I have four clematis on an arbor. I treated them all the same when I planted them,but they are all growing at different rates.
the Polish Spirit is robust,Viola and Ville de lyon are blooming but stringy growth,and the Mrs Cholmondely is struggeling.
These all came from Chalk Hill and were planted Fall of 2005. Why are they behaving so differently? Am I expecting too much?
I moved an Integrefolis out of the bed last week and put it in a pot to babysit because it was not doing well. It was much more vigorous last summer.
If I decide to move these also could I do it this summer?
They are all group 3. Could I cut them down and move them this summer. I am zone 5 in Pa. The soil has quite a bit of clay but I have amended it with compost and they are mulched well.
Any feedback would be appreciated.
Aline
Clematis Questions
Aline..to start with Clematis "Mrs. Cholmondeley" (Pronounced Chumley) isn't a pruning group 3 she is a pruning group 2..(Altho treating her like a 3 isn't always a no-no..you'll only lose the early blooms if you do hard prune her where as if you didn't you'd have a flush of blooms in Spring and again later in late Summer/Early Fall) Did you hard prune all of your pruning group 3's? In my experience..."Mrs. Cholmondeley" like most pruning group 2's are less vigorous in the first couple of years and don't really take off till year 3..Clematis "Polish Spirit" is the most vigorous of the ones you have and Clematis "Viola" (which I just planted last year from Dan) is pretty vigorous ..Clematis "Ville de Leon" is slower to get established and less vigorous in the first few years even tho it is a pruning group 3..
Not all clematis are equal in their growth and vigor..You didn't say if you have them in full sun?..Did you fertilizer with a fertilizer that is higher in the "P" on the N-P-K ratio? I think you'll see a major difference next year if they are planted in a great site where they are staying moist...full sun..and being fertilized...Jeanne
good luck from a zone 5 er. you just have to read, make mistakes and keep at it. the few variables jeanne mentioned are easy to learn, but you learn by the reading with the mistakes. it is worth it.
my first clematis 8 years ago were from chalk hill, planted in the fall. i doubt there are any of them left among my 200 varieties.....mistakes are the soil of learning!
one tip i will share is labeling well. i learn that lesson over again from time to time, but it is fun to figure it out after you have lost the tag or made your site plan wrong.
good luck and enjoy your clematis journey!
I gave the Clematis a generous dose of bonemeal and some lime when I planted them.
They get half a day of sun and the roots are fairly well shaded.
Jeanne, you gave a pretty good discription of the growth on them all.
I think I will take the Mrs out of the mix as I thought it was a group 3, for pruning purposes.
Thanks for the input.
Aline