After waiting 18 months, Clematis ‘Dr. Ruppel’ has its’ very first bloom ever! And for a change the plant was labeled right at the nursery. 
I’ve had a few mix ups this summer with thinking I was buying one plant & getting something entirely different and unknown. It happens to us all I guess. Anyhow, I went out last night & saw the bud that has been lingering there for about a week now finally starting to unfurl. I purchased this Clematis about 18 months ago at my local garden center. Initially I had it planted in another area of the garden, but it never really did much growing let alone any blooming. This past May when I created my new garden bed, I moved this Clematis over to a new trellis mounted on the shed wall. Almost instantly he started producing new growth and shimmying up the trellis, and now I have my first bloom. Talk about an extended anticipation. I had just about given up on this particular plant, after all if something is moved a couple of times and still doesn’t work why bother. But in this case ‘Dr Ruppel’ is quite happy in his new home in the new garden. The proof is in the bloom! Which by the way looks great against my white shed wall! Now here are some basic facts:
- Large Flowering (6-8 “)
- Sun-Partial Shade
- Zones 4-11
- Grows 6 to 8 feet
- Named for Dr. Ruppel, Argentina, 1973. AGM.
- compact growth and heavy flowering
- perfect for containers
- good cut flower and ornamental seed heads
- Blooms in late spring and then repeats in late summer.
- Type 2 pruning
