Clematis koreana Amber

The Korean Amber Clematis attracts all superlatives: fabulous, rare, precious, astonishing, unique, this very recent variety, awarded the Gold Medal at the Chelsea Flower Show, is still little known in the French market where it should seduce enthusiasts of unusual and floriferous small lianas. Its flowering is as exuberant as it is original, taking the form of double and pendant bell-shaped flowers with long petals of soft yellow, shaded with pink on the reverse, an almost translucent color of great delicacy, never seen before in the world of clematis. They bloom abundantly from May to July, and again in September, giving way to decorative feathery silver fruits until winter. Very hardy and truly extraordinary, it works wonders in a pot on the terrace, gracefully entwines itself in bushes, or climbs trellises, in full sun or partial shade. 

Clematis are a genus in the buttercup family with about 30 species of herbaceous perennials with woody roots and climbing, semi-woody, evergreen or deciduous plants. They are found in both hemispheres, especially in Europe, the Himalayas, China, Australia, North and Central America. 'Amber' is a recent cultivar, distinguished in England but also in the Netherlands, at Plantarium 2016. It is derived from Clematis koreana (Clematis Chiisanensis), native to South Korea. This hybrid belongs to Group 1 (early-flowering clematis), which has 3 groups. It is a semi-woody, climbing perennial plant that reaches a height of 2 to 2.50 metres (7 to 8 feet), with a spread of 1 to 2 metres (3 to 7 feet). The groups are defined based on cultivation requirements.

This vigorous variety grows quickly and flowers from a young age in fertile, moist but well-drained soil. It bears double, bell-shaped flowers that hang downwards, measuring 4 to 5 cm (2in) in diameter on the previous year's growth, starting in May if the weather is mild. They bloom abundantly until June-July, depending on the climate. There is a resting period in July-August, followed by another bloom in September on the current year's growth. The flowers are solitary and carried on long reddish petioles. They do not have true petals but numerous thin and slightly twisted tepals. The flowers are followed by decorative, silvery-grey feathered seed heads. The leaves, sometimes opposite, sometimes alternate, glabrous and dark green, are single and tri palmate, with irregularly serrated edges. This clematis clings to its support or host plant using tendrils.

Clematis koreana Amber is equally as beautiful in a large pot on the terrace as it is in the ground. It will climb in a shrub or a small hedge and elegantly conceal unsightly fences. Plant your clematis on both sides of the support to be covered. Its long pastel yellow flowering will blend well with the purple foliage of dyer's vine, the deliciously orange roses of the English rose Lady of Shalott, or the blue flowers of the Blue Eclipse clematis for example. Left to grow free without support, this clematis will form a beautiful mass adorned with tenderly coloured bell-shaped flowers, very beautiful alongside the blue-violet bell-shaped flowers of the Rooguchi clematis for example. It is hardy and easy to grow in full sun or partial shade, in fertile and well-drained soil without excess limestone.