Listen to Paul Parent and David Wilson as they discuss Clematis viticella ‘Venosa Violacea’ on the March 19, 2006 The Paul Parent Garden Club radio show [3:55 minutes]
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Clematis viticella ‘Venosa Violacea’ is a gorgeous, flowering vine that is vigorous, easy to grow, has superb disease resistance, and produces beautiful flowers in great profusion for a long duration.
Clematis viticella Venosa Violcea means "violet veins", and when you look closely at the flowers on this exceptional variety, you can see how it got its name. Perhaps it should also have the words "ever changing" added, because that's exactly what the flowers are: ever changing.
This exciting floral pattern begins with the first flush of blooms. At first glance, the 3-4" diameter flowers look predominantly velvet-purple with a white bar across the center. Closer inspection shows a distinctive venation of violet veins running through the white that is absolutely stunning. Each incredibly striking flower must be seen at close quarters to fully appreciate the beauty.
As the season advances and more flushes of flowers develop, the broad velvet-purple edges recede to reveal more white and even more distinctive and dramatic veining. This changing pattern reaches a peak in late summer and early autumn when the flowers have dark violet veining reaching all the way out to the edges of the blossoms through a suffusion of softer purples.
The first flowers appear in early summer. They are borne so prolifically that it is not unusual to see the upper half of the plants covered with masses of these highly distinctive flowers. This round of flowering will last for several weeks, often extending into midsummer with some flowers appearing on the newer growth. These early season flowers are very nice, but for me the best is yet to come. It is the later flushes that capture my attention and get me “oohing” and “aahing” each year.
I really like the later season flowers. I love the way the rich, velvet-purple edges seem to frame the flowers and how the dark veins stand out so spectacularly against the white central background; then, right in the center of each flower, is a starburst of deep indigo stamens. It is truly a stunning piece of nature's beauty, a work of living art that's just fantastic.
Imagine having two rounds of concentrated flowering giving you a chance to enjoy it twice in the same year. With each flowering the flowers will be different, and like the "good wine," the best comes at the end! To ensure you get the best from your plants, all it takes is a little bit of TLC (tender loving care).
Clematis viticella ‘Venosa Violacea’ is a good, strong grower, so getting the best from it is easy. Just follow the growing recommendations on the tags and on our Garden Splendor® website and you can't go wrong. This link to our Plant Encyclopedia will explain all the tips on growing clematis that you need to know.
The later flush of flowering is produced on new growth, so to encourage plenty of fresh, new growth and another round of blossoms it is a good idea to give the plants a light prune just as the first round of flowering is waning. Just lightly trim back any long, wayward shoots; tie and train them in; cut out any dead or weak stems; and trim off any old, faded seed heads. Lightly fertilize, mulch the soil, and water during dry periods. This will stimulate and sustain good growth. When the late summer comes around, you should enjoy lots of stunning flowers.
Ask any experienced gardener about growing clematis and the vexing subject of clematis wilt (stem rot) usually comes to the fore. This is an annoying disease that sometimes attacks apparently healthy plants causing them to suddenly collapse and wilt in the midst of the growing season. Happily, with modern growing practices, good hygiene, and buying plants from reputable sources, this has become much less troublesome than it once was.
That's the good news! What's even better is that Clematis viticella ‘Venosa Violacea’ has excellent natural resistant to this disease. There's no need to worry about it succumbing to this illness for, along with the other hybrids raised from a European species called Clematis viticella, it has marvelous, natural resistance. For gardeners like me, that don't have time to fuss and worry about spraying and treating diseases, this is a major plus and a very good reason why we include varieties like this in our Garden Splendor® selection.
Clematis are hardy Zone 4 plants, and Clematis viticella ‘Venosa Violacea’ is no exception. It is a variety to show off with pride, and one that should be displayed in prominent positions where the intricacy of the floral patterns can be enjoyed close to eye level.
It is marvelous on archways, arbors, trellises, or fences, growing to a height of about 8 to 10 feet. It is easy to train, and with its prolific flowers, it will easily cover the sides of structures and show off the flowers in all their finery.
It is a good, vigorous grower. If a network of trellis or chicken wire is provided, it will scramble up and around lamp posts, old tree stumps, posts of pergolas, and other overhead structures. It is even vigorous enough to train into other larger shrubs and small trees.
I've seen it used to add color and "life" to ground covering evergreens, for instance. Swaths of boring junipers really come alive when the network of flowers dazzle and shine against the solid green background.
In my garden, I have it draping over a waist high balustrade that runs around our front porch. I deliberately planted it near the main door. As visitors came and go, they can't help but notice it. Of course, if by chance they don't spot it, then I'll quietly lead them over to share the exquisiteness of the coloring and patterning. This is a plant that is just too good to miss! It should be, enjoyed, savored, appreciated, and shared.
The floriferous nature and vigorous growth habit mean it also does well in containers. Just pop it into a good sized container, add some nutritious compost, and maybe a few showy annuals or other perennials to add color around the base, and here is a climbing vine that will twine up trellises or screens to provide height, valuable screening, and color to decks, patios, balconies, porches, etc.
To overwinter the plants, the pots can be plunged in soil outdoors (just bury them up to their rim) or, do as I do: bring them indoors to an unheated basement and water them sparingly (but enough to keep them alive) during the winter. Then, when the worst of the weather has passed in spring, I put them outside again to begin another year of color.
Clematis viticella ‘Venosa Violacea’ was bred and introduced by the world famous nursery firm of Lemione et Fils, of Nancy, France in 1883. The nursery, which is better known for its sterling work in the field of breeding lilacs, belonged to Victor Lemoine and his son, Emile.
This nursery, in its heyday, bred and introduced an outstanding collection of plants. They are credited with introducing over 60 varieties of peonies, 36 varieties of hydrangea, 71 weigelias, and of course their famous lilacs (syringas).
It is not an exaggeration to say that they put the "French" in French Lilacs, for if you read the piece we have prepared on lilacs in our Garden Splendor® Plant Encyclopedia, you'll see that these highly fragrant and much adored plants are not native to France. It was the firm of Lemoine that bred and distributed them so successfully that caused them to become known as “French Lilacs”.
Before you think this is a newsletter on lilacs, let me get back to clematis. While they were working on all these genera, they were also breeding and selecting clematis. During the life of the nursery, they are credited with introducing a whopping 90 separate varieties!
Clematis viticella ‘Venosa Violacea’ was one of these - a variety so unique and so special, that it has truly stood the test of time. Quite incredibly, it has never been bettered by newer, more recent introductions. Some new varieties might be more compact, have larger flowers, and glitzy colors, etc., but when you see the elegance and refinement of this stupendous variety, you'll agree that this is an excellent example of what we mean when we say that Garden Splendor® plants offers “the best of the tried and true and the most exciting of the promising and new.”
We trust that you will come in soon to see us here at our garden center, and see why Clematis viticella ‘Venosa Violacea’ and the other Garden Splendor® plants are Plants Worth Remembering™.
Until next time, remember.... Enjoy your gardening. It's good for you!
