangement a luxurious look."
'Airy and flowing'
Dutch freelance designer & Master Florist Lily Beelen was particularly impressed with Tokyo's longevity, which she got to know during the Masterclass of Harijanto Setiawan at Lugt Lisianthus. Lily:
"The large flowers unfold slowly, you can enjoy them for at least two weeks." But this flower also adds a special touch. Lily: "Clematis Amazing® Tokyo gives an airy and flowing effect to your arrangement. That makes it extra special and graceful."
'Different heights'
Geertje Stienstra is no stranger to us, as a designer of the cover shoot for The Story of M. where she also used Clematis.
Clematis Amazing® Tokyo was used during the Floral Fundamentals photoshoot, where she is an ambassador. Geertje: “I find Tokyo a beautiful Clematis. Nice long stems, and the flowers are visible at different heights. Really a great variety.”
Photo credits: Floral Fundamentals & I.A.P. Photography
'Long vase life'
We end with the reaction of British designer, writer, teacher, and inspirer Joseph Massie. Joseph made a video with Tokyo of a transparent contemporary design.
Joseph: “It is truly a special flower; each stem contains 6 flowers and they all gradually open.” Joseph is also impressed with the vase life: “The Clematis Amazing® series has a vase life of at least 10 days, but Tokyo certainly stands for 14 days.”
You can watch the video, with step-by-step instructions on how to make the design yourself, here.
Conclusion
Wow. Beautiful words from a whole range of fantastic designers. In summary, the vase life, colour, branch structure, the six large flowers that open slowly, and the special stem colour stand out. We hope these reactions inspire you to work with Clematis Amazing® Tokyo as well. And if you do, don’t forget to tag us on social media, we love to see what you create with it!
To everyone who contributed to this article: thank you so much for the time you took and the beautiful designs you shared with us.
Are you also a fan of Clematis? Did you know that we have a special Clematis Instagram and Facebook account? Additionally, we also have a beautiful digital Clematis Guide for you:
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