Clematis "Purpurea Plena Elegance": description, recommendations for cultivation and breeding

Clematis flower "Purpurea plena Elegance" is a very popular variety and is well known to gardeners. The demand for the species is explained by unpretentious care, lush forms, good survival rate, as well as abundant and beautiful flowering.

Clematis "Purpurea captivity elegance" is represented by a perennial liana-like plant belonging to the buttercup family. Clematis has been cultivated as a garden flower since the 16th century, however, the Purpurea plona Elegance hybrid appeared much later. So, in 1890, the famous French breeder F. Morel received a new variety, which later received a botanical description and became part of the Viticella group... A little later, this luxurious liana-like plant with ligneous stems was awarded the highest prize of the Royal Society of Gardeners and quickly spread throughout Western Europe.

Externally, clematis varieties "Purpurea plena Elegance" are tall, abundantly flowering plants with dense beautiful greenery, which take root well in both temperate and subtropical climates. The height of adult specimens reaches 3 m, which makes it possible to use them for vertical gardening of terraces, gazebos, blank walls and arched structures.

In a short time, the plant forms a thick and beautiful green coating, on which a huge number of small (up to 9 cm) double flowers of burgundy or purple color flaunt. Clematis leaf plates have a regular oval shape and densely cover whip-like branches. The plant has a powerful, well-developed root system, with each bush occupying at least 3-4 m2.

"Purpurea plena Elegance" refers to frost-resistant and drought-resistant varieties and is able to withstand 40-degree frosts. It is not particularly picky about the composition of the soil and can grow on any garden soil. The only thing that needs to be provided to the bush plant in full is sunlight. The flower absolutely does not tolerate long-term shading and when it gets into such conditions it grows slowly and loses its abundance of flowering. But with a sufficient amount of ultraviolet radiation and heat, up to 150 beautiful velvet flowers bloom on each shoot, which delight the eyes of others for 3 months.

Plants planted a year ago are an exception: their flowering is rather poor and late. This is due to the fact that for abundant budding, clematis must grow the root system and adapt well to new conditions. In one place, "Purpurea Plena Elegance" is able to grow for over 20 years, striking gardeners with the brightness of colors and an abundance of colors throughout this time.

It is necessary to plant clematis with an open root system at the end of spring, after the threat of return frosts has passed. Autumn planting is also acceptable, however, it is more suitable for regions with warm snowy winters. In this case, planting is carried out a month before the onset of cold weather.

Before you start planting a flower, it is important to choose the right place. The best option would be open sunny areas where nothing will create shadows.However, for first-year seedlings, light midday shading still does not hurt.

As for the type of soil, clematis grows well on any soil, but it feels better on sandy loam and loamy slightly alkaline soils with good drainage. The only restriction when choosing a site is the close occurrence of groundwater, which can provoke rotting of the root system and cause the death of the bush. The same applies to the "upper" water: plants are not recommended to be planted under the roofs of buildings from which rainwater flows.

It is better to retreat 50 cm from the wall of the house, or to streamline the collection of water and equip the roof with a drainage gutter. Also, when choosing a place, you need to take into account the presence of drafts and try to avoid them. Adult plants react quite calmly to the constant movement of air masses, while young seedlings are best covered with a temporary shield.

After the place for the flower has been chosen, you can start preparing the planting material. When buying seedlings with an open root system, you need to choose healthy, developed specimens, with intact roots and no signs of the beginning of sap flow. If the plant is sold in a container with soil and has a closed root system, then the presence of leaves is encouraged. Such specimens take root well in a new place, grow the root system faster and can be planted any day during the growing season.

Planting clematis seedlings is carried out in pits 50 cm deep and about the same width. Drainage from sand and river pebbles must be laid on the bottom, and a soil mixture prepared from compost, garden soil and humus, taken in equal parts, is placed on top. A little wood ash and any complex mineral fertilizer are added to the resulting composition. Then the substrate is poured over the drainage and a hill is formed from it. The seedling is placed on a hill and the roots are carefully straightened. Next, the roots are covered with earth, making sure that the thickness of its layer above the root collar is 5-10 cm.

The variety is absolutely undemanding in its content and can grow in almost any proposed conditions. The main components of flower care are watering, timely pruning of branches, top dressing and mulching.

Watering clematis should not be too abundant, but regularly. Lack of moisture negatively affects the growth rate of the flower, as well as budding and flowering duration. Excess water is also harmful to the plant: the root system begins to rot, and the bush may die. Watering is carried out after sunset, otherwise dense foliage may get burned. In dry and hot weather, the plants are moistened every other day, preventing the soil from drying out excessively.

The first year after planting, the plant will be content with those substances that are present in the prepared nutrient substrate, placed in the planting pit. Starting from the second year, clematis should receive mineral and organic fertilizers, which are applied in spring and autumn. At the end of April - beginning of May, compounds containing nitrogen are introduced into the soil, and in the autumn months they are fed with phosphorus additives. Good results are obtained by root dressing with a solution of mullein or bird droppings, as well as the introduction of complex formulations. As for foliar dressings, they are also welcome and are produced in a chelated form by irrigating the leaf mass of the bush.

