My clematis 'Beth Currie' seems to be finished blooming. The info I have printed out, which I think came from DG, says "prune immediately after flowering." I would like a concise definition of "prune" in this case. How far back do I cut it? Thanks!
Clematis 'Beth Currie'
I believe that is a group 2 clem. Here are some good planting and pruning care guides for all types of clematis. http://www.chalkhillclematis.com/nursery_shop/plantcare.htm
I never prune group 2's after flowering. I do all pruning - for 2's and 3's in late winter / early spring. You should cut off the seed heads after flowering so you can get a second flush.
No, they are not easy by seeds. I just buy the plant.
Thank you ngam; that is a helpful link. Thank you victor; that makes sense to me.
No problem. Another great site:
http://www.clematis.hull.ac.uk/new-clemlistsearch.cfm
Both are really good links to some fantastic information.
I am wondering, now (and I'm probably too late), about the pruning. I did not prune my 'Pistachio' clem back this spring, simply because I was too afraid to do so. Now I read that I should have. Does the clem come back after pruning it down to the first two buds? Does it make more branches? What happens? And, can I prune some of it now and the plant won't suffer?
I know. So many questions. So little gardening time.
But I know now that I have clematis wilt on one of the 'branches'. Will cutting that branch off hurt the rest of the plant?
Yes, it grows well after it is pruned. I treat 2's like 3's the first 2 or 3 years. Cutting it back hard like 3's stimulates more stem growth. You can prune it now but you will not get a second flush. You should definitely cut out any diseased branches.
I use to not bother triming 2's back at all - or even removing the seed heads. this did not affect the next years blooms. After reading i could get a second bloom i tried trimming them back last year - think i waited to long and did not get a second bloom. Did it this year again right after blooming so we'll see if it was worth it. it can be a pain in the as..... with muture plants that have tons of blooms like a few of mine are - time consuming.
I only do cutting back in the spring. With most of my mature 2's, I don't do anything with them (including in the spring) and get second blooms. Nowhere close to the first, but nice.
I prune mine in the spring too. I agree with Victor on treating the new 2 plants like threes for the first couple years. Don't usually prune again unless there is wilt or die-back,then usually hack away. They will grow back and you may get a small second flush of bloom. If you planted them nice and deep to begin with they will send out a lot more stems after pruning. Actually they are pretty resilient plants and as long as they get their required water amounts, will tend to do well in spite of sometimes lazy gardeners like me. :)
Yes actually I find Clematis to be so easy to care for....I personally think because they are vines and have such beautiful flowers that people shy away from them. However they don't take anymore work than any other perennial in my garden IMO......
Oh and they are my favourite plant! LOL
I never would have guessed that, Dawn!
Thanks for all of this invaluable information.