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Clematis - prune or not?

67 comments


Some members were concerned about the thorny subject of Clematis pruning…which, when and how. I promised that I’d write a blog in the gap between the open days…while I have nothing to do in the garden!! LOL. (Who am I kidding?)

I will tell you all about my first ever Open Days after the 11th. I’ll just say that yesterday went very, very well. :-)

Back to Clematis. I am not an expert but I have built up quite a collection of Clematis, flowering right through the year, so I can pass on what I’ve learned, anyway!

C. Nelly Moser

That’s a familiar one, isn’t it!

Clematis are divided into three groups for pruning purposes … if you buy a new one, the label will tell you that your new plant is in group 1, 2 or 3 … possibly using A, B or C instead of the numbers.

If you have older plants and no labels, it is easy to check the group if you know the name of your Clematis, on GOY, via the Clematis Society website, or of course in a book.

Group 1 Clematis

Evergreen winter and early spring flowering Clematis fall into group 1. So these will include the C. cirrhosas like ‘Freckles’, C. Armandii, the C. montanas like my favourite ‘Broughton Star’…

C. alpinas, like this one which is called C. alpina ‘Helsingborg’

And C. macropetalas like this pretty one called ‘Blue Lagoon’.

Group 1 Clematis do not have to be pruned – apart from cutting out dead or damaged shoots – unless they are outgrowing the space you have for them. This can happen with the more vigorous ones, especially the montana group. They will not object at all to being cut back after they have flowered….if you do it before, you’ll lose the flowers! It’s best to keep the cutting back to a trim, but they can be cut hard back if necessary.

Group 2 Clematis:

Clematis ‘Niobe’

Clematis ‘Vyvyan Pennell’

Clematis in this group do need a little pruning before the new growth starts in early spring. It is best to cut out any damaged shoots at the top of the previous year’s growth, and then look for healthy pairs of buds further down each stem. Try to create a framework as these buds will produce strong shoots and then the flowers. Don’t cut back hard! This group usually has large flowers, in mid-spring, and then often flower again in late summer. C. ‘Nelly Moser’ is a group 2 Clematis, too.

Group 3 Clematis:

These are the ones that flower later in the summer, like Clematis jackmanii superba:

the C. viticellas, like C. ‘Etoile Violette’

and C. tangutica, aswell as the C. texensis group.

These Clematis should be cut hard back to about 10" above the ground – above healthy pairs of buds on each stem in early spring as soon as you can spot the buds. They will also grow quickly from each bud and need tying in to a framework. They flower only once, but usually give a fantastic show of colour as they do!

Please don’t forget that your Clematis is a greedy feeder – it needs feeding as you plant it, after you’ve pruned it, and during its growing season as well. I use blood, fish and bone around the root area in early spring, then a liquid feed for the rest of the time.

I do hope that this has de-mystified this subject a bit for those who were anxious about pruning their Clematis.

More blog posts by spritzhenry

Previous post: The Count-down!

Next post: So will it be open again next year???



Comments

 

great, thats a big help spritz,, can i ask,, my early sensation is very small, was full of flowers but shall i just leave it because its not even 12 inches in height yet,, are they slow growing or should i see a big differance next year

5 Jun, 2009

 

Wow! You were quick! I am going to feed my 'Early Sensation' as it, too, is very small. It doesn't need pruning, so feed is the only task, really. I don't think they are fast growers.

5 Jun, 2009

 

lol, just saw your blog come up at the right time because i was wondering about my plant being so small, thanx spritz and glad your open day went well and will look forward to hearing about it :o))

5 Jun, 2009

 

Thanks Spritz,my evergreen needs a mega cut I think but the birds love it so I keep putting it off,.......

5 Jun, 2009

 

Very timely blog, Spritz - I was wondering if I needed to do anything with the Montana I bought recently. It is growing quite vigorously but I hadn't thought to feed it. Will do tomorrow! Hope I haven't infringed any copyright but I have copied your blog and pasted it into word so that I can print it off and put it with all my labels. Thanks for the info. So glad your open day went well.

5 Jun, 2009

 

I have a few Clematis now, do I need to snip off the little fuzzy heads once the flowers have flowered to make them flower more, or just leave them on? I quite like the look of them, so tend to leave them on, but am I sacrifysing flowers?

6 Jun, 2009

 

Thanks spritz, concise and helpful

6 Jun, 2009

 

No Greenfingers, you can leave the seedheads on. However, you could try planting some to get more little plants!

The C. tangutica/orientalis ones produce very pretty silky seedheads and they are part of the attraction of the Clematis - see the last photo!

