Étoile Violette clematis

Sun

Full sun to partial shade; keep the root area cool, especially in hot climates.

Water

Keep evenly moist while establishing. Once established, water deeply during dry spells; avoid waterlogged soil.

Soil

Fertile, moisture-retentive but well-drained soil; tolerates acidic, neutral and alkaline conditions.

Height

10-15 ft (3-4.5 m)

Spread

3-5 ft (0.9-1.5 m)

Flowers

Summer to early autumn; deep violet-purple flowers about 3 in (7.5 cm) across, with creamy-yellow stamens.

Foliage

Green, divided leaves on slender stems; leaf stalks curl around narrow supports. Leaves fall in autumn.

Growth

Fast once established; young plants may take two or three growing seasons to fill their support.

Care needed

Low

• Pollinators
• Cold hardy
• Heat tolerant
• Disease resistant
• Wildlife
• Low allergen

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Easy

Toughness

Fairly tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   2 ft (0.6 m)

2. After 1 year

   3 ft (1.1 m)

3. After 2 years

   5 ft (1.5 m)

4. After 3 years

   6 ft (1.8 m)

   full size

About 3 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Toxic

Growth rate

Fast

• Provide wires, mesh or slender trellis bars that the leaf stalks can grip; tie in young shoots loosely.
• Water deeply during the first growing season and during prolonged dry weather.
• Apply compost and a balanced fertiliser in spring, following the product rate.
• Mulch the root area annually, keeping mulch clear of the stems.
• Shade the root zone with low planting or mulch rather than planting in a dry spot beneath dense shrubs.

Pruning. Pruning group 3: in late winter or early spring, cut all stems back to strong buds about 12-18 in (30-45 cm) above ground. Remove dead or weak stems and guide the new shoots onto their support.

Late winter

Cut stems back to strong low buds before vigorous new growth begins.

Spring

Apply compost, balanced fertiliser and a fresh mulch; water if the soil is dry.

Late spring

Guide and loosely tie new shoots onto supports; check for slug damage.

Summer

Water deeply in dry spells and redirect shoots before they become tangled.

Early autumn

Continue watering during dry weather while flowering lasts.

Late autumn

Remove fallen diseased foliage and check that the support is secure; leave major pruning until late winter.

• Train over an arch or pergola for a curtain of purple summer flowers.
• Grow through a sturdy shrub or climbing rose to extend the season of colour without needing a separate trellis.
• Cover a sunny fence with wires or mesh, giving a narrow border height without a bulky evergreen screen.
• Pair with pale roses and silver foliage for strong colour contrast in a cottage border.

Garden styles it suits: English country, Cottage garden, Romantic rose garden, Traditional, Secret garden and Blues and silvers.

Plant it with: Climbing roses, Catmint, Hardy geraniums, Lady's mantle, Lavender and Mock orange.

Wildlife: The open flowers provide pollen for visiting bees and other insects. Dense growth offers temporary shelter, but this cultivar is not a substitute for locally native wildlife planting.

• Slugs and snails can destroy emerging shoots: check new growth regularly and use barriers or iron-phosphate bait according to the label.
• Powdery mildew may develop in dry soil or crowded growth: water the root zone, improve airflow and remove badly affected foliage.
• Sudden stem collapse can result from damage or clematis wilt, although viticella cultivars are relatively resistant: cut affected stems back to healthy growth and dispose of diseased material.
• Poor growth and few flowers often follow drought or dense shade: maintain root moisture and give the upper growth more light.

All parts are toxic if eaten by people, cats, dogs or horses. Chewing fresh material can cause mouth irritation, drooling, vomiting or diarrhoea; serious poisoning is uncommon because the plant tastes unpleasant. Sap can irritate skin, so wear gloves when pruning.

• Jackman's clematis (Clematis 'Jackmanii')

  Has larger purple flowers with broader, more overlapping sepals; 'Étoile Violette' has smaller, more open flowers, usually with four narrower sepals.

• Purpurea Plena Elegans clematis (Clematis 'Purpurea Plena Elegans')

  Has densely double, reddish-purple flowers rather than the single violet-purple flowers and exposed pale stamens of 'Étoile Violette'.

The French cultivar name 'Étoile Violette' means 'violet star', referring to its purple, star-like flowers.

Propagation. Take softwood cuttings in late spring or early summer, or layer a flexible stem into a pot of compost. Seedlings will not reliably match the named cultivar.

Accepted botanical name

Clematis

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.