Clematis 'Purpurea Plena Elegans'

Clematis 'Purpurea Plena Elegans' is a viticella clematis with a fascinating history. The French nurseryman Francisque Morel introduced it around 1900. The flowers are a deep purple-violet – more precisely a rich purplish red with a greyish shimmer on the reverses of the tepals –, very double and up to 5 cm across. They open gradually from the outside in, providing weeks of subtly changing colour that shows to best advantage against a pale background.

From July to September the numerous small flower rosettes tirelessly cover the foliage of the plant, for like all viticella cultivars 'Purpurea Plena Elegans' flowers on the current season's fresh new growth. Reaching up to 3 m in height, it is an outstanding companion for climbing roses, ramblers and larger shrubs, or it clambers picturesquely into deciduous trees. It is equally at home on a rose arch, pergola, fence or wall. In more generous gardens it can be guided over rhododendrons or lilacs, filling the flower-sparse midsummer period with brilliant colour.

With frost hardiness down to USDA Zone 5 (–28.8 to –23.4 °C), 'Purpurea Plena Elegans' comes through even severe winters without difficulty. In March, cut it back hard to around 25 cm – a single, clearly defined care step that encourages fresh, vigorous new growth year after year. It is no wonder that the Royal Horticultural Society has awarded it the Award of Garden Merit (AGM) and the International Clematis Society includes it on its recommended list: this historic climber combines centuries-old charm with an ease of cultivation that even beginners will appreciate.