..nice basal growth on this young viticella 'Valour... 'Miss Bateman'... if it doesn't wilt.. 'Guernsey Cream' on the cusp... always my first to flower, usually mid April.. 'The Vagabond' sends up a load of basals. My longest flowering Clematis, May-Nov.. virtually non stop..
You may be a little warmer than where I am.. April 16th is the earliest I've had 'Guernsey Cream' open.. I'm hoping to beat that this year, just.. It's fun to keep the dates on things and compare year on year..
No I don't worry about slugs or anything like that too much, especially with gr. 3s.. I'm more concerned about late frosts, I can get those up to mid May..
Not sure what is going on here. 3 years ago I planted a small, Wilco, President clematis. It didn't do anything and disappeared. Dead and gone I thought. So last year I planted a larger plant of Etoile Violette in the same place. It wilted and faded from view after 2 weeks, succumbing to molluscs I think. Looks like one of them, possibly both of them, are having second thoughts? I assume the stronger shoot may be the EV, could the smaller plant among the canes also be clem?
I have a Nelly Moser that grows up the side of my shed. I get an amazing first flush of lowers for a month or so-but then have never managed to do the right thing to get a second flush- any advice?
Quite possibly @owd potter. You'll have to wait and see. I have had several clems disappear in their first year only to do a Lazarus 2 or 3 years later, by which time I've given up and chucked the label.
@ciaranmcgrenera - once the fist flush of flowers finished, dead head them all taking the stem back to a leaf node then give it a good drink of water, 10 to 15 litres with some liquid tomato or rose feed in there and then a mulch with well-rooted garden compost to retain that moisture and a dressing of slow release clematis, rose or tomato feed granules. Water in hot dry spells. That should sort it.
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)."
What a nice surprise @owd potter, I reckon that strong new shoot is from last year's planting and maybe the tiny ones from the original planting. Going to be fun finding out! I'd be inclined to put a good layer of grit about a 1ft across in a circle around them to help keep slugs/snails away (I find it works for me) and leave the clems to fight it out.
hmmm, grit wouldn't keep my slugs out - they'd slither over salted hot coals if they thought there was a meal at the end of it!
@owd potter I had something very weirdly similar happen to "the president", mine dwindled and disappeared, but then turned into etoile violette despite me having no recollection of replacing it
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'Miss Bateman'... if it doesn't wilt..
'Guernsey Cream' on the cusp... always my first to flower, usually mid April..
'The Vagabond' sends up a load of basals. My longest flowering Clematis, May-Nov.. virtually non stop..
No I don't worry about slugs or anything like that too much, especially with gr. 3s.. I'm more concerned about late frosts, I can get those up to mid May..
3 years ago I planted a small, Wilco, President clematis. It didn't do anything and disappeared. Dead and gone I thought.
So last year I planted a larger plant of Etoile Violette in the same place. It wilted and faded from view after 2 weeks, succumbing to molluscs I think.
Looks like one of them, possibly both of them, are having second thoughts?
I assume the stronger shoot may be the EV, could the smaller plant among the canes also be clem?
I have a Nelly Moser that grows up the side of my shed. I get an amazing first flush of lowers for a month or so-but then have never managed to do the right thing to get a second flush- any advice?
@ciaranmcgrenera - once the fist flush of flowers finished, dead head them all taking the stem back to a leaf node then give it a good drink of water, 10 to 15 litres with some liquid tomato or rose feed in there and then a mulch with well-rooted garden compost to retain that moisture and a dressing of slow release clematis, rose or tomato feed granules. Water in hot dry spells. That should sort it.
I'd be inclined to put a good layer of grit about a 1ft across in a circle around them to help keep slugs/snails away (I find it works for me) and leave the clems to fight it out.
a ring of grit is a good idea i'll get onto it tomorrow, thanks.