Clematis 'Elsa Späth' (EL) | clematis 'Elsa Späth'

Synonyms

Clematis Blue Boy
Clematis 'Xerxes' misapplied

Climber Wall Shrub

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A deciduous climber to 3m high, with mid-green ovate leaves and large, single, mauve-blue flowers, 12-16cm across, from late spring to summer.

Position

Full sun, Partial shade

Soil Types

Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand

Max Height

2.5-4 metres

Max Spread

0.5-1 metres

Size

Time to Maturity: 2–5 years
Max Spread: 0.5-1 metres
Max Height: 2.5-4 metres

Growing Conditions

Chalk Clay Loam Sand

Moisture: Moist but well–drained
pH: Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun Partial shade

Aspect: East–facing or South–facing or West–facing
Exposure: Exposed or Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20): H5

Colour & Scent

Season	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family: Ranunculaceae
Native to GB/Ireland: No
Foliage: Deciduous
Habit: Climbing
Potentially harmful: Skin irritant. Wear gloves and other protective equipment when handling. Pets (rabbits): Harmful if eaten. For further information and contact numbers regarding pets, see the HTA guide to potentially harmful plants
Genus: Clematis can be deciduous or evergreen shrubs or herbaceous perennials, mostly climbing by twining leaf-stalks, and often with showy flowers. Some have attractive fluffy seedheads in autumn
Name Status: Accepted
Horticultural Group

Horticultural Classification Codes

Horticultural Classification Codes are often given to genera which have a large number of species or cultivars. They are used to categorise cultivated plants based on specific, shared characteristics such as shape, colour, size or flowering time, and can be displayed as letters or numbers

For example:
Dahlia ‘Sunset Kate (Sin) = Single flower
Rosa ‘Marigold’ (HT) = Hybrid Tea: Early Large-flowered clematis have large star-shaped flowers in early summer, often with a second flowering in late summer

How to Grow

Cultivation

Plant in a moisture-retentive, well-drained soil, with the roots and base of the plant kept cool and shaded by other plants or a layer of pebbles at the base. See clematis cultivation for more advice

Propagation

Propagate by softwood cuttings in spring, semi-ripe cuttings in summer, or by layering in late winter or early spring

Suggested planting locations and garden types

City and courtyard gardens
Cottage and informal garden
Climber and wall shrubs
Wall side borders

Pruning

Pruning (clematis) group 2

Pests

May be susceptible to aphids. Cutworms and voles may cut young stems

Diseases

May be susceptible to honey fungus (rarely), clematis wilt and clematis slime flux