Rebecca that is if you get the right one, it's a beautiful red, BUT, there are some out there with the tag saying they're Rebecca but they aren't that true red color and the shape of the flower is different, don't buy it unless it's flowering and you can actually see what the flower looks like. I went to replace one that died on me (my fault) and the one I bought to replace it looks nowhere like the first one I had.

Annette

Niobe was never red here. More of a wine color.

I hate it when a favorite plant dies and you can't find another like it! Been there.

A couple others:
Bourbon
Avant-Garde

I think Rebecca is my favorite though of all of these.

"Red" should be taken with a grain of salt. Most clematis are not anywhere close to a true red but more of a deep cherry pink or wine color. Gravetye Beauty is about as close you will get and I'd not consider that red.

My first Rebecca was the exact same color and shape of petals as the 5th one, first row in the link below. The one I bought to replace it doesn't come close to this color. It looks like the 2nd one in the 2nd row, both in color and shape of the petals, so disappointing.

Annette

Here is a link that might be useful: Google Images

I have seen Rebecca for sale blooming and it wasn't that red. Climate and sun exposure do make a difference.

It was redder than Niobe, Avant-garde and Rouge Cardinal though....those three I have and they are not red.

Yes, red tends to be more purple or magenta, or something.
I have a red clematis, Niobe I think...and I don't recognize it as 'red' at all :)
I also would love a true red.

Thanks for the suggestions. It's always hard to tell by the pictures sometimes, so I wasn't sure if there was actually a "true" red available. I don't mind a slight lean to the purple or magenta side though, so rebecca might fit the bill :)

My Rebecca is true red, Niobe is wine red. Mme Julia Correvon is maroon.

ay, boy am I a picky girl when it comes to color talk. The only REAL way to successfully discuss flower color is with a reference chart like the RHS color chart (Royal Hort Soc, those clem-crazy Brits!) Raymond Evison named Rebecca for his oldest daughter and he feels it is the best true red clem. I have ordered Alita; she looks lovely, but she is not red to me.

Many of us have certain colors that we dislike. For me, the most painful color is the red purple of the common rhodos that you see in front of millions of New England homes. And unfortunately, that color is very common in clems.

Also, IMO, gg48 is right on the money about this.
In light w/ that, my opinions of varieties I have grown:
--Niobe is my fav for her deep wine color; I haven't found any others to match her color
--Julia correvon is not maroon (I wish) but a cerise/blue red
Same w/ Rouge cardinal and Bourbon.
-- I adore Avante Garde but she is not burgundy; she is more dark cerise/hot pink.

Annette, when you told us about your 2 Rebeccas that do not resemble @ other, did you double check the placement of the photos? Because when I look at the rightmost top row clem, and the 2nd from the Left on the second row- they both look exactly the same to me, and they are identical to Evison's photo.

What makes clem. colors all the more difficult to agree on - are light and growing conditions( and how old the flower is) AND the variation in color blindness amongst individuals!

btw, ay, Rebecca is also sold by Klehms/Songsparrow and it seems they send 2 quart plants. I have an order w/ them; has anyone bought clems from them before? (I bought peonies from them 30 yrs ago.)

Mindy, when I looked at the placement of the photo's there's only 4 to a row now so, let's try again. This is what my first Rebecca looked like in the link below (bought from Garden Import). I do have a RHS color chart (silver box) bought back in the 80's for $50 from the American Fuchsia Society. Never thought to use it on Rebecca, I'll have to keep that in mind in future when a color is in question.
Annette

Here is a link that might be useful: Rebecca

annette, the garden Import photo looks like the 'true red' i have seen of other rebecca photos,but there are a number of 'wine red' that seem to come from gardeners/non commercial sites, so it makes me wonder.

My second Rebecca is more the wine red and the petals are narrower :(. I still want to get another the same color as the first one I had, Garden Import are sold out so I'll keep looking but I want to see a flower before I buy it.

Annette

I have a Rebecca that is currently blooming as well as a Gravetye Beauty. I just went out and checked, and the color of the two in my garden are virtually identical. So my Rebecca isn't the true bright red in many of the photos, but darker and bluer. It's currently too dim for photos.