By Scottish
Edinburgh, Scotland
Pruning advice for Clematis armandii please. Planted earlier this year (bought when in flower), this plant has produced 2 main shoots which are now happily growing up the trellis/fence. Do I pinch these shoots out now to encourange a bushier growth or wait until it finishes flowering next spring?
Angie x
- 15 Jun, 2011
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Answers
Hello, I have two clematis armandii. I wait until they finish flowering in april/may and prune back to about two feet high. After a couple of weeks they burst back into growth, This new growth is what will carry the flowers next spring.
16 Jun, 2011
Now that's very interesting, Alanbarwick - all the advice is what I gave up top. Have you been doing that ever since you had them?
16 Jun, 2011
Both lots of advice are really interesting. I find that the stems which flowered die back naturally before the new growth suddenly appears and is very vigorous.
I wait until the old flowered growth is obviously brown and crispy and cut it off!
Think I'll carry on doing that...but be much more careful where I cut!
16 Jun, 2011
Thanks for the advice, will leave well alone an let it make its way upward!
Bamboo - I was expecting the base to be woody, I have it planted near a hydrangea which will eventually spread out and hide the base - that's the image I'm forming in my head anyway!....lol!!!
18 Jun, 2011
Sadly I lost mine last year, but plan to buy another at sometime...they are by far the nicest smelling Clematis I think...and shiny evergreen leaves and white flowers, terrific early spring...good luck with yours...Its only young, my advice is leave it, let it do its own thing for a while...you'll soon see what needs taking off...
21 Jun, 2011
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Technically, this clematis requires no pruning and in fact, if you cut into old, woody stems, they can die completely. Recommendation is to wait until new growth starts appearing, then cut out older stems by tracing them from the top back down to a healthy new lateral shoot and cutting above that. Yours shouldn't need this treatment till the year after next though, it's only done to prevent it becoming something that looks like an untidy birds nest. And if you're thinking, but mine has bare stems near the base, yes, it does - its the nature of the beast I'm afraid, tends to grow up and have its foliage and flowers at the top.
15 Jun, 2011