An award-winning clematis, this perennial vine is free flowering with 6- to 8-inch, rich and luminous, crimson flowers with a central cluster of 6 to 8 dark anthers, usually overlapping at the base. Young flowers bloom crisp and star-shaped, but as they age, they grow big and billowy. Summer flowering, it blooms June to July and again in September, but more established plants tend to flower almost continuously from early summer to early autumn. The flowers last longer and have better color if they are partially shaded from the hottest afternoon sun, especially in warmer climates.
The plant is cold hardy (to Zone 4) and very vigorous; however, it tops out at 10 feet high and 2 feet wide and can be easily managed, so it can even be grown in a large container. It's lovely growing on a climbing rose, nimbly vining around the sturdy canes, flowering just as the rose blooms begin to wane. The plant attracts hummingbirds but repels deer and rabbits.
Uses: Containers, Trellis, Specimen Plant
