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Pruning Clematis

 

Planting:

Dig a hole that is about 18-24" (45-60 cm)deep, and fill it with a good loam soil. Place the clematis in the hole with the crown of the plant about 1" (2.5 cm) below the ground surface.

Fill in the remainder of the hole with loam. Water the plant well with Miracle Grow Quick Start. Avoid using peat moss, or mixtures containing peat, when planting clematis as they do not like an acidic soil.
You will need a trellis or fence for the clematis to grow on.

Create Shade:

Clematis prefer to have their roots kept cool, while the branches prefer a sunny exposure for optimum flower growth. Plant your clematis in a sunny location. Grow small plants, or spread mulch around the base of your clematis to shade the roots.

Pruning:

Pruning or cutting back clematis can help you get the most out of your plant. It is helpful to know which type of clematis you have. Keep the descriptive tags from your clematis, or just take note of the blooming time of your plant to determine which group it belongs to.

Group 1 Clematis:

These are the spring and early flowering varieties that rarely need pruning, unless they grow too large and out of control. They include varieties of Clematis Montana, C. alpina and C. macropetala.

Group 2 Clematis (light pruning):

These clematis need to have their long stems trimmed back to a pair of buds on each stem, tidying up the plants to keep them neat and well shaped. Cutting stems back encourages new growth from lower down on the plant and brings the flowering height down. The best time to do this is spring.

This group includes: Barbara Jackman, Bee Jubilee, Carnaby, Dawn, Dr Ruppell, Duchess of Edinburg, Henryii, Jackman rubra, Nelly Moser, Multi blue, Niobe, Pink Fantasy, Royalty, Snow Queen and The President.

Group 3 Clematis (heavy pruning):

This group includes the later flowering varieties which all benefit from being cut back to about 2-3’ (60-90 cm) in very early spring. This group includes: Comptesse de Bouchard, Duchess of Albany, Ernest Markham, Gypsy Queen, Hagley hybrid, Jackman, Jackman superba, Star of India and Ville de Lyon.