Propagation: Clematis question, 1 by 8ftbed

8ftbed wrote:
Ahhh, keep in mind the different groups of clematis. One haircut doesn't actually fit.

When I prune, I definitely do it in the spring just before bud break. Other than taking some top growth off in the fall so the winter storms don't rip everything down.

Jack Manii's group gets cut back to about 6" each spring. If I let it go without a little topping during the summer, but late July I have virtual barndoors swinging on either side of the garage. You get the initial heavy flush then they just keep coming till frost.

Some groups are only thinned or just reduced in height some or all the blooms are at the top like a lilac that is not kept in check

I've tried to stay with the groups that that bloom on old and new and the last couple of years have cut everything down to between 6 and 12". Every year they are getting bigger and drawing more attention. When I put grapes out back, I put some clematis (some collection developed by a monk) thinking they could just fill in until the grapes got going. I thought these were ones that should only be topped a little. Well the next spring after planting, I discovered rabbits had sliced 'em all about 1" above ground. They grew and bloomed anyway. Since then, every spring I disentangle the clematis and cut them all down to about 4-6" so I can get to the grapes and prune them. The clematis are having TOO much fun and completely swamp that fence then cover with blooms. I can post a couple of rampant, 1 year growth pictures if you'd like.

This shot was taken 7/10/03 for the summer plant swap I hosted. Look at the corner of the garage. That's not an arborvitae - it's one of the Jack Manii since cut back in spring.