Clematis 'Blue Angel'

These clematis thrive in partial shade, so avoid hot southeast or west facing walls. They require humus-rich, fresh, well-draining soil with no standing water, as sheltered from the wind as possible. The trunk base must be in shade. Plant them 0.8 - 1.5 m apart and position the root ball 10 cm below ground level. Use a 12 litre pot if you are potting the plant.

Price

Bred in 1987 by the Polish Jesuit priest Stefan Franczak.  The name 'Blue Angel' is not inspired by a US-American flight formation or the German environmental seal, but by the enticing beauty of the actress Marlene Dietrich as “Blue Angel” in the 1930 film of the same name.

These frost-resistant clematis are perennial stem tendril twiners (petiole climbers). They grow with moderate vigour, with foliage from May - October, up to about 4 m in height and often just as wide. The ethereal, light blue flowers are similar to 'Emilia Plater', but, at 8 – 15 cm, are larger and have a pronounced ruffled edge. The 4 - 6 petals can be pointy or round. Flowering time June - September.

Flowering can be prolonged when the faded flowers are cut to prevent the development of seeds; the clematis will respond by opening new flower buds.

The seeds are beautiful in autumn, but the withered leaves don't detach by themselves... for this reason, it is best to make the main cut at the end of the year (in autumn). Cut the stems down to approx. 20 - 60 cm above the ground (prune according to "pruning group 3").

For these clematis, choose a tightly arranged (closely-meshed) pattern with 25 - 35 cm grid spacing, with vertical axes dominating so that you've got standing rectangles rather than squares. See the bottom of the page for a table with suitable designs. Our wire rope trellis 5050 with steel rods is a good choice. Easy systems ("Basic" and "Basic-S"), as well as "Mini" or Light can be used, but Medium systems allow optimal development of the plants, especially if mildew or clematis wilt are an issue. Our Heavy/ Massive versions provide more wall distance and so give the plant more space, helping to prevent clematis wilt and mildew.