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Clematis - one stem, two different flowers

VivienVivien Posts: 42
How come my purple flowering clematis ( can't remember the name) has a deep burgundy flower on the same stem as a purple one.

Posts

  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    Sun exposure will change flower colours. Is the top of the plant more shady than the base?
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    They change colour when they start to die. 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I agree with Lyn - the bottom one just looks like it's spent.
    However, Fire is also correct - the sun alters the colour, especially on the dark ones. It looks like Niobe you have - mine can look like umpteen different colours depending on the age, and location of the flower. The ones on the sunniest side fade very quickly.
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • VivienVivien Posts: 42
    The whole plant gets full sun, no shade. I know they fade when they start to die off but this is not the case with this. The one at the bottom of the pic is spent but the purple and burgundy ones both opened yesterday and are both on the same stem. I've never seen this before.
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    My new clems are like whole different plants on different days, whole new colours, from dark, blood red, to light, light purple. I don't know if it's the intense breeding that makes them so unpredictable and susceptible to change. It's making it hard for me to fit them into any 'colour scheme' for sure, and liable to some pretty horrible red/purple clashes with other plants. It doesn't seem, at mine, to be just sun levels. Maybe moisture, age of plant, age of flower, lots of things.
  • VivienVivien Posts: 42
    I wonder if it's something to do with cross pollinating, interesting! I bought this plant last year. My older Clems have never had this. The joys of gardening, never a dull moment.
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    I've only had my purple ones a few months.
  • Papi JoPapi Jo Posts: 4,254
    @Vivien, it's not clear from your photo which flowers you are talking about. You mention 2 flowers, but your photo shows 3. ;) Could you take another photo displaying clearly the 2 flowers with distinct colours? Thanks.
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