Brother Stefan?

HF Young?

Hmmmm. Brother Stefan has a little to much gradation in the center of the sepal and a little too ruffled on the the edges.

HF Young looks really close. Although I think the one I have is a group 3 (full prune)--I was trying to keep all my Clematis with same pruning schedule and I can't imagine having impulsed purchased something that wasn't group 3. (It had a tag and I must have known what it was at one time!)

Question: Are the early spring, large flowered bloomers normally in prunning group 3?

^^^ No. All the early large flowering hybrids are pruning group 2. H. F. Young s a very likely contender. It is very popular and is a cultivar that would be offered frequently from non-specialty sources, like grocery stores or home improvement stores.

Also, most pruning group 3 clems tend to be mid to late summer bloomers.

The lines between the groups is blurry. There's a clear distinction between 1 and 3, but 2 can sometimes be 1 or 3 in your garden and vice versa.

Keep in mind that all clematis of the same cultivar are not the same. I've seen some of the same cultivar that clearly weren't the same. I've bought 2 packs of a cultivar, grew them side by side, and ended up with 2 different blooms. I think growers lose track of what's what at times and just guess at what looks the closest. Not that it matters that much to the vast majority or purchasers.

Thanks @gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)l I suspected knowing which varities are ubiquious and availble mass market was going to be part of the solution.

What about Diana's Delight as a possibilty? Would it have been at a Kroger? I could see myself picking it up because I would have bought Prince Charles around the same time. (From Brushwood--a proper grower) And yes, I am corny enough to have thought it would be amusing to have them both in the same garden...

Also thanks for the Celmatis info--I have a few I bought for roses in the past but don't really know much about them. In the last year I've have gotten really interested in expanding my collection...but that's another thread!

I guess DD could be a possibility, although I have never seen any Evison clematis for sale at a place like Krogers or HD, etc.

"The lines between the groups is blurry. There's a clear distinction between 1 and 3, but 2 can sometimes be 1 or 3 in your garden and vice versa."

I don't understand this statement. There is no blurring between these groups! Group 1's bloom on old growth and in late winter or very early spring and are almost entirely species (not hybrids). Group 2's are the large flowered hybrids (LFH) and bloom primarily on old wood but can have a later bloom on new growth. They don't start blooming until mid to late spring. Group 3's bloom on new growth only and generally don't start flowering until mid to late summer and into the fall. They also tend to be mostly species but with a few hybrids as well (although not LFH).

You do not necessarily have to prune any of them according to the recommendations but the groups do not blend :-)

I was going to guess HF Young too, but I’m no expert on clematis.

My first thought was HF Young, but I'm far from a clematis expert. I only currently grow 5 of them.... I used to grow more. One caveat is that my HF Young is a tad less purple, a tad more blue, and my petals are a tad more wide than your pic. But mine grows in a slightly shady location.

I am new to growing clematis. I planted a HF Young in February. Here is the first bloom. It does look like yours:

I took this pic of Diana's Delight yesterday. I don't think yours is DD.

I bought her a couple of years ago at a local Northbay nursery called Cottage Gardens of Petaluma. For those of you in NCal I suggest a visit! Petaluma Nursery, Cottage Gardens of Petaluma

I have seen jackmanii at many big box stores here locally, @subk3, the last 3 or 4 years running.

Would not be surprised if Kroger carried it.

Lasurstern looks similar.

It looks quite like my HF Young in the shape and color of all its parts, and the style of bloom (very full and enthusiastic) and the way it looks, along with the time of year of year it is blooming makes me comfortable suggesting that it is likely HF Young.

It looks like mine and that is a Vancouver Dannielle clematis

HF Young is the most likely given it was purchased at a big box store and not a specialty nursery