Mageth and Gee, you're welcome. :-)

6 Jun, 2009

 

This is a big help Spritz as familiar with the groups but so much of the info does not include pictures and this blog simplifies the groups and pruning techniques.Thank you.

Not sure how you found time to submit this on top of your open day - looking forward to seeing what sounds to have been a very successful day.

6 Jun, 2009

 

Thanks, Bb - I had promised that I would try to help a few people on Clematis...and I was so busy that I only took a very few photos on Thursday before it all kicked off. So I decided to put just a quick comment to say it had gone well, and save the blog until after the 11th.

6 Jun, 2009

 

Thank you so much for this blog Spritz, it's the clearest instructions I have seen for what I found to be a somewhat confusing subject. I have copied your blog into word and saved it for future reference.
Glad you had a good day and look forward to reading your blog when you have time to write it.
Thanks again.

6 Jun, 2009

 

Thanks Spritz looking forward to seeing your blog after the 11th pleased all went well for you.

6 Jun, 2009

 

Lovely blog, beautifully illustrated. I only have one Clematis, an ancient Montana, but I read the blog anyway, it was just so interesting. I'm feeling quite inspired. Perhaps I'll get a couple more.

6 Jun, 2009

 

Great pics, lovely clematis - particularly the Nelly Moser.

6 Jun, 2009

 

Spritz you are my heroine! thanks so much for this i can refer to it anytime now, i have about 13 Clematis in my garden and all different types so this is very useful to me. Glad your open day went well looking forward to hearing about it when you have recovered!!!

6 Jun, 2009

 

Thanks for sharing your knowledge Spritz - your blog will be great for future reference :-)

6 Jun, 2009

 

A very clear and useful blog spritz :-)
Glad Thursday went so well and look forward to hearing all about it after the 11th

6 Jun, 2009

 

I am always confused about pruning clematis so thanks for the advice - really helpful

6 Jun, 2009

 

Excellent. Thanks, Spritz. :o)

6 Jun, 2009

 

Great blog Barbara. VERY informative. Thanks :)

7 Jun, 2009

 

You've got me wondering now, SpritzH, wheter it is Niobe as mine seems to have a little more of a purple(y) tint than this, although the petals are the same shape. I'll have to take another photo when dry and sunny to compare with your pic. But it was definitely labelled Niobe when I bought it 5 years ago. (Not that the labvls are always correst as we all know!)
Great blog, by the way. Thanks for bringing my attention to it!

7 Jun, 2009

 

You're welcome - thanks for popping across! :-)

The colour this photo came out is accurate (for a change!)

7 Jun, 2009

 

Great blog and great photos...I have 4 clematis and i dont know the name of any of them...2 are about to flower and the other 2 not yet...perhaps i could put up a photo of them when they flower and maybe you could help to identify them pleze Spritz...then i will know when to prune.....cant wait for your open-day blog....

7 Jun, 2009

 

Thanks for such an interesting and useful blog. I had to cut back a montana (not sure which one) as it was set on world domination but even after a few weeks it has grown a huge amount and I haven't fed it at all.

8 Jun, 2009

 

I'll try. Motinot, but as I said, I'm not an expert! I do have a couple of books with pretty pictures of Clematis, though - (VERY tempting...lol) and there are lots of members who will also have a try, so between us we might come up with your names.

Yes, montanas are vigorous.... :-)

8 Jun, 2009

 

ive read and is very helpful but if i miss or forget because i didnt know do i just leave it for the next season??? i have nelly moser in flower and also i have duchess of edingburgh which flowered a few weeks a go and nothing since,thanks for any help and advice

8 Jun, 2009

 

Yes, leave them alone until the following spring if you miss a prune, or you'll remove the flowers! The only ones that you can prune or trim at this time of year are the group 1 clematis. Keep feeding the two you mentioned. :-)

8 Jun, 2009

 

thank you very much spritz,your helps appreciated, ps id love to eventually have clematis flowering all year round,when that time comes ill be back in touch lol

8 Jun, 2009

 

great blog full of helpfull info thank you

12 Jun, 2009

 

You're welcome. :-)

12 Jun, 2009

 

Very helpful! I have a very small, newish one out there flowering prettily now - after reading this i feel inspired to find out its name again.

16 Jun, 2009

 

I hope you do, Weeding! You could always post a photo, and we could have a go at ID-ing it??

16 Jun, 2009

 

Just re-visited your blog Spritz for reference. Its great, thanks.

30 Jul, 2009

 

:-))

30 Jul, 2009

 

Great blog B. Just one question, and as usual its one of my famous daft ones but.... What do you feed them with?

13 Aug, 2009

 

That's not daft - we all have to learn!