To protect the roots from overheating and retain moisture, the root zone of the bushes is mulched with compost, hay or sawdust. This prevents weeds from germinating and eliminates the need for regular loosening. The mulch layer is renewed once a month, removing the old substrate and replacing it with a fresh one.

In October, clematis are watered abundantly and wood ash is introduced at the root. Then, a couple of weeks before the onset of the first frost, the branches are cut shortly and treated with Bordeaux liquid or iron vitriol. Fertilizers with a high content of phosphorus and potassium are applied to the root zone, covered with a large layer of humus and covered with any non-woven fabric. At the edges, the material is pressed to the ground with heavy objects and the bush is left to winter.

In regions with a mild climate and warm winters, the fabric is replaced with spruce branches, sawdust or compost. Warming is performed exclusively in dry weather, since the freezing of wet earth is detrimental to the root system of the flower. With the onset of spring heat, the shelter is removed and the root zone is freed from mulch, thereby preventing the roots from becoming rotten.

Clematis "Purpurea plena elegance" belongs to the plants of the third pruning group, which implies budding and flowering of the bush on the shoots that have grown over the season. Flowers are located along the entire length of the branches and look up and to the sides. A characteristic feature of their structure is the absence of stamens and pistil, which gives them an unusual appearance and distinguishes them from other varieties of clematis. Besides, "Purpurea Plena Elegance" is the only type of clematis of the 3rd pruning group that has double flowers.

Usually varieties of the 2nd pruning group have this privilege, on which buds appear on last year's branches. In the first year after planting, it is recommended to cut the buds, allowing the flower to consume nutrients to build up the root system. Starting from the second year of life, the plants begin to bloom in full force, forming 100 or more buds on their branches.

The flower is trimmed with a sharp knife, shortening each shoot to a height of 35-40 cm, which usually corresponds to the second or third node from the ground level. If this is not done, then in the new growing season, when the plant begins to rapidly grow new shoots, the old lashes will wastefully draw life juices from it and turn out to be unnecessary ballast. When tying branches, it is important not to allow them to intertwine with each other. Otherwise, the vines will begin to be injured, and the shoots located in the middle of the bush will not receive full lighting.

Clematis "Purpurea Plena Elegance" is a strong, hardy plant and is practically not susceptible to disease. However, if the conditions for keeping the flower are violated, for example, with excessive soil moisture, such diseases as gray rot, fusarium, powdery mildew, rust and wilt (verticellosis wilting) may appear. To prevent fungal infections, it is recommended to plant plants in dry, sunny areas and carry out preventive treatment of the root system with "Fitosporin".

Among the pests that often bother the flower, one can note the mealybug, nematode, slugs and snails, spider mites, bedbugs and the scale insect. Rodents also take an interest in the roots of the plant and can completely destroy it. As a preventive measure against the invasion of insect pests, you can use Fitoverm or plant garlic, parsley, calendula and coriander in the immediate vicinity.

For reproduction of clematis "Purpurea plena elegans" use the method of dividing the bush, layering, cuttings or seed method. The latter is practically not used by gardeners, which is due to the high time costs and the lack of a guarantee of the preservation of maternal traits in a young plant.

• The most popular breeding method for clematis is dividing a bush... To do this, a 4-5-year-old plant is dug out of the ground and the root system is carefully divided into several parts. At the same time, shoots are shortened, and new plants are planted in open ground.

• Cuttings It is also a popular method of vegetative propagation of clematis and consists in the following: a strong shoot is carefully cut from a bush no older than 4 years old and cut into pieces 6-7 cm long, having at least 2 buds. Next, each cutting is planted in a mixture of sand and peat, placed in a warm place, covered with a transparent film or plastic bottle and regularly moistened. The appearance of green leaves from the buds will indicate the rooting of the cuttings. As soon as this happens, the mini-greenhouse is disassembled and the plant is transferred to a general care regimen.

• Reproduction by layering is the easiest way to get a new plant and consists in the following: one of the shoots regrown in spring is placed in a dug groove 10 cm deep and fixed with a hairpin. Then the layering is sprinkled with a nutrient mixture, while leaving its very tip on the surface. Rooting, layering occurs quite quickly, however, it is recommended to separate the new plant from the mother only the next year.

The main advantage of “Purpurea plena Elegance” clematis is its excellent decorative qualities, which make it possible to use the flower to decorate pergolas, arched structures and gardening hedges. Clematis is often included in the compositions of flowering mixborders or used as an independent element of landscape design. Besides, due to its rapid growth, bushiness and an abundance of green mass, clematis can skillfully mask a peeling building, a dried tree, a country toilet or a cesspool.

• With clematis, you can quickly and effortlessly design a spectacular garden arch.

• The lush and dense greenery of the plant perfectly disguises nondescript fences and old walls.

• Even a single planting of clematis noticeably enlivens the landscape and brings variety to it.

• The variety "Purpurea plena Elegance" looks great in flower arrangements and often acts as a central element.

• Clematis not only decorates the garden gazebo, but also brings coolness and shade to it.

Recommendations for growing clematis "Purpurea captivity Elegance", see the following video.