Having been a florist for over twenty years I am very particular about accurate naming of colors. True blue is pretty rare in flowers. Most have lavender or purple tints.

I have never seen a blue Clematis that didn't have a tint of lavender or purple to it. Some are bluer than others for sure and many people would call them true blue but not me.

I certainly have not seen every Clem there is in person but I have seen many.

I have Ramona and Multi-Blue and they are lavender and dark purple blue in my climate. I have Durandii and integrifolia both described as blue, both on the purple side as well. Juuli is bluer than Ramona, it is a non climber.

Where they are grown makes a difference. They may be one color when you buy them at the nursery from a greenhouse and then the next year slightly different in your yard. Different is how much sun or shade they get too.

I don't think any are true sky or Forget-Me-Not blue despite what the catalogs say.

i agree with buyorsell888, i'm skeptical about any claims of "true-blue" clematis.

but to get as blue as you can go, you might do a search on blue clematis on this forum since there have been discussions about this topic in the past. i've included a long thread in the link below about this topic for you.

Here is a link that might be useful: blue clematis

I have Arabella, Daniel Deronda, Betty Corning and Prince Charles too all described as blue. To my eye, still all have purple or lavender to them, especially Daniel Deronda. They are more blue than purple or lavender but not true blue.

Sho-un is one clematis I could call blue. I have very alkaline soil, and this one is on a west exposure.

I'm not very good with color, but the one that really catches my eye is Rhapsody. This is what I call a real royal blue, at least in my garden. It is exactly my most favorite color, and the most beautiful clematis I grow, so far. It's young, so I haven't gotten tons of flowers from it yet, but, man, that color!

You're giving me hope. I planted Rhapsody last year. It did not flower, but it looks ready to get serious this year. Does anyone have a picture of Rhapsody?

You can see it here: Pictures of Rhapsody at Clematis on the Web.

Sometimes my Rhapsodys look royal blue, but at other times they are purple, depending on weather and the age of the bloom. There is not really a true blue clematis: some come close but are never as blue as a blue delphinium. You can get blueish casts, and sometimes they photograph pretty blue, but in person you can see the lavender or purple tones. I've photographed various Iris and even geranium 'Rozanne' and the pictures come out quite blue, but the flowers in person are not.

Hey, Bob that Clematis on the web is a great site! Thanks! That said, I ordered Will Goodwin last fall. The pic in the catalog was definitely a medium bright blue, however, when I looked it up at the above website, it was more like a pale lavender- so I don't know. I'm glad to find that website though, I had already come to the conclusion that some catalogs "enhance" their colors making it difficult to know exactly how the flower looks, now I will be able to look it up at an objective website. :) Brandy

By the way, I went back and looked at the catalog I ordered Will Goodwin from and it says "A true blue clematis...". That is Wayside. They also describe Durandii as being colored a "rich periwinkle". I am a beginner and I did not know there were no "true blue" clematis. I had come to the conclusion that there were no really red ones. How about yellow? I know I saw some that looked bright yellow in one catalog. Brandy

Thanks to all who have added information. There's nothing like other gardeners' actual in-garden experience!

There ARE true yellow Clematis but they aren't large flowered.

Click on Tangutica Group on the site below to see many of them.

Wayside Gardens is one of the worst as far as enhancing colors in their catalogs go. They do it to almost every plant.

Here is a link that might be useful: Great Clematis site

I agree with you buyorsell. I learned that years ago when I bought some blue balloon flowers that realy were purple. I love Edith Maleck's book. " hope I spelled that right"Her pictures are true to color. Also debunking all the myths. It is a dishonest practice. Filix

Sorry. Edith Malek "Simply clematis" I was looking for my book. This book is a must have IMO. Filix

Periwinkle is a lavender blue in the first place. Saying a plant has Periwinkle blue flowers means it is on the lavender side of blue.

Robin's egg blue or sky blue or Forget Me Not blue are true blues but.....There is nothing wrong with purple or lavender blues. They are gorgeous.

If you want true blue, plant a 'Heavenly Blue' morning glory every season. :)

I've tried some of the supposedly BLUE clematis only to find they have some purple in them. I still enjoy them, but would love for someone to identify a true blue Clem one of these days.

Clematis 'Rhapsody', dark blue/purple (not quite true blue)
{{gwi:580767}}

Clematis durandii on the trellis-see how it doesn't match the true blue bird bath LOL
{{gwi:580770}}

'Prince Charles'
{{gwi:198404}}

'Arabella', lavendar
{{gwi:580775}}

I also have Fujimusume & Mrs Cholmondeley and they have lavendar in them also.

Beautiful pictures! That Rhapsody looks as blue a clematis as I have seen. Filix

Our native clematis C. occidentalis albertensis is true blue. We have 2 in the garden. They are early spring bloomers and last about a month in flower. They have similar growing habits to he better known C. alpina.

The more base the soil, the bluer the flower...

