How about a maroonish-purple colour?..Clematis "Polish Spirit" is VERY VIGOROUS Pruning group 3...Jeanne

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I agree with Polish Spirit but also consider Etoile Voilet.It is a little more to the red side of purple.

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Robert, the ultimate height of any clematis will depend on a variety of factors too numerous to be able to elucidate and the heights given in any listing are average heights to use for comparison purposes. I believe you said previously that you had Polish Spirit and Etoile Violette in that thread about heirloom clematis. They are both very interesting and vigorous growers though, both listed as getting about 13 feet tall. The same goes for Blue Belle another purple type III viticella.

Here are those three side by side for color comparison purposes, with PS at the top (characteristic anthers), Blue Belle in the lower left and Etoile Violette in the lower right.

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How about Negritianka or Black Prince? COTW says that Negritianka only gets to a little over 9 feet or so but that Black Prince can get to about 13 feet or so. The coloration of Black Prince is dark black purple that fades to a purple with some red.

Black Prince

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Viola is another choice only getting to about 9 to 10 feet tall, Galore is reported to get anywhere from 9 to 16 feet and is dark purple, and viticella the species is said to vary in coloration from mid to deep purple and average height is reported to be 13 to 16 feet tall.

Of course any of the type IIIs could be treated as type IIs and not pruned and if you do that, the ultimate height will be taller but your flowers would be on the newer wood and you would probably develop woody lower stems.

Don't know if this would be an option or not but if you have some sort of arching structure you are trying to cover with a clematis of that type, you could plant a variety that grows to about half the height at either end of the structure and have them meet half way.

I do like these selections. I've planted Polish Spirit in a nearby space, and I don't want to move it if I can find others that would work. Here are some of the blue/violet/purple clematis that I have ordered...any comments on them for this spot would be helpful.

I'm thinking that Ascotiensis or Etoile Violette might be ideal. I could let one of these keep woody stems for about 5 ft. I could then plant another from the list at the base? Any suggestions or comments?

***Ascotiensis
***Etoile Violette

Daniel Duranda
Ken Donson
Ãdouard Desfossé
Haku Ookan
Mrs. Norman Thompson
Blue Ravine
Royalty
General Sikorski

Clematis "Etoile Violette" is a great choice..I've had her growing in my gardens for 4 years now and she has done well..not quite as vigorous as "Polish Spirit" with throwing up new vines
I've had Clematis "Daniel Deronda" in my gardens for 4 years as well and he is a pruning group 2 that I hard pruned after the first year in my gardens..he is only about 4 feet tall now with about 6 vines..he blooms once in Spring and once in fall for me
I just planted last fall clematis "Ascotiensis","Mrs. N Thompson","Blue Ravine" & "Royalty" so I can't give you an assessment of them in my gardens yet..I can say "Royalty" and "Ascotiensis" have A BUD ..LOL..on them already and have grown to about 3 feet...Jeanne

Jeanne, your and my experience with Polish Spirit and Etoile Violette are the same. PS is definitely the monster in our gardens, but I have heard others say that their EV gets larger than their PS. Maybe it is a zonal thing.

Don't have any experience with any of the others so can't give you any help there.

I just might need to see if I can add another Polish Spirit to my order. This particular spot warrants a monster.

Robert

I agree with Polish Spirit. I have know a few people who have pulled it because it was to vigorous.

There is always Armandii which is beautiful with shiny leaves and flowers, but will only bloom once. In the same category there are the Montanas. Mine gets bigger every year, blooms for about 6 weeks and is fragrant.

If you grow a large climbing rose, a clematis can fill in the times that the rose is getting ready to flush again. For example, Buff Beauty, once established flushes about 3 times a season (for me in Northern CA), then you could grow Etoile Violette with it and get color and fragrance.

Carol

I agree with the other posters that suggest Etoile Violette as it has been a wonderful Clematis for me. I live in a colder climate and last spring I cut it way back. It went up and over a tall arbor and was just loaded with blooms all summer.It is a great Clematis and I am sure you would be pleased with it.
Lois

Here are the tall clematis in my yard. I also included two white ones, too, which are just beautiful!

Pic 1: Sweet Autumn Clematis (SAC)
Pic 2: Etoile Violette
Pic 3: Huldine
Pic 4: Fall pic of SAC
Pic 5: Huldine (again)
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Great pictures Bellarosa.

Bellarosa, your clematis are glorious!

Robert, just an FYI, do not even consider growing SAC near a rose or any other plant in the south!!! Monstrous thing.I agree with Polish Spirit or EV for your tall purple clematis.

Carol

Carol, I definitely here what you're saying about SAC. It's a monster here. I love it, but it needs its own spot. I've got it growing over a fence, and it's pulling down the fence.

As a side note...last year my SAC, especially, was attacked by hundreds and hundreds of blister beetles! They are WORSE than Japanese Beetles.

Robert

Yikes!!....we are fortunate Robert to not have Blister Beetles..but I've read many nasty things about them...Jeanne

Don't think we have them either although to be quite honest, I haven't a clue what they are or look like. Sounds like something I need to Google.

My $0.02 on those choices. Of course, PS and EV are vigorous, dark viticellas. Blue Belle for me gets equally as tall (since height was important to you), and has larger flowers). Ascotiensis is not as strong or vigorous a grower. The others you mentioned as type II's and not as tall or vigorous.

bellarosa, what are the pink flowers and purple flowers in the fourth picture? Very beautiful.

Not bellarosa but the pink flower looks like a fall blooming sedum, possibly Autumn Joy, and the purple flower appears to be an aster of some sort, possibly either one of the shrubby ones or even the climing Aster carolinianus. Hopefully she will pop in her and clarify my guesses.

Hi,
Miguel is correct! The pink flowers are sedum, 'Autumn Joy' and the purple flower is an aster. Glad you enjoyed them!

Bellarosa, which particular aster is it?

Hi,
Believe it or not, the Aster is a wild one that just seeded from the field behind our house! I never planted it, but loved the combo with the sedum, goldenrod and SAC, I didn't have the heart to rip it out. Its pretty isn't it? I would guess that Aster, 'Hella Lacy' would be a good substitute.

Wow, a great plant that seeded itself. Who would have thought?

Migel,
I had never had blister beetles either until last year. I didn't know they existed. They look very similar to lightening bugs without the glow...and the blister beetles have long antenna...like cockroaches. They seem to drop from the plant quickly if disturbed, so catching them is more difficult than, say, japanese beetles.

Overnight they can decimate an entire clematis. They're nasty.

Robert