Have you been hard pruning your Etoile Violette very year? She requires it to do much.

Clematis aren't too picky about soil ph, plain compost should be fine as a planting amendment.

It was just a little twig but this year I did cut it actually just last week. I'll hold out hope for it and the new one.

I have the best results when I grow the clemmie in a pot until the rootball is at least a 2 or 3 gallon size. A big rootball before it goes into the ground makes a huge difference in performance. Then I make sure I pinch back the growth the 1st year so that I get more stems.

When I move the plant from the 1 gallon to the larger pot I plant it a little deeper so there will be a chance for more stems coming up from dormant buds. If I get a smallish plant in the spring I grow it until late fall, check the rootball, and either plant it in the ground or wait until the following fall for that big rootball.

When they start growing around this time of year I give them a hit of fish emulsion fertilizer once a week for 3 or 4 weeks to encourage that huge rush of growth that they put on in the spring. Then they fill out a little more and bloom. When they are done blooming I give them more fish emulsion to encourage new growth and thus a new round of flowers. I repeat this process as many times as I can through the growing season, depending on the plant and how much it wants to grow/bloom.

Never, never let them dry out. It really sets them back.

Mine that are in too much shade don't do well (even when just the base is in shade). The thing about feet in the shade and head in the sun did not work in my yard. What they really want is to never never dry out.

I personally wouldn't use potting mix to condition the soil since it tends to dry out faster than normal soil. Mix some soil conditioner, sometimes sold as pine bark fines, into the soil to help with compaction and top dress with compost or a good mulch that will decompose and add tilth and moisture holding capacity to the soil.

It sounds as if your Etoile Violette was a tiny plant. Do as HoovB suggested in the future and grow out your small clematis in a one gallon pot before sticking it in the ground. Putting tiny plants in the ground is a good way not to have success with most plants, especially clematis. Another alternative is to purchase decent sized plants. You will pay more for them, but they will be better suited to immediate planting in your garden.

In addition to the other advice, pinch out the growing tips in the spring since it stimulates dormant nodes and you end up with two stems where you previously had one.

I do the same thing as Hoov and Miguel with small plants. Grow them out for a while in pots and they do much better when you put them in the ground.

When I plant clematis I remove the native soil from the hole (I have clay) mix it with soil conditioner or just plain old top soil then put the clematis in the hole with the mix of soils. I top dress with manure and mulch.

Carol

Thanks all for the good advice. I got this one as a band that was ready for a 1g pot. It's sitting in the new pot (with snail bait) and I plan to keep it moist through out this season. I may plant it in the ground in the pot to keep those roots cooler and moister. Will pinch and water then maybe next fall it will be time to pot up, if not earlier.
I will also pinch Etoile violette as it was a small little thing when I bought it a few years back. I transplanted it when we moved which I knew was not the best thing for it but I did it anyway and it's still alive.
Happy Easter everyone.
Mary