Move a clematis - now or wait 'till Spring?

I have a Clematis 'Reiman' I would like to move from it's home of 2yrs. It only grows to a rather bushy 5 - 6 feet and does not cover the trellis but is very vigorous and bloomed the first year I planted it. Is it OK to move it now? If so, should I prune it back first or try to move it with the branches in tact (then prune in the Spring)?

serenity, you may want to ask this question in the vines & climbers forum...

edited to say, there is also a clematis forum.... Just look under Garden Talk.
cg

This message was edited Sep 24, 2006 9:43 AM

You might want to contact Debbie at Silver Star Vinery...she is really helpful..Once you see her Clematis you will be hooked...LOL don't say I did'nt warn you..!! :o))

Cegoins, Thought I'd try this forum first to see if I could get advice for my zone. I will post there next.

Demstratt, I just went to the Silver Star website and had to click out of it right away or I would be there all morining! What a selection! I have it bookmarked.

Thanks to you both.

i would move it now or in the spring! I move stuff all yr round here as long as it gets a supply of water-thats the key when transplanting anything!

fall is a great time for transplanting stuff!

Have fun..make sure you have lots of time...My favorite one I got from Debbie is Princess Di with Prince Charles...they bloom none stop...Make sure to look at those..!!I have 4 more coming from her next week...

I agree with Dori, move it now, just keep it watered until the ground freezes.

Paul

paulgrow - Should I try to keep this years growth in tact? Or is it OK to cut it down now. Will cutting it trigger late growth that could damage the plant? I have clematis netting over the trellis so I should be able to keep much of the growth.

Demstratt - You just had to send me back to the website to check out the royals! Do you have them planted together to get non-stop bloom? Or do both plants bloom non-stop separately?

I have them planted together...About 2 feet apart...I wish I would have done 3 feet...The roots on her plants are huge...If I had a camera I would show you a picture..They both are blooming none stop...if your ever in my area give me a holler...lol...I just have a city lot and decided I need to plant up...

Hi there I know I am from out of state but Demi got me started on Clemmies and introduced me to Debbie at Silver Star. Once you go there you will never go any where else. The root systems are unbelieveable and once planted they grow like weeds.......I need to go there and order more since I have a hole in my fence now....Lauri

I would prune it back somewhat but leave a litle foilage on it. Hopefull we have another 3-4 weeks before a killing frost.

Paul

Hi,
I just transplanted two of mine. I dug them up earlier and had them in the greenhouse all summer, just a blooming like mad! I am keeping them good and watered :)

If it were me I would wait till very early spring. I think they would suffer less transplant shock. If you plant it now and it doesn't get rooted in well it might heave out of the ground unless you really mulch it well. I transplanted most of my garden from downstate to up north in March and April on weekends. I had good luck with plants like dictamous that isn't ever supposed to be moved. They were still 'sleeping' and didn't even realize they had been moved. I'd cut it back to no more than 6-10 inches to allow it to root in well before putting out growth or trying to bloom.

If you do transplant now and mulch heavily, be sure to remove the mulch in early spring so you don't wind up with fungus problems like wilt.

Good luck,
Brenda

Hello Everyone and thank you all for the advice. Nothing like starting a thread and then abandoning it! Well, I took the plunge on Sunday and moved her. I took as much as the rootball as I could (about 3' x 2') which was tough because it was in a tight spot and next to our buried phone line. (still connected he, he) I was able to keep most of the growth because I had clematis netting over the trellis so, I just detatched the netting from the trellis and attached it to the chain link fence in the new location. I planted it about an inch lower than it was growing and mulched well. I've watered Sunday, Tuesday and now tonight (maybe overkill?)
So far, so good! It looks the same as it did in the old spot. Any further advice would be welcome. Otherwise, wish me luck! And thank you again.

I wish you luck and im sure thats not overkill on the water-tis the KEY!
Welcome to the site and i myself have been away form the forums all summer and im looking forward to the winter to relax and reconnect here-not looking forward to the snow and COLD -frost warnings here tonight(sigh)

Hi notmartha, did you all get frost up your way, we didn't get any here,
thank goodness, I am looking forward to WSing this year, but I am not
any where near ready for winter... It feels like an ice box outside this morning.

Connie

Hi. I am from Ann Arbor, new to Dave's G but a long time gardener and clematis grower, and a long-time GWer. I have planted and moved many, many clematis in the fall and swear by it. Clematis growing is all about getting a big root mass and below-ground bud system established. September and October are ideal times to move clematis. You cut them down to about 6-12" above the ground, dig and amend a good big hole depending on your soil type and the size of the plant, and plant the crown about 4" below where it was previously growing. The plants will put out root growth till the ground freezes solid, another couple of months depending on where you are in MI, at least in Southern MI. The plants will be significantly better off and will establish and bloom better next year than if you did the same thing in the spring.

Hi david5311, Welcome to DG! I am new to the forum also. I consider myself a novice gardener and I truly appreciate the shared knowledge from long time gardeners, like yourself! I moved the clematis last Sunday and it looks great (all the foliage looks healthy). I can go ahead and cut the foliage back as you have recommended to focus the attention on the roots, but should I go through the trouble to dig it up and plant it deeper? I had planted it about 1 to 1 1/2" deeper than it was growing....(FYI Grand Blanc is just south of Flint). Thank you again for your response!

Hi! I just stumbled across this thread. I don't have any clematis at my house, but my MIL has two that were planted probably 6 or 7 years ago. They are on a cyclone fence and I'm not too impressed with their growth or flower. I don't know the cultivars, one is the palest of pinks and the other is a deep purple. The purple has never had more than 5 or 6 blooms...the pink maybe 20? I know that she does nothing to it, no fertilizer, no pruning...nada. I'm thinking that if they were pruned hard, they might do better this year. I may sneak over and give them a good pruning if that's a good idea. I have NO experience with clematis at all and I've spent close to an hour digging through DG to find an answer. Help. Please. :)

Michelle

this clematis is always loaded!!

If I ever have any problems....I just e-mail or call Debbie at Silver Star Vinery...you gotta go see her site...she has lots of new ones for this Spring!!!!Have Fun..I do!!!!!!!!!