General Culture:
Grow in fertile, medium moisture, well-drained soil in full sun to part shade. Roots should be kept cool, shaded and uniformly moist. Bloom occurs on the current year's growth. Prune back hard (to approximately 8-12" from the ground) to strong leaf buds in late winter to early spring. Needs adequate supply of nutrients during the growing season to support the rush of growth.
Noteworthy Characteristics:
'Etoile Violette' is a deciduous, small-flowering, semi-woody climbing clematis vine (Viticella group) which typically grows 10-12' and features deep purple flowers (3-4" diameter) with conspicuous tufts of golden stamens. Sepals are blunt-tipped. Profuse summer bloom. Pinnately trifoliate medium green foliage darkens as the summer progresses. Etoile means star in French.
Problems:
No serious insect or disease problems. Some susceptibility to wilt.
Uses:
This clematis can be trained to climb a wall, trellis, fence, arbor, porch, lamp post or other stationary structure. Provides good architectural height and framework for small gardens. Can also be planted to sprawl over and through large shrubs, over old tree stumps or simply as a ground cover in conjunction with other flowering perennials.
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Garden, 2001-2010