I just bought my 1st clematis, I know zero about them.
It's called "Rhapsody", my plan is to plant it in with my Lady Banks (a white once blooming rose)
So do you trim them back in the winter?
Are they horribly invasive and do I need to keep a close watch and pruning shears handy?
Any suggestions, warnings and /or encouragement would be greatly appreciated
thanks,
Dove
My 1st Clematis - now what?
Dove...congrats on your first Clematis !! Clematis "Rhapsody" is a pruning group 2 which means light prune ..only to keep in bounds....what you must remember is that Clematis are the "Sleep" , "Creep", then "Leap" vine..so you won't have to worry about it going wild and taking over everything...my Clematis "Rhapsody" is in it's second year here and I pruned it above the first leaf axil this past February..I treat all my Pruning group 2 that way the first season and then let them be!!...You will want to dig a hole that is 4 inches deeper than the pot it is in and a couple inches wider ..at the bottom of the hole put a layer of composted cowmanure..then a layer of compost...then toss in a couple handfuls of Bonemeal...put your clematis in the new hole...tilting it at a slight 45 degree angle towards the rose for it to climb...back fill with dirt..MAKE sure that it is planted 2-4 inches deeper than the pot it was in..clematis love to have their roots stay moist...so do the finger test daily..to make sure it is..ok?...You can put mulch down but Please keep the mulch away from the vine itself so not to create a fungus...Pruning group 2s are notorious for clematis wilt..regardless stay on top of the watering and you will have a wonderful healthy clematis!!..Do not fertilize!!..Then come next January/ February. of '007.....when ever you usually prune your Roses or Forsynthias that is the time to prune your clematis above the first leaf axil..then from then on don't prune...Jeanne
I love my "Rhapsody"..it's such a true blue...
thanks for the detailed explanation Jeanne! you help us all be successful.
Wow thanks Jeanne, I also just bought this one (ok I bought two of them) funny cause I planted before I read this Plante on Wed.) I also put mine near my Lady Banks although not sure if it my yellow or white.
Jeanne,
I'm in my game when it comes to roses, but feel kind of naive and goofy when it comes to to this.
I really appreciate the wealth of information! Thank you very much
Hi Marie,
Two great minds, eh?
Although I didn't plant mine at the base of Lady Banks after all. Two reasons, to dig a hole the size necessary would have been hard on the Lady, the other reason is my husband just could "see" what I had in mind. It's along the same fence but about 6 feet away.
Mine is about 1-2 ft away from the base. But I have let mine grow wild. It reminds me of my daughter when she wakes up in the morning so I just let it do its thing. (I planted mine before my husband could say anything) :o)
Not a bad plan ( I really did want mine closer) but since M dug the hole for me I had to be gracious ;-)
Six feet away? Well, you've room for 2 or 3 more! I was told to plant clematis at least 2 feet apart.
So far clematis have been very easy for me to grow here. I have two in the ground, and one waiting to be planted. I basically dug a hole deep enough to cover the roots, plopped the clematis in, filled in the hole, watered it, and left it alone! No mulch, no nothing.
I tried to prune one of them this Spring but cut the wrong vine and cut it off nearly to the ground. It still grew vigorously and even bloomed a bit for me. I left the other one alone, for fear of doing the same.
I water them, but don't go to any trouble to keep them consistently moist. And I do fertilize with rose food, only because they are in my rose bed, and so they get what the roses get by default.
So far, they are healthy and vigorous. I have a feeling the less I do to them, the better off they'll be. Or it could be that I've just been very lucky so far...