Clem I.D.:Maybe Etoile Violette or Blue Belle?

11 years ago

or Polish Spirit?

What do you think? Full bloom now in my z.5 Boston area garden, though we are 1-2wks ahead of a normal season.this color is accurate- i'd call it a dusty purple. thx much

mindy
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Comments (12)

wieslaw59
11 years ago
If the colour on the picture is true, then not Polish Spirit for sure. Fresh flowers on Polish Spirit are reddish purple.
aftermidnight Zone7b B.C. Canada
11 years ago
Compare yours to Prince Charles, if it's not at least you can rule another one out :).

Annette
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alina_1
11 years ago
If the actual color the same as on picture, it looks like C. 'Romantika' to me. Could also be Negritjanka.

Definitely NOT 'Polish Spirit' or 'Etoille Violette'.
alina_1
11 years ago
If the actual color the same as on picture, it looks like C. 'Romantika' to me. Could also be Negritjanka.

Definitely NOT 'Polish Spirit' or 'Etoille Violette'.
NHBabs z4b-5a NH
11 years ago
Looks like Viola, both color and flower form. It seems early for Viola, but the type 3s are blooming in my garden now, which is quite early.

Check out the photos on Clematis on the Web.

Here is a link that might be useful: viola
arbo_retum
Original Author
11 years ago
alina,thx for the help. the form looks the same as romantika but not the color, to me.

babs, hi there, i do think it looks like Viola, but what makes me hesitate is the way the web photo (not mine) shows the petals being contorted whereas mine are perfectly flat.But then the web photo of the mass of flowers shows them being flat, like mine...... (HOW did you find this? did you do the same Clematis on the Web search for 'purple' and then you went through the 300+ entries?! or do you have a secret short cut?!)

thx,
mindy
hunt4carl
11 years ago
Looks neither like "Polish Spirit", nor "Etoile Violette", which are already in
full bloom here. . .do you have the patience to scan through the entries
at Brushwood Nursery, my favorite clematis site?

Carl

Here is a link that might be useful: Brushwood Nursery
alina_1
11 years ago
The actual color of Romantika is very dark navy, almost black. On the Brushwood nursery picture it is quite close to the actual color and to the color on your picture. Same with Negritjanka. There are not many such black/blue Clematis, especially with this shape.
Viola does look similar, but it is very new on US market, so I would not vote for it.

BTW, for all Clematis lovers and collectors, 'Omoshiro' is back for sale at Brushwood! It was not available for a long time. I finally managed to buy it locally.
NHBabs z4b-5a NH
11 years ago
Mindy -

I have pretty good visual memory, and I researched Viola a year ago when I decided to buy it. I knew that your photo looked a lot like one I had seen and I was pretty sure it was Viola, so it was a matter of checking the different online sources to see photos of Viola. Mine didn't bloom much last year since it was new, but I expect to have flowers this year and will try to remember to photograph it when it does.

Viola may be new on the market, but I've been seeing it available for several years, so I'd think it possible.
arbo_retum
Original Author
11 years ago
alina, i do wish you would post the clem varieties you grow; i think you must have ALOT? i now have maybe 25 varieties. what did you think of the Fine Gdng article/Chic Botan Gdn trial chart- i linked to in my other thread? Did you agree w/ most of their findings?I wish you would add your zone and location to your moniker!do you fertilize your clems monthly through the summer?so much to learn.

I bought this plant at Oliver's in CT likely 6-8 yrs ago. I don't think of it as black in any way. dark plum(greyish) purple is what i call it. no red in it.
i'm now guessing it is Romantika or Viola but all the comments here are helpful.

best,
mindy
www.cottonarboretum.com/
gardenfanatic2003
11 years ago
Could be Jackmanii.

Deanna
alina_1
11 years ago
This is not Jackmanii - the form of the petals is different.

Mindy, I have 60+ Clematis and I am in MD, zone 6/7 :)

Our lot is small, so Clematis are everywhere, LOL. I have about 20 of them planted around a small 10' gazebo, next to many shrubs, along the fence, etc.

I do not fertilize my Clematis every month. In spring, I throw some Tomato-tone or Rose-tone and add compost and/or mulch. After first flush of blooming is over, I cut them back and add more fertilizer - I learned this trick on Clematis forum long time ago. This gives a second and sometimes a third flushes during growing season. More sparse than the first one, but still a bonus...

As for that chart, no, I do not agree with many ratings. Most of my type 3 Clematis are terrific performers, so 'fair' rating for them sounds unfair :)

Still think that Romantika is a better guess than Viola. Viola is still rare and seems to have wider petals.

Mindy, did you find companions for this Clemmie? My 'Negritjanka' is planted with 'Huldine'. They bloom at the same time and the contrast is really beautiful. Just an idea :)