In the early spring, when I prune the group 3 ones and trim the group 2s, I sprinkle blood, fish and bone round each one's roots, including the group 1s - then mulch each of them with compost. Then, in the growing season, they get a liquid feed once a month - Miraclegrow or Tomato food.

14 Aug, 2009

 

Thank you B. Is there any question that would stump you?
Well Mine are now enjoying cosy warm toes and midriff's thanks to yourself with plenty of compost to keep them company. I've finally managed to untangle them and they are exploring their new home. (photos to follow) :~))

14 Aug, 2009

 

Well done, Ian. I hope you didn't over-exert yourself doing all that. Make sure you water them well until they are well-established, won't you!

14 Aug, 2009

 

I will do thanks :~))

14 Aug, 2009

 

Gee19 told me about this blog - all I need to do now is identify which Clematis I have and wait until spring to see if they burst back into life - at the moment they look a little poorly :0(

3 Dec, 2009

 

I wouldn't worry about that, Busylizzy - mine look like they'll never grow again - but they will!

3 Dec, 2009

 

Pruning them and feeding them in early spring will give them a new lease of life. I chopped one off by accident last year when I was removing the dead sweet peas - and it grew back from the roots in the spring - these plants are pretty resilient, as long as they get fed.

Post a photo of the flowers when you can - we might be able to ID them. I have several Clematis books with pretty photos!!!! lol.

3 Dec, 2009

 

Excellent - thanks Spritzhenry, I will definitely take some pics for the great Clematis identification test 2010!!!!

3 Dec, 2009

 

I'm not promising, though - so many look similar to each other! One of the members might well have yours in their garden, though. Let's hope. :-))

3 Dec, 2009

Sid
Sid
 

Thank you for this blog Barbara - you have helped me successfully identify the blue one in the drive as a 'Group 2' and it will get a prune tomorrow back to pairs of strong buds :-) (that's if we're not snowed in again lol)

19 Jan, 2010

 

I'm not doing mine yet, Sid - another month....be patient, because if the weather turns icy again, your fat buds might die back - so pleeeeeaaassseee wait before you do it!

19 Jan, 2010

Sid
Sid
 

Oh ok Barbara - I got snowed off in the end anyway, so couldn't do it today lol The clematis has in fact already broken bud and is growing - some of the new shoots are already 15cm long! It's against the house, which might explain things?

20 Jan, 2010

 

Yes, it would. I shall have to grit my teeth when I prune a couple of my viticellas - they're sprouting out near the top, and they have to be cut back to about a foot! EEEK!

Don't chop yours back too hard, will you? Just lightly. :-))

20 Jan, 2010

 

Hi Spritz ive just bought 3 clematis and found this blog..... when would it be best to plant them out...... should i do it now.. or leave till weahter gets warmer.. the plants have buds on them already... Holly

3 Mar, 2010

 

As long as the ground isn't frozen, you can plant them now, yes, Holly. Make sure you dig in lots of compost and plant them deeply, which helps in case of clematis wilt - the plants can re-grow from the roots if they get that.

3 Mar, 2010

 

Thanks..... will try and get them out soon... ground not frosty just verry wet and soggy... Holly

4 Mar, 2010

 

Maybe leave it for a couple of weeks if it's too soggy, and definitely lots of compost to back-fill the holes!

4 Mar, 2010

 

got plenty of compost in the garage.... my spare bedroom is full of plants waiting to be put out....lol... will wait till soil is a bit drier then.... thanks barbara

4 Mar, 2010

 

You're welcome. x

4 Mar, 2010

 

: O )))

5 Mar, 2010

 

Well worth the read spritz, I've learned a lot, thank you. I'm going to save this blog for future reference.:)

25 Oct, 2010

 

That's good. You're very welcome, Silverbell. :-)))

25 Oct, 2010

 

I keep this in my Fav's and think its time to bring it out again as I find it very helpful. I am putting it on 'Plant support' page as I think some members we see it there to.

8 May, 2011

 

That's very kind, Denise - I know I've been asked about it several times. I'm glad it's useful. :-)

8 May, 2011

 

I certainly find it so.

8 May, 2011

 

:-)

9 May, 2011

 

Very helpful info - so glad I came across it. Thanks.

11 Jun, 2015

 

You are very welcome. :-)

26 Jun, 2015

 

Thanks for clarifying the pruning methods - 6 yrs on since you wrote it & as useful as ever.
Popped it into my favs too.

26 Jun, 2015

 

Golly - I hadn't realised how long ago I wrote it! :-O

27 Jun, 2015

 

Lol, times flies when your gardening - that's why I never seem to catch up!

28 Jun, 2015

 

Nor do I. Is a garden ever 'finished'?

2 Jul, 2015

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