Winter flowering Clematis
If you are looking for winter colour and interest in the garden, and like Clematis, there are several winter flowering varieties. All three illustrated above are winter flowering/very early spring flowering and make a good splash of colour. The Clematis illustrated above and other winter flowering varieties are all available from Crocus, (affiliate link.)
One of the most commonly grown is Clematis cirrhosa, Freckles and 'Wisley Cream’ (which require winter protection) and Clematis cirrhosa var. balearica which is hardier H4, but may not survive a severe winter without protection.
There is also Clematis urophylla 'Winter Beauty' which is evergreen, scented and H3 hardy with small creamy white bell-shaped flowers.
Flowering in late winter early spring are C. alpina and macropetala and the very popular also is Clematis armandii, a very attractive Clematis when grown in the right place noting that it is also H4 hardy.
Clematis armandii
Although all these Clematis are easy to grow from the perspective that they do not require pruning, they can be tricky because they are not fully hardy.
This means planting in the right place is critical to maintain the health of the plant. Because of these difficulties, I have tagged them amber wheelbarrow. Medium difficult to grow.
If you feel that frost and cold maybe a problem, it may be better to pick a Clematis. alpina or macropetala. Although both groups flower slightly later, in early spring, they are much more hardy H6 making them easy to grow and still no pruning.