Clematis princess Diana
#haven't.a.clue
Posts: 4
Folks, I'm hoping someone out there might be able to offer some advice as to how I could potentially rescue a (quite young) Clematis Princess Diana please.
It was bought in May 2017, when about 40cm tall, and grew to about 100cm. The plant was originally placed in a inappropriate location (too little sunlight). It's leaves are droopy and waxy, and a dull green colour. They're shrivelled-looking but not crispy.
I have now carefully dug the plant up, and replanted in a large pot in a location with almost full sun. I have left the stems as they were: I haven't cut anything off.
I could always just through it away but I'm hoping to get some advice as to what to do next. Keep it watered and give it a feed, but should I cut away any growth please?
https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/118677/i-Clematis-i-Princess-Diana-(T)/Details
The website says prune group 3:
Prune in late winter or early spring when buds show signs of growth – typically in February.
Many thanks in advance!
Posts
Moving any plant will sometimes cause stress, but moving a plant that may already be stressed, you need to make sure the roots are in a cool spot. The pot/container is deep and generous to allow the Clematis to root. Sounds like a very young plant, so there is no harm in cutting the stems down, especially if you see no flower buds forming. Water the container throughly and continue to do so as it's mid-summer still and can get very hot and dry in a matter of days. Also add a thick layer of mulch to help keep temperatures cool. This seals the moisture in and keeps the young root area free from excess wet.
I always give clematis a year or two in a big pot before I plant them out in the borders. Planted deeper than they were in their original pot and given some good compost with regular feeds and watering, they will be able to concentrate on root development without any competition. Keeping the pot cool as Borderline suggests you should see some healthy new growth by the end of August.
Keep it that way thru autumn then shelter it form heavy frosts over the winter. Bring it back out into sunshine next March and cut off all the top growth. Feed, top dress and water well and it should grow well next year and then you can try planting it out next autumn - again deeper than it was in its pot - or shelter it and leave planting out till the following spring if you have hard winters.
Feed and prune every March. There are special slow release foods available for clematis but rose or tomato feed will do the jobe too.
I've had that clematis for a good 4-5 years now. It has never been a good performer for me.
Did very well for me Hogweed and was full of flowers for months. Try feeding it.
Have fed it every year! Don't think she ever had much of a liking for Scotland though!
She took 3 years to settle in my garden, her Grandson Prince George is a bit slow here too!