They are still quite small young plants and haven't quite got the hang of climbing yet. Keep gently tying them in and soon they'll do it themselves. Clematis do find it easier to cling onto slightly rough surfaces rather than smooth canes and metal. You are right though, some clematis are better than others for twining and some don't twine at all but scramble over the ground/bushes etc.
You could tie garden string to the top of the obelisk and then wrap it around until you get to the bottom and tie it off. Repeat in a different direction and that will give them something a bit easier to cling on to. Those uprights are very thick - the string will be easier for the young leaf stems to twine around.
they'll flower better too because they'll be going up and around at an angle, rather than straight up vertically.
Thank you both. Ashvar only gets to 6/7ft (allegedly) but I would prefer them to climb up rather than flop down so I'll take the advice you've given me. I'll post photos later when they're smothered in flowers. I hope
That Niobe is sumptuous. I have a wee Niobe I'm hoping to get planted out today.
Meanwhle, I have still to identify this which we inherited. Found it as a teeny, 4" shoot the day we got the keys to the house - 12/7/16 - hidden behind arum italicum creeping buttercup and watered it and fed it and weeded all around. Delighted to find it still growing, tho feeble, when we finally moved in 10 weeks later.
Here it is 30 months later, flowering happily but not reaching for the skies. Any ideas? It's facing north and gets full sun till about 11:30 and the flowers seem to fade fairly quickly.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
Here are two photos of my Etoile Rose, grown in a container. This one usually gets mildew, but thanks to the advice on this forum, I have kept it very well watered and it had a very large dose of home made compost earlier this year. This is the best I've seen it and there are loads more buds, so I think I'm in for a treat as the season progesses.
The Clematis in this photo used to live in a container and did very well, I moved it to a bed earlier this year and it's coming along very nicely. The label has gone and I can't remember which one it is, but if anyone wants to hazzard a guess, I will recognise it immediately. It's only started flowering about three days ago, lots more to come!
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they'll flower better too because they'll be going up and around at an angle, rather than straight up vertically.
Meanwhle, I have still to identify this which we inherited. Found it as a teeny, 4" shoot the day we got the keys to the house - 12/7/16 - hidden behind arum italicum creeping buttercup and watered it and fed it and weeded all around. Delighted to find it still growing, tho feeble, when we finally moved in 10 weeks later.
Here it is 30 months later, flowering happily but not reaching for the skies. Any ideas?
It's facing north and gets full sun till about 11:30 and the flowers seem to fade fairly quickly.