Clematis Morning Yellow

Clematis Morning Yellow is a variety of Clematis montana with a unique, semi-double flowering in very soft shades of yellow, green and cream white, with yellow being more noticeable in the morning light. Its flowers are modest in size, but they bloom in abundance in spring, creating a burst of freshness against young purple foliage. It is a vigorous, deciduous and hardy climbing plant that thrives in fertile, well-drained soils that are not too dry. It will happily climb any support available: fences, trellises, bushes, and walls... It pairs beautifully with a jasmine or a golden hop.

Clematis 'Morning Yellow' is a semi-woody, climbing perennial plant belonging to the renunculaceae family. It is a horticultural variety obtained in New Zealand. This vigorous variety easily reaches 5-6m (16-20ft) high, with a spread of 2m² (22 ft²). It bears semi-double, medium sized flowers, 6 to 7cm (2 to 3in) in diameter, abundantly in May-June. The flowers are grouped in axillary clusters of 1 to 5 flowers on long pedicels, on the previous year's branches. Some have wide tepals and others are thin and tapering, gracefully open like a star on a cluster of green stamens which turn yellow. Their colour ranges from very pale yellow to cream white, washed with very pale green. The flowers are followed by decorative, feathery, greyish, silvery seed heads. The leaves are simple, palmate, with irregularly serrated edges, purplish when young, then olive green, in perfect harmony with the watercolour-like hues of the flowers. This clematis clings to its support or the host plant with tendrils. The deciduous foliage falls in autumn.

Plant clematis alongside your climbing roses to extend the flowering of your walls and pergolas until the end of summer. This genus is rich in diversity, with varieties in all colours, shapes, and sizes. Take advantage of their ease of cultivation to give your garden a romantic and bohemian touch. 'Morning Yellow' is delicately coloured and pairs well with a romantic English rose or a natural looking plant, such as jasmine officinale, a small ornamental Purpurea vine, or Japanese Honeysuckle Sinensis. It would also make a great gift for a gardening friend.

Tips: Avoid applying excessive fertiliser, as it stimulates foliage growth at the expense of flowers. Do not mulch, to avoid excessive moisture that promotes clematis wilt.