Clematis 'Bells of Emei Shan'

The clematis 'Bells of Emei Shan' originates from a wild collection made by the American plant hunter Dan Hinkley, who found seed from a single plant in 1996 in the Emei Shan region of Sichuan, China; the variety was named in 2006. Its nodding, bell-shaped flowers appear in bright yellow, reach about 3 cm, are pleasantly fragrant, and their leathery tepal tips curl outward with age.

'Bells of Emei Shan' flowers from June to September and stays fairly compact at around 150 cm. Unlike many clematis, it grows in a trailing rather than climbing habit – the stems barely reach upward and instead spread flat. This makes the variety ideal for hanging baskets, window boxes or trailing over low walls and banks; it also finds support along open woodland edges and among larger shrubs. It thrives in sun to part shade, with the root area kept cool and shaded.

With zone 9 (-6.6 to -1.2 °C), 'Bells of Emei Shan' is one of the less frost-hardy clematis varieties and needs winter protection in colder areas. In mild regions it remains semi-evergreen. For vigorous new growth and abundant flowering, cut the plant back to about 50 cm in March.