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Newly planted clematis pruning

jcase1664jcase1664 Posts: 29
in Plants
Hello, I am sure there are many clematis pruning posts on here but as I only planted these last spring I wanted to check early plant pruning incase it was different.

I have an Armandii so I am planning on pruning it back to 30cms ish above soil after it has flowered to encourage growth.

With the Montana which has spread about 3m each side do I do the same but every year?
Many Thanks


Posts

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    The montana won't survive in that wee pot I'm afraid. They grow huge, and only need pruned to keep them within bounds, or they can be cut back hard when older to rejuvenate. They aren't suited to pot cultivation.
    Armandii don't usually get pruned either - other than when they get too big for the space they're in. 
    Both plants are for covering large spaces  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • bertrand-mabelbertrand-mabel Posts: 2,697
    We have a clematis armandii growing up a dividing wall. It has been there for about 20 years. We have only pruned it back once when we needed to make better access to the side of the house. It flowers well every year and is now in flower.
  • jcase1664jcase1664 Posts: 29
    Thanks for the info guys
  • Canary27Canary27 Posts: 24
    Just a thought on the Armandii. Although the usual guidance is not to prune unless it's really getting out of control, I've read that Christopher Lloyd (who developed the garden at Great Dixter, and wrote a guide to Clematis) had another approach. Every year, he would cut his Armandii right to the ground after flowering - he wanted the flowers and the scent but didn't want to be overwhelmed by leathery leaves. Although I haven't done this previously, I'm going to try this this year because mine is getting a bit too boisterous. Yours is still young, jcase1664, so I wouldn't have though it was necessary yet. 
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