Blue Boy Clematis vs Early Blue Violet - TreeTime.ca

Blue Boy Clematis vs Early Blue Violet

Clematis integrifolia Blue Boy

Viola adunca

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Blue Boy Clematis
Early Blue Violet

Blue Boy Clematis is a cold-hardy, fast growing, woody climbing vine. Hundreds of stunning steel-blue bell shaped flowers adorn the vine throughout the summer that droop and appear to hang in the air. The fibrous stems spread and create a fan-like symmetry shape.

This species will do best with support from a trellis, fence, or even other shrubs or tree stumps.

The Blue Boy Clematis was developed in Manitoba, Canada in 1947 by famous breeder Frank L. Skinner by crossing C. integrifolia x C. viticella, but it didn’t gain popularity until the 1990’s.

Early Blue Violet is a low-growing native perennial wildflower valued for its striking early-spring blooms. The flowers range in color from vibrant blue to deep violet, often marked with pale highlights and fine white hairs. They provide an important early nectar source for pollinators and serve as a host plant for several fritillary butterfly species.

It spreads by both seed and rhizomes, gradually forming small colonies. Its dark green, heart-shaped leaves add ornamental appeal, and the plant shows some resistance to deer browsing. Early Blue Violet is well-suited to naturalization projects and pollinator-friendly gardens, and has also been used in coastal butterfly habitat restoration in the Pacific Northwest.

Blue Boy Clematis Quick Facts

Early Blue Violet Quick Facts

Zone: 2b
Zone: 2a
Height: 3 m (10 ft)
Height: 0.1 m (0.3 ft)
Spread: 0.6 m (2.0 ft)
Spread: 0.2 m (0.5 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: normal, wet
Moisture: dry, normal
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: fast
Life span: medium
Life span: short
Growth form: low growing, clump-forming
Spreading: seeds - medium, rhizomes - medium
Suckering: medium
Maintenance: medium


Toxicity: rhizomes, fruit, seed poisonous to humans
Flowers: steel blue
Flowers: purple to blue-violet
Bloom time: mid spring to early summer
Hybrid: yes
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, YT, NT
Other Names: dog violet, hookedspur violet, sand violet, western blue violet