Does anyone have this clematis? I just bought 2 of them on sale for $5.00 each. They are in a 1 gallon container, but honestly, not much green left. Just wondering if they are possibly hardy enough to survive.
Dathen
Sugar Candy
I don't have it but the roots are the important part so plant it well (and deep) and mulch it heavily. Please let us know how well it survives the winter for you.
Thanks, Pirl. I'll let you know if they make it. Do you think that I should cut them back when I plant them? The lady at the nursery said "no", but from everything I've read I feel that I should. She said to just plant a couple of inches deeper than they are now.
Dathen
I'd cut them back but many of the clematis pro's say not to cut them back until March or maybe April in your area. In spring you can give them a nice drink of Epsom Salt to promote more basal break (more stems).
I cut back many of mine in fall as long as I have the time to do it.
Thank you, Pirl. I think I'll cut back. It just feel right.
Good luck, dathen, and please post photos of it next year.
I hope I have photos of something to send in the spring. So far my batting average has not been good with clematis. I only had 1 stem standing by the time I got them out of the pot - I cut them back to about 1 foot. Roots look good and I made a large hole with good soil.
Some are easier to grow than others. Watch for swollen buds in spring and then you'll know they're growing.
We're in zone 7 and here's Jackmanii (on March 13) in bud (not flower buds!) that will become stems.
It is such a beautiful sight in the spring, isn't it?
Yes, Carolyn. It's both amusing and amazing how little buds can thrill clematis lovers.
Arlene - by that time I am about out there in my jacket with a magnifying glass.... I get to the point where any sign of Spring just makes my whole day.
It's true! I did chop back that clematis today and went much lower than normal to help prevent the bare legs syndrome. There were over a hundred stems on just that one clematis that I cut back!
I really have to buy that one. My oldest one - maybe 10 years - only has about 5 stems. I'm either buying the wrong ones or doing something very wrong.
I actually was down on my knees this spring trying to see what I thought was some "green" on a clematis.
Dathen
It is in the planting and pruning......
Here it is before I cut it down - see the bare legs?
It had grown so wild and crazy that it took over the entire lantern. Great fun yanking it out of there.
Check out this Jackmanii at the side of the compost bins. You can see it loves being there.
Carolyn - I've planted them really well - I think. I've made deep holes and replaced the clay soil with a mixture of prime topsoil, peat, and compost. However, I have never fertilized them. I'm composting them now (never before) and putting soil and compost up higher on the stems. In the spring I will add the epsom salt as Pirl suggested. Maybe they'll start waking up next year.
Pirl - I can see that your clematis loves that compost pile!! Glad I gave mine some compost. That a wonderful gate - love it.
Dathen
Thanks. The gate was inspired by a gift of the arched cast iron piece from a very sweet friend. Our carpenter did the actual gate.
Compost is the best thing for plants IMO.
Dathen
If you plant 2 inches or so deeper than the soil level in the pot and put the crown at about a 45 degree angle, this will encourage some of the other 'dorman' vine nodes to push out of the soil and grow. More vines = more flowers....... Also, when planting out clems, be sure to use some bone meal as this helps with root development.
Also, as in Pirl's phots, it is not uncommon to have the 'bare legs' look with clems. I get this too with mine.
I accidentally potted Betty Corning in a huge pot with compost (instead of potting soil) and expanded shale in the spring. When I dug it out to plant it the ground last w/e, I couldn't believe how big the roots were. What started as a 4 " pot in spring was a gallon size in fall! Yes.! Compost is GOOD!
I've been growing one Japanese iris in a pot with just our own compost (no soil) with a thick layer of Southern long pine needle mulch since May and can see already how it's grown so much faster than other new ones in the ground even though I used a lot of compost on them.
I have 3 of these. Mine have been indestructible. Two are planted in full sun in a SSE exposure where they get full sun pretty much all day. One is planted on the W side where it gets afternoon sun.
I planted all 3 as small, 6in, bare root plants (no foliage, just basically a 6in stick and root) just a year before an accident that resulted in multiple knee surgeries and kept me out of the garden for years. For the 1st year or 2 I had a gardener to try to keep the beds weeded. As I had planted the clems at the base of 2 small landscape trees and along a fence, when they tried to send up foliage each spring, the gardener yanked the foliage up thinking it was a weed.
The 3rd year I just had a landscaper to keep the lawn manicured and edged. He piled mulch over 2 of the clems and weed whacked everything (including the clems) away from the trees every few weeks. During all of this time, the one on the back fence was becoming lost in weeds as no one was caring for that area at all. Other than the fertilizer applied to the nearby front lawn, none received any fertilizer for years.
By the time I was able to get out there again even part time, I really thought all of them were dead, but incredibly all 3 are still alive, and now that no one is yanking them up or mowing them down, they are all blooming each spring. I can't speak to their cold hardiness as it's scorching hot here in summer and mild in winter, but I can tell you that mine have shown themselves to be as tough as nails.
Mine bare huge blooms that are larger than my hand, a good 10in or so in diameter. Here is a photo of one with rose New Dawn - clearly planted before I understood the benefits of color contrast. This is one of the ones on the relentlessly hot and dry Southern side of the house.
I pretty much plant everything in compost both in pots and in the ground. When I plant something in the ground, even bare root plants, I back fill the hole with compost leaving it to the earthworms to stir that up with the surrounding soil over time. I've found that I can plant just about anything this way, no matter how close to death it may appear, and it will thrive. Even puny, bare root plants (that look like dead sticks) from sellers with dreadful WatchDog ratings survive and thrive when planted in compost.
I completely agree.
That is one gorgeous clematis!
That really is a beautiful clematis - sounds as if it has been tough also. I like the rose peeking through.
I didn't use any bone meal - maybe in the spring I will "poke" some holes around them and put a little in and try to flush to the roots when I water. Thanks for the suggestions. Maybe if I give them a little more attention they'll start responding. We do have plenty of compost, so that part should be easy.
Thanks pirl, dathen,
Here is another look at the clematis. Note the color difference compared to the prior pic. This is actually the same plant. The flowers start out smaller (6-7in vs 8-10in), more compact, and brighter/darker in color as shown above and then age to the larger, more sprawling, and paler colored look shown here.
Just FYI, I frequently find that my clems sulk for the 1st year or 2 before taking off. I planted most of mine as small, bare root starts, so that may be part of it - and I didn't do anything special to pamper them. With many of mine, I thought they were dead for a year or two (as I didn't see any blooms). In the 3rd year they usually burst into a flurry of color, bloom, and activity. After that they grow and blooms like weeds.
If yours doesn't seem to be responding to your best efforts right now, I would say to do your best and then give it time. I'm betting in a year, maybe 2, it will suddenly take off and surprise you.
Dream, that is the best testimony to taking care of a young clem. Too bad it had to involve so much pain and surgeries.