Clematis Étoile Violette

• Variety: Étoile Violette - unstoppable from July to September
• Latin name: Clematis viticella 'Étoile Violette'
• Flower: Deep violet-purple with golden stamens
• Scent: None
• Climbing method: Leaf-stalk tendril climber
• Height: To 5m
• Flowering: July–September
• Pruning group: Group 3 – cut back very hard in February
• Planting depth: Plant 8–10cm below pot level
• Wilt resistance: Excellent; Resistant to clematis wilt
• Hardiness: Fully hardy
• RHS AGM: Yes (confirmed December 2024)
• Sold as: P9 and 3L deep pots, grown by us. Peat-free compost
• Plant outdoors: Year-round
• Delivered: March–November typically. Collection from Castle Cary also available

Clematis Étoile Violette – The Wilt-Proof Summer Climber

Étoile Violette is a viticella clematis, so it is wilt resistant. If you have lost a large-flowered clematis to wilt and decided never to grow another one (impetuous decisions can be changed), this is a clematis for you. From July to September it produces masses of deep violet-purple flowers, each about 8cm across with a central boss of golden stamens that catches the light. The colour is rich without being oppressive. The name translates as "violet star", and it was given its RHS Award of Garden Merit in 1993, roughly a century after the French nurseryman François Morel first introduced it in 1885.

At 5m it is vigorous enough to clamber up the rose that flowers around your first floor bedroom window, cover a wall or grow through a large shrub. If you don't have a bedroom window rose, try Pink Perpetue; the two go together like crumpets and jam. In February you cut it hard: everything comes off down to about 30cm from the ground. This sounds brutal, but Étoile Violette is a Group 3 clematis; it flowers on new wood, so every stem it produces from spring onwards is a potential flowering shoot. By July the fresh growth has reached the top of whatever it is climbing and the flowers open from top to bottom over the following weeks. There is no old framework to manage, no careful bud-counting, no anxiety about cutting the wrong stem. You cut it all off. It grows back. It flowers. Every year.

The Clematis to Grow Through a Rose

Étoile Violette growing through a pale climbing rose is one of the most photographed plant combinations in British gardening. The deep purple clematis threading through blush-pink or white rose flowers has often been a feature of show gardens at Chelsea and Hampton Court. The combination works because the timing is right: the rose flowers in June and July, the clematis joins it from July and carries on after the rose finishes. Plant the clematis 30–45cm from the base of an established climbing rose (New Dawn or Madame Alfred Carrière are superb partners) and let it find its own way up through the stems. For another viticella with a different flower form on a neighbouring wall, Purpurea Plena Elegans has double plum-purple rosettes that look nothing like Étoile Violette despite being the same colour family. For an early clematis that flowers before the viticella starts, Nelly Moser covers May and June in pink, leaving the wall to Étoile Violette for the rest of summer. Plant dahlias (Bishop of Llandaff or David Howard) at the base for ground-level colour that matches the clematis flowering season.

Raised at Our Nursery in Somerset

Your Étoile Violette was grown from our own cutting material. Viticella clematis are among the most satisfying plants to propagate: they root willingly, grow strongly, and give us very few losses. We grow them in peat-free compost using biological controls throughout. Every plant is guaranteed, and if anything is not right we have real gardeners on the phone who know the plants because they helped grow them. Feefo Platinum Partner, Which? Gardening Best Buy. Browse the full clematis collection.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Étoile Violette resistant to clematis wilt?

Yes, viticella clematis are the most wilt-resistant group you can grow. Clematis wilt is caused by a fungus that attacks the large-flowered hybrids; the viticella species and its cultivars have a natural resistance that makes them virtually immune. If you have lost clematis to wilt before, viticellas are the answer. Our clematis growing guide has more on wilt prevention and recovery.

When should I prune Étoile Violette?

In February, hard. Cut every stem back to about 30cm above the ground, just above the lowest pair of strong buds. This is the standard Group 3 prune and it could not be simpler. Because Étoile Violette flowers entirely on new growth, you lose nothing by cutting away last year's stems. The plant will regrow from the base and flower on the new wood from July.

Can I grow Étoile Violette through a climbing rose?

This is where we think it looks at its best; plant the clematis 30–45cm from the base of the rose, angled towards it, and let it weave its own way up. The deep purple clematis flowers against rose blooms is a classic British garden combination.

How deep should I plant Étoile Violette?

Plant 8–10cm below pot level. Deep planting encourages it to produce shoots from below ground, giving it a reserve of growing points if the top is ever damaged. This rule applies to all Group 2 and Group 3 clematis. For full planting instructions see our clematis planting depth guide.

Should I deadhead Étoile Violette?

No. Unlike the large-flowered Group 2 clematis, viticellas produce so many flowers that deadheading is impractical and unnecessary. The plant will keep producing new blooms from July through to September without any help. At the end of the season, leave the spent growth standing through winter; you will cut it all away in February anyway.

When does Étoile Violette flower?

July to September, on the current season's growth. There is no early flush on old wood as with the Group 2 types; all the flowers come in a sustained display through mid and late summer. In a warm autumn the last flowers may continue into early October.