Hi... I have a Clematis (sorry not sure, but I think Nellie Moser) that has been in the ground for about 8 years. It's pretty happy, but I would like to make it even happier. I live in a very mild zone, and I haven't really done anything for it all these years. What's the best booster? What will make it really go? Oh, and since I planted it, the shade has increased in this area....
Any ideas?
Thanks in advance,
Sanna
Happy Clematis
Reduce the shade if you can. Keep the roots shaded, however, with thick mulch or other plants.
Clematis like the same fertilizer as Roses, which makes them great companions! Add fertilizer in early Spring, beginning of March and then again in late Summer, around August. Also, spray with Horticultural Oil a couple times a year to keep the insects away. Your Clematis will greatly appreciate all your care and reward you with abundant blooms!
Great! and thanks!! Yeah, this poor girl has never gotten much in the way of fertilizer. I have plans for it this spring! I'm going to have a great Nellie Moser this spring - and fall, as I get a second wave.
Thanks for the input.
P.S. I've read a lot about alfalfa tea for roses, and I've used it with great success on not only roses, but some of my other container plants. I'm assuming, carefully, that the clematis might do well with this too. Any comments from anyone?
Sanna
Concerning Clematis, I have heard some talk about needing to cut them back. Can someone tell me when to do this and how?
Gimli1: Which variety do you need to cut back?
Isn't there that "old wood" "new wood" stuff you need to be careful of?
Yep.
Certain varieties bloom on one or the other, some blom on both. For purely new-wooders, it is suggested to cut tehm in very early spring, just before bud break. It can have a very auspicious effect on the plant's vigour and shape.
Now, C. alpina, montana, and relatedd cvrs. should not be cut until they are finished blooming on their old wood. (late spring/summer)
K. James
Here is a link that explains the three different pruning groups for Clematis. http://www.clematis.hull.ac.uk/pruning.cfm
To Shirley1md, thank you for the link. In response to your first question, I was not aware of different types requiring different pruning. Are there any other sites I should check? Is there anywhere I can find out which named clematis is in which group?
Try Chalk Hills
http://store.yahoo.com/chalkhillclematis/order.html
Where can I find a patio clematis?
Again, try Chalk Hills. Many of the Integrifolia only grow 2 to 3' and would be lovely in a container. They are not cheap, but I think they have a good rating with the GWD. See link above.
I hope you become as obsessed with Clematis as I am! Happy reading!!
http://www.clematis.com.pl/wms/wmsg.php/816.html
http://www.homeofclematis.net/variety.htm
http://dialspace.dial.pipex.com/clematis/
http://www.britishclematis.org.uk/
http://www.clematisnursery.com/
http://www.brushwoodnursery.com/
http://www.donahuesclematis.com/
http://www.joycreek.com/index.htm
Brushwood Nursery looks good. A few dollars less than Chalk Hill and good GWD reviews. I may give them a try this year. Thanks for the info.
You're very welcome!
Don't forget Bluestone Perennials. They sell cheaper, smaller-pot plants. I have not personally dealt with them, but they do have variety.
http://www.bluestoneperennials.com/b/bp/
JeamesCO: Do remember that Bluestone Perennials has cheaper plants, but they are also a lot smaller & should not be planted in your garden until their roots start poking out of the bottom of a 1 gallon container. Too many gardeners plant their tiny Clematis plants before they have a mature enough root system and then wonder why their Clematis died.
Very true. I am one of those oddballs who likes to plant little ones out and baby them in-situ!
Does that mean the little 3" pots of Ruutel I got from Wayside last fall won't make it? They looked great; very healthy. I am going to be very upset if they don't make it. They were pretty pricy.
Not necessarily, but make sure that it is not being over-competed (rootwise) by neighbors. Hopefully Shirley can shed some light on the things a person should watch out for when "babying" as I put it so unscientifically.
Oh yes, they do not take to the winters as well when they are small, I imagine mulch helps. My tiny 6-7" 'Elsa Spaeth' is doing well as of today, showing some strong green budbreak.
K. James
I planted them next to the house and they are well mulched, so I would think they wouldn't freeze out. I just checked the spring Wayside catalog and it says "ready for planting out", "expect 2 to 3 years until full maturity". If they do die, I think Wayside will replace or refund.
I've been learning so much on DG, but there are some things I wish I hadn't read; i.e. tulip breaking virus that can also infect lilies and now this. I'm such a worry-wart and spring is so far away!
Just Breathe.......
If pathogens had the upper hand, there would be no flowers. Learning from DG, you will succeed many more times than you fail!
I love clematis and thought I ran out of room until I was walking in the woods here in Montana and saw them growing naturally. They were climbing up trees in shady areas. So I looked at my garden and counted 175 potential clematis plants. So I have them going everywhere. Though the ones in the sun seem to thrive and grow like a weed. I always keep their roots cool. Gee I have planted several 3" pots and never lost any. Maybe cause the soil is so rich with compost I don't have competition problems. It helps to be stupid and fearless when planning a garden. Love the clematis climbing everywhere.
That photo is not the wild one, now is it? I assume you have Clematis montana growing near you. (Using great deductive finesse.) All of those potential plants could be great trading material, Soferdig.
It is "babying" your Clematis, but aren't they worth it in the long run? Don't they give you years of enjoyment? Why not get them off to the best possible start?
