Clematis roots

I have heard much conversation about needing to keep your clematis roots cool. How do you guys go about doing that? Will a thick layer of mulch work??

You can add a bit of gravel or small stones to the bottom of the planting hole to keep the roots cool. Our mailbox post is sunk in cement, and the clematis flourish in hot sun all day with additional mulch. The cement keeps the roots cool.
I 've also added the stone and/or gravel to the many, many clematis I have. Good luck.

You should keep the surface roots cool, too, by adding a good
mulch around the ground. Keep any mulch 2-3 inches from the
stems.

I use pebbles as I like the looks, but many people use other type
of mulches. It is imperative to keep the lower foot of the vine
in the shade. Some gardeners plants annual at the base, but
one must be careful of delicate near-surface roots.

When you read the term "keep the roots cool and their heads up in the sun"..that translates into the clematis like to have their roots stay moist..that can be accomplished by planting deeper and mulching as well as staying ontop of watering them...Jeanne

AAAHHHHHHH JeanneTX I understand now!!

You plant a Clematis deeper to avoid wilt.

So what is the proper depth? Let me phrase it like this...how deep is too deep? Their flowers are just breath taking aren't they?!!

Plant the Clematis three inches deeper than it was in the pot.

I'm not confident that planting it deeper will stop a clematis from getting wilt ..especially the type 2's..but removing the leaves on the first leaf axil that is from the soil and planting it deep enough so that leaf axil is under the soil will assure you that the leaf axil will root and you'll have a bigger and stronger clematis..and of course the further down the roots..the more moist they will be...that is why you always hear people talk about planting them deeper...or that is what I do...Jeanne

I do not follow what other people do.

I follow the advice of the experts.

Tara..I didn't understand what you meant?..Would you like to elaborate hon?...Jeanne

Jeanne, from reading this forum I'm convinced you are an expert. Your comments and "advice" to others have been very helpful to me! Thank you.

Figaro...thanks hon...I have never considered myself an expert...I've been growing clematis for 4 years now and enjoy sharing my experiences and what I've learned from my mentors and passing onto newbies....Jeanne

Another question what do you mean by types? I hear you talk about type 2 or type 3 what is that?

When one talks about types..It usually refers to the Pruning and size and varieties...
Type 1's consist of the armandii, atragenes, cirrhosa, montanas, etc and are Early Spring bloomers that once established are generally not pruned except to shape and keep in bounds and is done after they have bloomed..remember I said all clematis are hard pruned until they have a mature established rootsystem
Type 2's consist of the Early Large Flowered Cultivars aka LFC they too are generally not hard pruned but shaped to keep in bounds after they have bloomed and will most likely have two flushes of blooms once in Spring and then again late summer/early fall..they bloom on previous years vines and some bloom on new and old vines!!
Type 3's consists of the viticella, texensis, herbaceous cultivars, species, etc.
They bloom on the new vines produced in a growing season and are hard pruned each late winter/early spring..which is generally the same time the Forsythias are in bloom or when you prune your roses for the first time of the season..for me it's around Feb 14th and varies with different zones...they have smaller flowers than the pruning group/type 2's but are recommended for beginners and while the blooms are smaller they are more vigorous and make up for it in the tons of blooms...here in my warm zone I can get 2-3 flushes a growing season by hard pruning after each bloom cycles and refertilizing...
I hope this helps...Jeanne

This message was edited Aug 22, 2007 4:13 PM

I have a hf young, what catagory is that. Do I need to do anything special to it this autumn?

Clematis "H.F.Young" is of the LFC aka Large Flowering Cultivar and is a pruning group 2..which once you have hard pruned a couple of season to get the rootsystem stronger, bigger more mature then you can then just prune AFTER it blooms to keep in bounds and shape...it blooms on the old vines from seasons past...Jeanne

Jeanne, this is very helpful information. I always get confused when it comes to pruning clematis, and am usually afraid I'm cutting too much off the plant.

Seriously I'm not trying to drive you crazy but by hard pruning do you mean cut it back to the ground this fall? It is a baby. I just planted it in the beginning of the month and it was no bigger than 4 leaves long when I purchased it.

Dpoitras..No hon..You never prune a clematis to the ground..only in the case if your clematis does wilt..then you do... ..you ALWAYS cut above a Leaf Axil...because the new vines will grow from each side of this...I usually cut above the second or third leaf axil from the ground...Here is a leaf axil so you can make sure you understand..it sorta looks like a "Y"...Here is a pic of my clematis "Venosa Violacea" that I hard pruned this past February...see the new leaves that will be vines emerging from each side?..that will be the new vines for this season....Hope this helps...Jeanne

This message was edited Aug 23, 2007 8:57 AM

This message was edited Aug 23, 2007 8:59 AM

Does anyone have any experience with Sweet Autumn Clematis getting some insect eating the buds ????? I have two of them, one in one area the other in another. One is fine, the other the buds are eaten and almost black and the leaves are twisted near the buds. I have had this problem before the SA clematis, but never addressed the issue.
Maybe on of you Clematis buffs have some ideas. I have many clematis and none of them have this problem.

Thanks for your help.

strell, there are at least 2 other threads in this forum that are talking about the beetles that eat the Sweet Autumn Clematis. I'm a newbie to all of this and saw them last night in here somewhere - try running a search.

Actually the picture was worth 1,000 words!! It helps a great deal. BUT can I ask another question? How do I know when to prune? My clematis is doing soooo good. I am getting a bud on it. I so loving this plant. It is quickly becoming my baby!! ;)

Dpoitras....How old is your clematis and what size was it when you planted it?....just enjoy your bloom and then prune it back..you want it to focus on growing roots if it's a baby..it will grow better roots over fall and winter...I love planting in the fall because of that reason...Jeanne

It was only a couple of inches tall when I planted it at the end of July. I don't know old it is. I am assuming very young. Should I cover it with leaves for the harsh winter?

mulch well to help keep moist as well and to insulate for winter...Jeanne

How do you keep the roots cool in potted clematis?

I just repotted a bunch of babies so their roots can grow larger before putting them in the ground, but do I need to do something special to keep their roots cool in the pots?

Jeanne it would seem to me you give good advice. Experts? Kind of like a male doctor telling a woman what pain feels like giving child birth. I didn't read this thread until after I planted 10 clematis, one can only hope that they will make it. Once years ago I planted one willy nilly and it faithfully returned every year. I have several more on the way and will use your advise for those.