Update on my Clematis
Update on my Clematis that I pruned incrementally for top to bottom blooms.
Success, I shared how to prune a clematis and still get blooms this year. Click here to see the post.
Remember when I shared how to refurbish a clematis that only blooms at top? If not CLICK HERE it is called Prune Clematis for Top to Bottom Bloom. Well now I have an update on my clematis that took a licking and keeps on ticking.
You can see the bare vines at the base.
I hard pruned it last Fall and now that the weather is warming up I went to see if my renovation prune forced any buds lower on the vines.
Sure enough, we have buds.
Some are rather tiny at the moment but they are spaced about 4 inches apart all along the lower vine.
And one that is a little bit further along.
So this summer I should have wonderful purple flowers from the base of this clematis all the way to the top. No bare knees. I will share a photo when it is in its full glory!
I have yet to see any new vines coming up from the ground but it is early days yet.
And good news also on a Clematis I had to dig up last Fall to put in a Rose by my front arbor. I did not know if it would survive my hacking it out of the ground. The root ball fell into two pieces and I thought it was done for. But I live in hope so I potted both sections up in separate pots. Low and behold both are putting out shoots in the greenhouse.
Now to find a new home in the garden for these survivors.
Do you love Clematis too? Here are all my posts on these gorgeous garden climbers.
How to Grow Clematis (the first photo in this post is of the clematis I dug up and are growing in the greenhouse, it is called Bourban)
Prune Clematis for Top to Bottom Blooms
Spring Pruning Clematis
And here is a short little video I made for Facebook, you might enjoy it too.
Happy Gardening!
Your clematis are so healthy,you really have green fingers.Pamela what do you feed them in the growing season please.I have just two at present and as I hope to move house I will not be getting any until I move but I just love them,are great for covering walls and beautifying the garden.
I like Spray N Grow and I also use a mix of Fish Emulsion and the Seaweed extract. I should put links on the post so others will know too. Thanks for the reminder.
I have two clematis that are about ten years old. One has never bloomed and the other (Autumn Haze) use to bloom on top but no longer blooms at all. I know very little about taking care of them. They do not get a lot of sun which I assume is the major problem. Is there any hope for them? Yours are so beautiful.
You are correct, they do like the sun. Have you thought of moving them? It is possible, I have done it and ended up with two of the same color. When I dug a clematis up to move it a root was left behind and it grew along with the one I moved. Cut them to the ground in Fall then dig deep and move them to their new home, keep them well watered until rains come then let them rest through the winter, you may be pleasantly surprised come Spring when they come back.
Thank you so much. I will give that a try. My problem is that I live in an apartment and my back yard area gets very little sun which is why I am partial to the hostas. I planted the clematis before I realized how little sun they will get. Thanks again and I will work on this.
Carol
I appreciated your info—however I think my problem is a little different. I, too am a lover of this lovely vine. I have8 or 10 different varieties and I seem to get too much foliage but I do get flowers too, though not an over abundance. I cut them back each fall but once they start up inspring, they go crazy. It’s the 3rd of June and I’m already cutting back a lot of foliage and also blooms. They are five or six feet tall—what am I doing wrong?
Why is having them grow vigorously a problem? There are many clematis, some are shorter growing (suitable and bred for patio containers) and others that are tall and will cover a trellis easier. Some bloom later in the season and others much earlier. I guess I am not understanding what the issue is.
Thanks very much…I found your info explained well what I muatdo to my clematis which looks lime your first photo. Wish me luck as I attempt to follow your suggested directions. Caroline in Nova Scotia.
I do wish you success, there is nothing like clematis in the garden.
Help! I have a clematis growing in the ground which is about 9 feet tall against a wall – it has only one stem which branches out around 5feet tall. Where do I prune it to make it really bushy further down the stem? Do I take it back to around ground level? There are always plenty of blooms on it in summer and I see a few new shoots on it already/January.
Thank you, from Izzy in Ireland. 🙂
Hi Izzy. My first thought is to prune it all the way down to 6-12 inches tall. That should encourage it to send up more shoots from the roots rather than just the one. Cutting it off now despite it already having new shoots won’t hurt it. I am not sure which type of clematis it is but even if it is the one that only blooms on last years vines you will only lose this seasons blooms but have tons more at a more reasonable height next year. I am thinking that it is most likely a pruning type 2 or 3 so cutting it back so severely will only make it better!
I hope this helps and let me know how it works out for you.
I just acquired about 12 clematis that the store gave up on. My chance to save them. Suggestions appreciated. Should I keep them in the pots till I see they are getting healthy or plant them?
Mary in Pennsylvania.
Yes, go ahead and plant them. If they are going to grow they will do fine in the ground.
Hello!
Unfortunately, the location of the generative buds from which the flowers develop is one of the varietal traits. It is genetically determined and cannot be influenced by pruning. For example, in clematis Rouge Cardinal flowers are formed on the top 5 nodes of each stem of the current year, while in Nelly Moser flowers are formed on the top 5-7 nodes of the current year stem and on the generative part of the last year stem. Now breeders are working on varieties that bloom from the very bottom, and such varieties are already available for sale. As for premature leaf fall from the lower part of the stem, this can be avoided a little if nitrogen fertilizers are applied in time.
Please forgive me for my English, I know it is terrible.