Ville de Lyon Clematis Plants

• Variety: Ville de Lyon (Group 3) – carmine-red, darker at the edges; French, 1890s, still going strong
• Latin name: Clematis 'Ville de Lyon'
• Flower: Carmine-red with plum-dark edges, golden anthers, broad rounded petals that overlap well
• Scent: None
• Climbing method: Leaf-stalk tendril climber
• Height: To 3.5m (11ft)
• Flowering: July–September
• Pruning group: 3 – cut hard to 30cm above ground in February
• Planting depth: 8–10cm below pot level
• Hardiness: H6 – hardy in the coldest UK winter
• RHS AGM: No
• Sold as: P9 and 3L deep pots, produced from our cuttings
• Plant outdoors: Year-round
• Delivered: March–November typically. Collection from Castle Cary also available

Clematis Ville de Lyon – The French Red That Ages Well

Morel's nursery in Lyon bred and introduced this clematis in the 1890s and it has been in all the decent clematis catalogues since then. Over 130 years is a long time for any plant to stay in the trade, and the vaste majority of clematis popular around 1900 have literally been forgotten. Ville de Lyon survived because its colouring of carmine-red with darker edges (almopst plum) is really unusual. Plus, as each flower ages the contrast increases rather than fades meaning the flowers unusually look better as they get older. If you could put that in a bottle... The petals are broad and rounded, overlapping properly, none of the daisy like gaps you sometimes get with large-flowered types.

It is a Group 3 clematis so you cut the whole thing down to about 30cm in February. All its flowering is down on the current season's growth meaning the flowers you see in summer are on wood that has grown since February. At about three and a half metres it covers a decent run of fence or a house wall pillar without becoming a problem, and it is fully hardy.

Most group 3 Clematis will take as much sun as you can give them, but in this respect Ville de Lyon is an outlier as it does better in a bit of shade as the sun bleaches its flowers leaving you with a washed out pink shadow of the real thing. A west-facing wall is ideal, or an east wall with afternoon shade, or even the north side of a pergola. All this makes Ville de Lyon one of very few red clematis that actually perform better out of direct sun, which makes it unexpectedly useful on walls that other red clematis dislike.

An Old Variety, New Companions

Nothing happens on this plant before July, so you need something for spring on the same wall. Apple Blossom is the obvious answer because it is evergreen, scented, flowers in March and April, and the foliage stays as a backdrop all year once the Ville de Lyon takes over. For a summer colour contrast, Guernsey Cream alongside puts soft cream next to the carmine, which sounds like an unlikely pairing but works surprisingly well. A climbing rose in pale pink (New Dawn or Compassion) is the safe and beautiful choice if you do not want to experiment. Silver artemisia or white astrantia planted at the base lifts the heavy red and stops the whole wall feeling too dark and serious.

Decades of Growing

We have been here since 1949. The buildings have changed, most of the people have changed, and some of the methods have changed, but the approach has not: we propagate our own plants and we stand behind what we send out. When there is a problem we deal with it, and that is really all there is to say.

Frequently Asked Questions

When should I prune Ville de Lyon?

Prune hard in February, cutting every stem to about 30cm just above the lowest pair of fat buds. Do not be tempted to leave some old wood in the hope that it will help because it will not; Group 3 clematis flower entirely on the new growth that comes after the cut. If you leave old stems you end up with a plant that is bare at the bottom and only flowers at the top, which is not what anyone wants.

What depth should I plant Ville de Lyon at?

Put the crown about 8–10cm below the soil surface, which will feel too deep when you are doing it but is deliberate. The buried stem develops dormant buds that can save the plant if anything goes wrong with the top growth. Our depth guide explains the method in full.

Does Ville de Lyon need full sun?

No, and in fact it is one of the few red clematis that does better without it. The carmine colour fades in strong direct light and you lose the dark edges that make the flower worth growing. A west-facing wall or a spot with afternoon shade is what you want. The body text above goes into this in more detail because it really does matter with this variety.

What is the difference between Ville de Lyon and Ernest Markham?

Ernest Markham is a brighter magenta-red and needs proper sun to perform at its best, whereas Ville de Lyon is a deeper carmine that actually prefers some shade. Ernest Markham holds the RHS AGM; Ville de Lyon does not, but it has been in cultivation for well over a century and that kind of longevity tells its own story. Both are Group 3, both reach a similar height, but they suit different walls.

How wilt-resistant is Ville de Lyon?

No more resistant than any other large-flowered clematis, which is to say not especially. But if you plant it at the correct depth the crown sits underground and can regrow even if wilt kills everything above the surface. Wilt is also much rarer than people think; I may have seen it a dozen times in 60 years, but I have never seen an affected clematis fail to regrow.

How old is Ville de Lyon?

It was introduced by the Morel nursery in Lyon in the 1890s, which makes it well over 130 years old and one of the oldest clematis varieties still commercially available. Varieties that do not perform tend to get quietly dropped from catalogues, and the fact that this one is still here after all that time tells you everything you need to know about its reliability.