Forum home› Plants
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Montana Clematis

cazsophieq2019cazsophieq2019 Posts: 193
in Plants
Hi all 

I've just found out that I should have pruned my Clematis straight after flowering earlier this year.  Is it ok if I prune it now?

Thanks 

Carol
«1

Posts

  • yorkshireroseyorkshirerose Posts: 574
    No, if you prune it now you risk not having any flowers next Spring. Wait until after it has finished flowering next year.
    A gardener's work is never at an end  - (John Evelyn 1620-1706)
  • K67K67 Posts: 2,506
    Not really you will lose the flowers for next year. They don't really need pruning but you can cut them right back if necessary after flowering as you say. 
    If there are stems in the way you could trim it back , depends on how much you need to cut as to how many flowers you will lose.
  • cazsophieq2019cazsophieq2019 Posts: 193
    Here's a couple of photos of the Clematis in July, it has grown somewhat since then. 

    does it not need to be cut back even a bit? I'm new to maintaining a clematis but I am thinking it's a tad overgrown
    Thanks again 😊
  • K67K67 Posts: 2,506
    Ah. Sorry to say it's wrong plant, wrong place. All Montana will grow anywhere between 12 to 30ft so to keep it your fence height you will have to prune hard every year. Do you know the name of it? You could put in vine eyes and wire and train it more horizontally but don't turn your back or it will be out of control in no time.
    We inherited one once and it was at the top of a very tall conifer. I cut it down to remove the tree but within a year it was all over the place.
    They really don't suit small areas as their beauty lies in the abundance of flowers in the spring, the rest if the year they are completely dull and boring and in winter a tangled mess of bare twisted ugly stems!

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    You'd be better waiting until spring, then pruning it back quite hard, and putting proper supports horizontally along the fence. You can then train the new growth back and forth along those supports. 
    I've done that in previous gardens, even on a lower fence than that, and you can maintain them quite easily that way.  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • cazsophieq2019cazsophieq2019 Posts: 193
    @K67

    Ah so perhaps not a Montana 🤔🤔 then I guess I've no idea which one it is.  All I know is that it had white flowers on it roughly around last May, June and there wasn't many of them.  Perhaps that was because I pruned it late winter last year, thinking late winter/early spring as a rule of thumb for most plants, obviously not.

    I have tension wires so will install them start of next year.

    Thanks 
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I think it's most likely to be a montana if it's grown so quickly. A close up of the  foliage will confirm. 
    If you pruned it last winter, you've pruned off the flowering stems. Early flowering clematis are generally not pruned, except to keep them contained in the space [like montanas] or to rejuvenate them.
    The best time to prune is after flowering - so June or so. They often have a later flush of flowers so you would sacrifice that, but if they need a bit of containing, it has to be done at some point.  
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • K67K67 Posts: 2,506
    Still could be a Montana, they have small flowers. All clematis take 3 seasons to get well established. Then when  you cut them hard back and they regrow very quickly. 
    Post a close up of flowers and leaves next year and someone will know which sort it is.




  • cazsophieq2019cazsophieq2019 Posts: 193
    K67 said:
    Still could be a Montana, they have small flowers. All clematis take 3 seasons to get well established. Then when  you cut them hard back and they regrow very quickly. 
    Post a close up of flowers and leaves next year and someone will know which sort it is.

    @K67

    Meant to reply sooner.  The clematis will be entering it's third season next year. So as soon as Spring appears I will cut it back and hopefully I'll see more flowers than the 3 or 4 I spotted last year.

    Thanks again.
  • cazsophieq2019cazsophieq2019 Posts: 193
    Fairygirl said:
    I think it's most likely to be a montana if it's grown so quickly. A close up of the  foliage will confirm. 
    If you pruned it last winter, you've pruned off the flowering stems. Early flowering clematis are generally not pruned, except to keep them contained in the space [like montanas] or to rejuvenate them.
    The best time to prune is after flowering - so June or so. They often have a later flush of flowers so you would sacrifice that, but if they need a bit of containing, it has to be done at some point.  
    @Fairygirl

    Thanks for this and your earlier post.  Yes it was rampant last year as well.  To be honest I've no idea which stems are the flowering ones, this of course will be compounded buy the tangled mass it's become.  Is there an easy way to distinguish the flowering stems from the others?

    You mention a close up of the foliage I'll take a couple of photos tomorrow and hopefully that might shine a light on it's identity.

    I have purchased tension wires so will be able to train it's growth pattern next year ..... hopefully 🤔😉

    Thanks again

Sign In or Register to comment.