Clematis Asao

The Clematis or Clematis 'Asao' is a variety cultivated for its large bright flowers with dark carmine pink edges that lighten to white towards the center of the sepals! Another uniqueness is its deciduous compound foliage that starts off bronze and turns to a vibrant green. This is a relatively compact climbing clematis with twining stems that reach a maximum height of 2.5 m (8ft). It is an excellent variety for containers and pots on a balcony or terrace, or for gardens that simply lack space. Very floriferous, these star-shaped flowers appear abundantly in May-June and August-September, pausing during the hottest months. Perfectly hardy and easy to grow, plant it with its "head in the sun and feet in the shade".

The Clematis genus belongs to the Ranunculaceae family. 'Asao' is a horticultural cultivar obtained by Kasushige Osawa in 1971 and named after the city of its breeder. It has been marketed in Europe since the '80s and is distinguished by the unique gradient offered by its flowers, between the dark edges and the very light middles!

This is a woody and climbing perennial plant with short stems that will not exceed 2.5 m (8ft) in height, with a spread of 2 m (7ft). The leaves, deciduous, fall in winter. They are initially bronze in spring and then turn to a vibrant green, composed of 3 ovate to lanceolate leaflets measuring 3 to 7 cm (1 to 3in) long and 1.5 to 5 cm (1 to 2in) wide, and traversed by relatively prominent veins. The flowers are composed of 6-8 elliptical and pointed sepals (indistinguishable petals). They are 12 to 20 cm (5 to 8in) in diameter. The flower is carmine pink, darker at the edges of the sepals and white in the middle, crowned with yellow stamens. The colour of the flowers tends to fade at full bloom, especially when the plant is grown in a very sunny location. This clematis clings to its support or to the host plant through twining stems with petioles transformed into tendrils. This variety has good health and hardiness.

Plant your clematis in the company of your climbing roses or lianas to extend the flowering of your walls and pergolas until the end of summer. This is a diverse genus, with flowers available in all colours, shapes, and sizes. Take advantage of their easy cultivation to give your garden a romantic and bohemian touch. The surprising 'Asao' variety, with its bright flowers, will be perfect if allowed to climb on a slightly dark hedge. Thanks to its rather modest size, it will easily find its place in a small garden and will thrive in a pot on a balcony or next to an entrance door, embracing a small bamboo structure, to welcome visitors with its magical colours.