PLANTING AND PRUNING A CLEMATIS
by
Three Dogs in a Garden
(IC: blogger)
A few brief notes on planting Clematis: Clematis don't like to be moved, so choose your site carefully. Soak the plant in a pail of water for 10-15 minutes before planting. Place a generous layer of well-rotted manure or compost at the bottom of your planting hole. The root ball of your clematis should be about 5 cm below ground level. Back fill the hole with soil that has a generous amount of peat moss and/or compost and a few handfuls of bone meal. Water thoroughly and frequently.
Clematis prefer fertile, well-drained alkaline soil. They like a sunny location, but will not tolerate excessively hot environments.
I always have trouble keeping the pruning groups straight, but paying proper attention will give you the best floral display.
Most people think of popular cultivars like 'Jackmanii' when they think of Clematis, but there are actually a wonderful array of colors, flower forms and plant heights to choose from.
Some clematis vines can reach a height of 20-30 feet. All Clematis vines need some form of support. With this shorter cultivar Clematis vine, a tomato cage has been used to keep it upright.
This is Clematis 'Betty Corning'. It has nodding mauve flowers and blooms for 6 weeks or more. It can reach a height of 8 feet. Hardy to USDA Zone 4. Pruning Group C.
Look for this newer cultivar called 'Sweet Summer Love' at your local nursery this spring. Unlike many clematis it is supposedly fragrant. Its small flowers open deep red in July and mature into a purple-violet color. This clematis can reach to 12 ft. Pruning Group C. Hardy to USDA Zone 5.
This is one of the shorter cultivars of Clematis growing in my front garden. This is Clematis 'Bourbon'. It reaches a height of 6-8 ft. Pruning Group C. Hardy to USDA Zone 4.
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Published April 22nd, 2014 2:36 PM
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3 of 69 comments
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Francine Nault on Aug 18, 2015I had a beautiful lilac color almost looked like a pompon and it bloomed the first year then this year it never did and it looks totally dead, it started a few leaves then nothing. I wonder what killed it?
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Three Dogs in a Garden on Sep 06, 2015@Francine Nault It could be a number of problems including clematis wilt. All hope is not gone though. Sometimes a clematis will come back. Cut down your clematis to the ground ( it doesn't effect the roots) and clear away any debris, to avoid a reoccurrence of the wilt fungus. Note: Do not compost the debris. Give your clematis a good feed of compost next spring, and keep your fingers crossed!
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Francine Nault on Sep 07, 2015thank you
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Frequently asked questions
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A nursery had clematis in 8- 10 inch pots across the top . Can I plant the whole pot in the ground by cutting the bottom out or do I need to take it out of the pot it seems that it would really disturb the plant to take it out of the plastic pot.