I know my mouth fell open when I sat down at my potting table a few minutes ago to pot up some seeds and I glanced over and saw this beauty looking back at me! She is a Nellie Moser but her markings are not at all distinctive this year. Does anyone know if fertilizer plays a part in clematis coloring?
Congratulations! She looks great.
Pretty....
I think its beautiful just the way it is with the tinge of pink in it. This is all I could find about growing them and fertilization. It did say to fertilize regularly that they need regular dose.
"Soil should be rich and well-draining with a pH close to neutral (7.0)"
Just found this on another site.
"FEEDING Very important - clematis are voracious feeders. When you consider the amount of growth and flowers we expect from a plant, how could it be any different ? Perversely though, too much food is just as bad as too little ! You will find that large flowered hybrids need more dinner than, say, an orientalis or a montana which will probably get all it needs even in comparatively poor soil.
1. Work a good general purpose fertilizer gently around the plant in late February, being careful of that fragile stem. Bonemeal ( phosphate ) is excellent. Mulsh with garden compost.
2. Liquid feed ( tomato fertilizer is as good as anything ) once a week/10days during the growing season. Stop when buds form - if you continue you will shorten the flowering time. Rose fertilizer is also fine - something with potash.
3. A mulch of good garden compost in the Autumn.
Hope this helps!
Well this morning the original is still open, but there is a new one that is just about open & the markings are more distinct, so maybe the first one was just a fluke.
Thanks everyone, & Alice, I appreciate the info.
Donna
It sure is pretty!!!!
Dee, they look beautiful.
I would like to ask you a question. I planted 9 clematis of different varieties last summer/fall. This year they all came up (I thought they were goners), will they bloom this year? Or how old does a clematis plant have to be to bloom? Right now they are up and about 12 inches tall and got really bushy and spread out quite nicely. Any information you can give is greatly appreciated. Thanks. A
Hi Gourd,
I got mine last year, they were just tubery looking roots. I planted them & within a short time they started growing vines & I got flowers on all 3 at different times last year. So I think you can expect flowers. But I have learned that they all apparently bloom at different times. I think when I get more, I am gonna do some research on that & pick some that bloom when my others are not.
I have a question too, all 3 of mine come out of the ground in a single flimsy looking vine. will they ever develop more stems at the base? and what if that vine gets broke off, will it grow a new one? And how far can I trim it back this coming fall? Because the legs I have it climbing are up is not a permanent structure.
Thanks,
Donna
Dear P.M.,
'Nellie Moser's color will bleach out badly if subjected to bright sun. I have 2 of them. One is facing SW and only shows it's stripes on opening, then quickly fades to a pink - tinged white. The other is on the North side and receives much less sun. The flowers are much brighter with the strong coloring lasting much longer.
Oh that is gorgeous!
Mine is on the east side & in full shade. And I have been watching the new blooms, & they are a bit brighter when they open, but NOTHING like yours! Thank you for posting that!
I have another first. This is "Pink Champagne", I got it in July, it was in a gallon pot & had been there since I started looking in March. It was in such poor shape, I suspect it was from the previous year & was a hold over. But there was only 1 spindly vine alive and hanging off the wooden pole, and all the rest of the vines were brown and dead. It was $9.99 and I said to my husband, NO WAY! But every time I went there, I was drawn back cuz of the tag pic. I kept asking the nursery gal if they were ever gonna mark it down & she snottily told me no. LOL
Finally in July it was worse then before. I got up my nerve & approached miss snotty & said "Listen! This thing is gonna die & you are not gonna get ANYTHING for it! Mark it down & I will buy it!" She said maybe the manager would give me 10% off. I laughed and said "I would not give you more then $6 for it!" so she called the manager, he said ok, and she informed me that I could have it for $6 but the plant guarantee would not apply! HARHARHAR I took my poor neglected baby home & today I was rewarded with this. I almost missed it, it was tucked in behind some thunbergia grandiflora leaves. But my eye caught the color peeking out. Isn't she a beauty???
Donna
Donna
That is gorgeous!!! What a great color!!! Congratulations on dealing with "miss snotty"!!! Way to go!
And the camera picked up the exact color too. A real beauty. thanks Alice!
Beautiful Donna! The color is fantastic.....!
Thanks Pam!
It was gone the next day so I guess it had been there a while. I have been looking every day for another, but nothing. I am just thrilled that I was able to get ONE bloom this year, considering the condition it was in. It is just so happy now!
Clematis are going to be one of next years focus for me. I have been watching for a Florida Sieboldii and that will please me to no end.
Donna
pudgymudpies, a shopper after my own heart! I have the same question as you. will the flimsy vine get stronger. I'm always so afraid I'm gonna accidentally tear up my Nelly Moser. I got it this spring from one of those HD packages and it is growing, slowly, on the N side of my property. I would be thrilled beyond words if it would bloom. will it? Is it too late to fertilize, honestly I haven't yet. It's planted w/ excellent neutral soil but I was afraid to burn it w/ fert.
The pix posted here are so beautiful.
Thanks Vossner,
I was rather surprised at myself on that one. LOL I have gotten several clematis vines since I posted the moser pic, and they all seem to have that spindly single vine. I know what you mean about being afraid of tearing it up. And I wonder if yours is not blooming because it is on the northern exposure. I know the vines need lots of sun with the base in shade. You think that could be the problem?
I am going to be moving my 3 originals this fall/winter once they start going dormant, the moser is one of them. It will be interesting to see if I kill them or not. I am ashamed to say I don't think I ever fertilized them this year. Bad clematis mommy! LOL
Donna
