Clematis x tangutica My Angel - Clématite tangoute

The Clematis ‘My Angel’, a clematis from the Tangutica group, bears small bicoloured bell-shaped flowers, reddish-brown on the outside, finely edged with cream, revealing a deep yellow inside. They follow one another from July to October on purplish stems, then give way to numerous silvery feathery fruits, decorative in autumn. Vigorous but not overly large, this clematis quickly forms a dense cover on a trellis, fence, arch, or in the branches of a large shrub.

This clematis belongs to the family Ranunculaceae. It is a hybrid derived from Clematis orientalis var. orientalis and Clematis intricata, two lianas native to the temperate regions of Central Asia and China. The cross-breeding was carried out in 1993 in the Netherlands by Wim Snoeijer, then introduced by the nursery Jan van Zoest at the end of the 1990s. 'My Angel’ belongs to the Tangutica group, which brings together vigorous clematis with small late flowers, often yellow or bronze, followed by silky fruiting bodies. It stands out from the classic yellow forms by the brick-red colour of the outer side of the flowers, their cream border and its dark red young stems. It is a woody perennial with deciduous foliage: its leaves fall in autumn and new shoots form each spring. It reaches 3 m in height with a spread of 1 to 1.50 m, sometimes more when it has a large support. Its growth is rapid. The thin stems cling to wire mesh, wires, or neighbouring twigs thanks to the leaf petioles which twine around their support. The blue-green foliage consists of leaves divided into several toothed leaflets. From July to October, the flowers appear singly or in small groups. They are nodding and measure about 3 cm in diameter. Each has four thick tepals, reddish-brown to purplish-red on their outer side, with a fine cream edge. Their inner side is deep yellow. The tips of the tepals gradually curve back, revealing dark red anthers around yellow styles. After flowering, the styles elongate and become silky. They form silvery feathery heads that remain visible during autumn and sometimes early winter. The flowers develop on the current year's shoots, allowing the plant to be pruned each year in late winter. Very hardy, ‘My Angel’ tolerates temperatures close to -20 °C.

This clematis can be grown on an arch, a pergola or a fence fitted with fine wire mesh. It can also thread its way into the branches of a rose such as ‘Buff Beauty’, whose chamois and apricot flowers bloom until autumn. The almost black foliage of the elder Black Lace® ‘Eva’ highlights its bronze and yellow bells. At its base, one can plant the Geranium phaeum 'Samobor’ which covers the ground and flowers before it. On a large structure, the Clematis viticella ‘Alba Luxurians’ can grow alongside it. Its white flowers tipped with green appear from July to September. Both clematis flower on the current year's shoots and are cut back in late winter, making their care easy.