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Supporting and Tying Clematis

Busy_LizzieBusy_Lizzie Posts: 5
in Problem solving
Hi all

My clematis plants are a little too far from the back fence, but growing well and need to be encouraged back to the fence with support and some tying in. How can I do this without damaging the plant?

Posts

  • K67K67 Posts: 2,506
    Have you trellis or wires on the fence ready?
    I usually put a cane in next to the stem and angle it towards the fence, once there you can train it up the trellis or along your wires.
    You can tie in using garden twine  just to hold it in place.


  • nick615nick615 Posts: 1,487
    Cable ties are good for durability, and lengths of rubber tubing or electric cable insulation, slid on to them before applying can prevent wear as the stems flex in wind.  If you don't have existing wires etc. to fix to, ring screws will do the job.
  • Busy_LizzieBusy_Lizzie Posts: 5
    Thank you both for your comments. I did try to angle some canes towards the fence, but it was still a struggle to train the clematis backwards! Originally, I tied it back with string, then unfortunately tried garden ties and a rose-tie. It was after this that one of the strong branches started to wilt. So far, I have cut off some of the garden string and re-tied the plant more loosely. I have also fed the clematis, put slate round the base and watered it well. I am now nervous about tying the branches in and causing further damage. Is there a simple rule-of-thumb for how tightly to tie in?
  • PianoplayerPianoplayer Posts: 624
    Hi - I use strips of old tights/popsocks to tie things in - very soft and stretchy, so doesn't damage the plant. Also, I use a `figure of eight` - loop round the stem, twist then loop and tie - means the plant isn't rubbing directly against the wire or trellis.
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