Monique!!..Your pics are always stunningly gorgeous..I just love your clems...Jeanne

I love the pics! Especially the Arabella! And what a wonderful background- great contrast!
Interesting what you said about the soil- about the acidity influencing the color (shades of hydrangeas!). The soil here is all sand and very acidic.
Can anyone tell me what the name of the clematis at the top of the clematis forum is? (pinkish-purple w/ a light star shape on the petals) I have one and it has 5 big blooms on it- Gorgeous! I am so impressed! That, in spite of the unseasonable cold temps! I have buds on some of my others but no blooms yet. I have to remember to keep the morning glory under control so it does not semi-strangle the clematis this yr. :) It looked great but it was a nightmare to clean up off the railings in the fall.
Thanks for the website on yellow clematis. I will check it out. Brandy

This book is out of print. Anybody have any other clematis books they could recommend? I need one that lists which are resistant to (or better yet, impervious to) mildew.
And lots of great pics of course. Brandy

Monique, those are great pics. Love 'Prince Charles' up in the shrubbery.

Brandyray -

The book that Filix suggested, Simply Clematis, is available, just not necessarily through regular book stores. I found it at the American clematis Society's website
http://clematis.org/shop/book (or use the link below.)

Here is a link that might be useful: source for

Brandy..the clematis at the top of the Forum page is "Asao"...Jeanne

The book is pretty new. Filix

Thank you for the info. I will check about the book.
Jeanne, I feel sure my clematis is not an Asao- I would remember a name like that, but it does look like that. I will try to get my cousin to take a digital pic so I can maybe post it (if I can figure out how to do that). It must be a common one because I bought it locally. When I bought the ones I have, I didn't know anything about clematis! So, now I have several but I don't know the names of them! I do know I have a Niobe and a Will Goodwin- but I have 3 or 4 more and I'm not sure what they are (or more important which pruning group they are in).
I would like to get a fragrant white one that blooms in the fall but I believe terniflora would be rather uncontrollable here- like wisteria. Anyone know of any other choices? Thanks, Brandy

https://www.google.com/search?q=clematis+varieties&newwindow=1&rlz=1C1TSNP_enUS483US483&espv=2&tbm=isch&imgil=_NZwZbkzK8IfQM%253A%253BqPkyS2z8UnelOM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.soccerallinone.com%25252Fsearch%25252Fblue-clematis-varieties%25252F&source=iu&pf=m&fir=NZwZbkzK8IfQM%253A%252CqPkyS2z8UnelOM%252C&usg=__qAOAdwzTTm8139ula8aOakDdwfE%3D&biw=1455&bih=697&ved=0CD8Qyjc&ei=1787Vdi4KsersAXh0IDADA#imgrc=F7iZLpyGCfQa5M%253A%3B1vooi4CAcc0OPM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.arborsolutionsinc.com%252Fsitebuildercontent%252Fsitebuilderpictures%252Fclematis.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.arborsolutionsinc.com%252Fcatalog%252Fi140.html%3B640%3B480

This would be periwinkle, I LOVE it but can NOT find what it, or the other images on this site, are called!!! Help! This is the one my daughter in law has, it was there when they bought the house. I hope the link will open for you to see!

http://api.ning.com/files/tgu0kCeRY9HkMM4oCKMuYpJcXWF3rrNplaI--37L0N50ED1VYAAUG8DljLJi3sqjGjLCGKxO8HOkQoK-VHijBdTkpE6H2j/P5202278.JPG

WHAT is this one??? Anyone????

Kathy -

Try HF Young. It has flowers that are periwinkle with a light yellow center. Mine flowers profusely for about 3 weeks in May, and folks with longer growing seasons say that it will rebloom on new wood in the fall. I really like HF Young and am no longer looking for "true blue" clematis.

Your other option is to create another plant from your daughter-in-law's plant. If you do a web search for "layering clematis" you should get lots of options. It's a way to grow roots on a stem while it is still attached to the plant. After a year or more it can be separated and planted elsewhere.

neither one of those links works correctly. The first one gives hundreds of different Clematis and the second an error.

A number of years ago I saw a gorgeous clematis that was a true blue in color--brilliant royal with no hint of purple at all--at Forest Farm Nursery in Williams, Oregon. Unfortunately, I couldn't get it then, and it doesn't seem to be listed in their current catalogue. I have been wanting to contact them to find out what it was, and maybe this will stimulate me to do it. I suppose it could have been some peculiarity of growing conditions that year, but it was a beautiful blue bue. It's also possible that they still have it but not in sufficient quantity to list it, or know how to get it. Good luck!

Joy, IME (and in the collective experience of the various gardeners who have posted here) there really aren't any true blue clematis like delphiniums or forget-me-nots or some of the gentians. Clematis color sometimes has more blue than purple, but there's always at least a hint of lavender/purple. How much varies with plant genetics, flower age, and growing conditions, including soil and sun exposure. I also find that the light in which I am viewing a clematis will influence the color it appears to be. So what looked to you a true royal blue might have looked different had you viewed it at a different time of day or earlier or later in the season. The ones I know that come closest to royal blue are Rhapsody and Daniel Deronda. Let us know if you find out the name of the Forest Farm plant you saw.