Clematis tangutica 'Radar Love'

Clematis tangutica ‘Radar Love’ is an uncommon Clematis, native to Mongolia. A graceful, vigorous and very floriferous climber, during summer and all the way through to autumn the plant is covered with golden yellow nodding lanterns that are 7 to 8cm (3 to 4in) wide. The blooms hang down with their edges curved upwards. In the autumn the flowers turn into beautiful large tufts of long silvery, silky seed heads that are just as ornamental.
Flowering only three months after sowing it is very easy to grow. It can be planted in a hanging basket then transplanted in the ground in the autumn, or can be used as a ground cover. It is excellent for cultivating on fences, walls, pergolas, arbours, walls and trees and is particularly useful as a screening plant for covering fences or unsightly buildings

Considered to be the best of the yellow-flowering clematises, ‘Radar Love’ grows 15m (45ft), with a spread of about 1metre(3ft) in 5 to 10 years. It is a hardy plant with low requirements it will tolerate a lot of different conditions but needs plenty of watering until it is established.
It likes a position in full sun or partial shade, and as with many clematis, Radar Love must have their faces in the sun and their boots in the shade. This plant looks amazing grown with other dark foliaged plants. It will live for many years and will improve with each season.

Sowing: Sow at around 20°C, in Late Winter/Early Spring or in Late Summer/Early Autumn.
Sow in a good quality seed compost, just covering the seed with sieved free draining potting soil or vermiculite. Germination 30 days at 20°C (70°F).
When large enough to handle, transplant to 7.5cm (3in) pots to grow on. When established, gradually acclimatise to outdoor conditions and plant out 30 to 45cm (12 to 18in) apart in ordinary garden soil with their roots in the shade and the rest of the plant in the sun. A groundcover plant, hosta or similar can be planted to shade the root area or mulch heavily. For baskets and containers, plant one per 30cm (12in) container and keep well watered.
This plant has a fibrous root system, so once you plant it, don't move it.

Cultivation:
You may need to water your plants on a daily basis during the hottest summer months. During the winter the roots should be kept moist. The plant is fairly drought tolerant, but in the first year it will need a lot of water as it gets established. Add water-absorbing polymers to the soil if necessary-- just make sure that it stays moist. Drainage is critical -- it must drain well in the winter or the plant will rot.

Pruning:
Prune the plants back in the winter just above the 2nd or 3rd set of buds, about 30 to 45cm (12 to 18in) above the ground. In subsequent years prune - This clematis belongs to Pruning Group 3 which means it should be pruned back hard (to approximately 20 to 30cm (8 to12in) from the ground) to strong leaf buds in late winter to early spring. Notwithstanding the general pruning rules for Group 3, C. tangutica plants typically bloom earlier and longer if not cut back so hard.

Plant Uses:
Trellis, fences, walls, pergolas, arbours, walls and trees. Useful as a screening plant for covering fences or buildings. Can also be planted to sprawl over and through large shrubs.

Origin:
Clematis tangutica is native to forests, slopes, grassy areas, gravelly expanses, and stream/river banks in central to northwestern China.
The species made its way into Japanese gardens by the 17th century. In the 18th century, Japanese garden selections were the first exotic clematises to reach European gardens, long before the Chinese species were identified in their native habitat at the end of the 19th century.

Nomenclature:
The genus name Clematis derives from the Greek word klematis which is an old name applied to climbing plants.
The species name tangutica means ‘from Kansu’ (or Gansu) the place of its origin in northwestern China where the Tangut people live.
It is commonly called the Golden Clematis.
I can only guess that his plant was named as a tribute to the group ‘Golden Earring’, who wrote the song ‘Radar Love’ in 1973. Obviously... I'm not old enough to remember them, but you can watch the video which is currently on YouTube - or listen while you plant.