Regarding Clematis recta: the species is quite variable. I don't know of any other variety in the trade other than purpurea, so with everything being seed grown, I would expect the species to be variable in commercial trade, too. I can tell you that I have a 2.5ft purpurea in a pot left over from our plant sale that does not need staking, and I have another internet friend that has had a lot of rain this season, and hers grew to 6ft. She is expecting it to flop any moment now.
https://www.nargs.org/sites/de...
