Multi-Blue Clematis

Light Needs

Partial Shade to Full Sun

(At Least 3 Hours of Direct Sunlight)

Mature Height

6-8 Feet

Mature Spread

2 Feet

Growing Zones

4 to 9

Multi-Blue packs a lot of flowers into a compact, easy-to-use vine. This clematis actually prefers partial shade, and is a strong repeat bloomer, offering bold double blooms of indigo-violet with tufts of palest green. The blooms morph through stages, here a double blossom, there a single, creating a rich effect. While deer and rabbit don’t love clematis, pollinators do, bringing another dimension of life to your garden. The first flowers are in May and June, with a reprise in August through October.

A chance mutation from the lovely cultivar ‘The President’, Multi-Blue reaches from 5 to 10 feet high and only 2 feet across, so can easily find a home winding up a garden gate, an arbor, or even a spring- or fall-blooming shrub or small tree. Or to go all out in a summer display, grow your clematis up into a climbing rose. A container is a fine option with some support from a pyramid of stakes, a tuteur, or obelisk. Young clematis plants can benefit from some help finding their way to larger structures (say wider than an inch) with some twine, wire, or stakes.

Multi-Blue Clematis Care

The best situation for most clematis is full sun, but Multi-Blue is the exception to the rule, preferring to bloom like crazy in partial shade. Mulching with fine organic material is still recommended to ensure the roots stay cool and evenly moist. If you live in a region with strong frosts, plant your Multi-Blue deeper than it was growing by 2 inches to keep it from heaving out of the ground, and to evade clematis wilt. Always water well during the initial two to three seasons in your garden, watching out for dry spells or heat waves – especially if your clematis is in a container.

Pruning for Multi-Blue – a “group 2” clematis – is limited to a bang trim in spring. Just snip it back to about a foot of growth and take off any broken or damaged stems, and you’ll foster gorgeous growth for the season. Fertilizing is minimal too – you can simply add a little compost or cow manure – aged – in early spring. If you really want to add more, the most we recommend is a one-time use of slow-release, again in spring, or monthly liquid fertilizer beginning in April and stopping after July.

Multi-Blue Clematis Spacing

For optimal growth, allow approximately two feet of space for your Multi-Blue clematis. This will give the plant enough air circulation and sunlight exposure to the foliage. It also allows the roots enough to grow as the plant reaches it’s mature size.