This is how I treat newly purchased Clematis vines. If they are smaller than a plant grown in a 1 gallon container, I baby them for a minimum of 6 months or longer. I immediately take the Clematis out of the container that it has arrived in. Very gently tease apart a few of the roots, so that they don't wrap around and around themselves. Using a well known potting mix (such as Miracle Grow or Pro-Mix, NOT Brand "X"), fill a 1 gallon container with 1/4 potting mix, 1/4 sand, 1/4 good compost or manure, I also toss in a few polymer crystals (to help keep the soil moist), a handful of bone meal and then the top 1/4 with more potting mix. Don't forget to add your label.
When the roots start to poke out of the bottom of a 1 gallon container, THEN you can plant it in your garden or move it to a larger container, if you wish.
I hope this information has helped and you become as addicted to Clematis as I am! :~)
Clematis Basics: http://clematis.org/basics/
Climates for Clematis: http://www.homeofclematis.net/html/pl_01.htm
How to Plant Your Clematis: http://www.homeofclematis.net/html/pl_03.htm
I've just realized that the greatest part of my aversion to keeping small pots about s that they are impossible to keep moist in this climate. -which, of course, does not apply to the rest of this country. I have to plant (in-ground) things if I want them to live at all!
Excellent resources, Shirley. Have you seen the Clematis Encyclopedia out of the UK? It is awesome.
Poor SannaJane, we've probably scared her off.
No.... you haven't scared me off! :o) I'm taking it all in! I seem to have to baby the darn things, love them as I do, until they get well established. My Nellie Moser (or what I think is) does well = I get two flushes each year. But when I look at the wood it's coming from I wonder how it even is surviving!! And then I have one I bought in bloom with a purple double flower (from what I can remember) nearly 3 years ago.... it barely gets greenery, then that's it. (Although I think I have a snail/slug problem there....) I would really love to see it bloom again, but maybe I don't even have it in a good spot. Our weather here is so temperate - no real lows, but no highs either. If we get to 70 deg F, we are experiencing a heat wave!!! Ah well, thank you JamesCO (Kenton??) Again, I'm taking in all this information and storing it in the gray matter....
Sanna
This is a Jackmanni and loves this north shaded area. I love it cause the blooms stay on the plant until after Thanksgiving due to its protected area. I get to look at the flowers when I go to get a load of wood right behind the plant. No the natives are everywhere and are hard to find a root source without dammaging them. They are small specimens that grow to extreme lengths but with little leaf and stem diameter. Most of the natives are blue and a few white ones. I would never dig up these wonderful items but seeds may be something of interest. I also have over 2 acres of wildflowers in my meadow at the bottom of the hill. I have done very little to this area but mow it early august to keep the forest from flaming my beautiful trees. Lots of fires here in summer. I pre burn with my torch the seed heads of "those whose name we cannot say". So far I believe that the mowing hasn't affected anything but spred seeds to a wider area. There are more and more varieties every year. I know I lost a lot when I mowed too early on the first year I was here and boy did that screw up my meadow. Lots of mullen (which I like) and milk weed up the ying yang. I have selectivly pulled undesirables to a small number to keep the ones I like thriving. Here is my September meadow. Not too exciting.
How can you say "Not too exciting"? It is gorgeous.
Hope your Clem. does its best theis year, Sanna.
(Can you wait for the AV easter trade? Uf!)
Kenton J.
Ahhh Sanna you get to grow those big Costal Redwoods. I can't get them to handle the winters here. Eureka is what zone 8? Lots of clouds mean lots of healthy garden! The only thing I miss about Seattle. Well and everything that grows there. You know one idea from one who is always expermenting with my plants. Why dont you cut some of your Clem stems close to the ground and another part 18" off the ground and another part leave alone. See if you dont have a hybrid that needs to get cut different than the lable tells you. Oh yes classical music helps any plant to become more than it could otherwise.
There is a heck of a study in where, Italy? -about classical music's effect on grapes and resulting wine flavour! No joke.
For years I have used it in my veterinary clinic to relax the patients. It works! So I have a small boom box that I have quietly playing in my Nursery to speed up healing. I have only thrown away one plant that didn't get back in the garden. I usually run 10 to 15 plants a year in my plant hospital. Excluding zone up plants that just couldn't make it here.
I have about 20 named varieties of Clematis. There are no native ones here such as soferdig has. Too dry, and no shade except for the trees that i have planted. Mostly the native plants are sagebrush and different grasses.
Here is a photo of one of my favorite Clematis, Blue Light. DonnaS
Very nice, Donna! I just love all the different varieties, colors, shapes, & textures of this wide & varied genus!
Here's "Ruby Star" waving to your "Blue Light"!
Ruby Star looks like a very pretty clematis. I have one that I moved from my other place, it is called red, but of course isn't. It is Dr Rupple, if I can find a photo I will send it along. Guess the only photo I have of it is a 35mm , can't find any digital ones. Sorry
Donna
Here is Clematis, Etoile Violet with Rose, New Dawn....I was focusing on the Clematis. Can you tell?! :~)
Very very pretty.... that's the one (or at least close to it) I planted a few years ago and have had any blooms since I stuck it in the ground!!! Very nice.....
Sanna
Thank you, Sanna! Many Clematis flowers have "look alikes". To really identify the flower, you need a very good close-up photo and even then it can be tricky.