Clematis tibetana Orange Peel

The 'Orange Peel' Clematis is sometimes called Clematis tibetana var. vernayi or Oriental Clematis. Other authors classify it among the Tangutica Clematis. The important thing is that it is a variety that is very solid, vigorous, disease-resistant, and unusual. During a long summer and autumn period, it offers curious bell-shaped flowers, yellow in colour turning to orange as they fade. Its light foliage with toothed leaflets of a greenish-blue colour is also very decorative, as are its pretty feathery and silvery fruits that persist on the plant in winter. Very hardy and original, still little known in France, it is useful for concealing an unattractive small building, a fence, a slope, a pylon, or an old tree.

The Clematis genus belongs to the Ranunculaceae family. The botanical species tibetana var. vernayi is native to the Himalayas: Nepal, western Tibet, and southwest Sichuan Province, at altitudes between 2000 and 4800 m (6562 and 15748ft). It is a climbing plant with woody roots and voluble stems, particularly hardy, sturdy, and floriferous. It is classified in the group of clematis that flower until autumn on the current year's shoots. It forms a dense bush that can reach a height of 5 to 6 m (16 to 20ft) and a width of 2.5 to 3m (8 to 10ft), with rapid growth. The flowering begins in June, has a rest period in July, then resumes in August-September and only ends with the first frost. The flower buds, solitary and grouped in cymes, are carried by long peduncles in the axils of the leaves, spherical and light green in colour. They open into flowers of 4 to 6cm (2in) in diameter, in the shape of Chinese lanterns, composed of 4 bright tepals, darkening from lemon yellow over time. Before fading, they take on a slightly lumpy appearance of orange peel and a beautiful orange hue. The flowering is followed by the formation of feathery, silvery, and silky fruits, in the shape of very decorative pompoms. The deciduous foliage is light and composed of leaves divided into 2 or 3 thin leaflets with deeply toothed edges, slightly bluish-green in colour.

The 'Orange Peel' Clematis is capable of conquering small unsightly buildings, dead trees, or unsightly fences. Plant your clematis on both sides of the support to be covered. Its late flowering will blend well with the purplish foliage of the dyer's vine, or the blue flowers of the 'Blue Eclipse' clematis, for example. It will take over from the fragrant bouquets of climbing roses. This clematis, left free and without support, will form a real thicket adorned with beautiful yellow bells next to the blue-violet bells of the 'Rooguchi' Clematis diversifolia, for example. It is easy to grow in full sun or partial shade, in fertile and well-drained soil.