Purple Clematis

The garden now has more flowers  than it did  in August, when everything was looking rather sad and burnt off. One species that's really come into its own in the last week or so is  this purple-flowered Clematis viticella.


Originating in southern Europe – and particularly common in Italy – wild Clematis viticella will grow in some fairly inhospitable territory, tolerating weather extremes better than other clematis. It was the very first clematis to be introduced to England in 1569. This cultivar (possibly Etoille Violette) clearly has the survival power of its wild ancestor!