Clematis newbie - what's your best tip / advice?

Posts

• Fire Posts: 19,096

  May 2022

  I would just make sure they are well watered. There is a myth that they like their roots to be cool and in shade, but I think if they are watered it doesn't make a difference. Keep a close eye and enjoy them!
  

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• FayeG Posts: 34

  May 2022

  Thanks @Fire - Watering is one of the things I can forget when I'm busy so will remember that's important.  Yes, I read a lot about shading roots so it's nice to know that isn't a massive problem.  Some will have little nearby plants (if we're ever lucky enough to have a heatwave this year).  Again, thank you. 

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• Fire Posts: 19,096

  May 2022 edited May 2022

  Expert clem growers will have some good insights to offer, no doubt. Shading is important inasmuch as the earth doesn't dry out - for some. There many different types, such as alpines, and they have varying requirements. Some varieties will be tougher than others and some will be more susceptible to slug and snail damage than others. I found Nubia very attacked, so kept it in a pot high off the ground, which helped a bit.
  

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• BenCotto Posts: 4,718

  May 2022 edited May 2022

  I have experienced lacklustre growth for the first two or three years. I think the plants are putting energy into root establishment and so do not be too disappointed if they put on an initial poor show.
  
  If the leaves suddenly go limp it is easy to assume the plant has succumbed to clematis wilt. It very probably hasn’t; the problem will almost certainly be slug or snail damage near the base of the plant. As the plant gets woodier with age, it is less likely to be eaten.

  Rutland, England

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• Fairygirl Posts: 55,117

  May 2022

  The most important thing is to plant them accordingly. Many of them require deeper planting [Group2s and 3s] but the Group 1 are different. They won't like that, and they prefer a poorer, lighter soil that's freer draining. The big flowered ones need plenty of moisture and deeper planting. 
  The pruning is different for the different groups too, so check that. 
  As far as pruning time is concerned, that depends on your climate. They can be cut back in late Feb/March, but if you have a week of frosts in the forecast at that point, it's safer to leave them, especially if they're young plants. I do mine in early April usually, but the last two springs have been milder here, so I've been able to do them in March. Most Group3s are pretty tolerant though, but as with any plant, a severe spell of weather is best avoided.  You'll see new growth appearing, and that's when you'd normally look to doing your pruning, just check the weather first. 
  Feeding should be stopped once plants have flower buds. Some food on planting, then you can feed now and again until the buds form, depending on the food you're using. A slow release food is ideal as it saves having to remember when you've fed them! The best food is to have good, rich soil though. Specialist growers sometimes use a very dilute food every time they water, but that's a different type of growing, and isn't how most people would do it in a standard garden. A good mulch after watering is good for the bigger ones if your soil isn't moisture retentive enough. Slugs and snails are a problem with new, soft growth, so don't put things like slates and large stones round the base - it's just a hiding place for them. 
  As @BenCotto says - it can take a few years for plants to settle and mature after planting, so flowers won't be abundant for a while.  
  It's a myth about shading roots and head in the sun too. A good deep root run is what the big ones need. Many clematis grow in full shade.

  It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
  
  
  
  I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...

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• FayeG Posts: 34

  May 2022

  @Fire - thankfully I've earmarked Nubia to grow up a potted wiry wolfberry that is very uninteresting and not at all vigorous as I thought it would be but I don't want to get rid of it, so hopefully that will be a good decision. 
  
  @BenCotto - Thank you.  I'm glad you told me that because I'm pretty sure my lack of experience would have had me cutting it back.  I will try to be vigilant for slugs and snails, especially so in this first year.
  
  @Fairygirl - Thank you.  Mine are mainly group 3's (so I hard prune), plus two group 2's (not a hard prune), so deeper planting is the key to starting new-ish plants... they are apparently 18 months old... I have just this last hour taken delivery.  And ALL need planting with first inch or so covered....  Does this affect any current blooms?
  
  I wonder if I could be so bold as to ask a couple of specific questions so I get this right tomorrow when planting out (before I go to B&Q)
  
  1.  The really small onces like Bijou, Filigree etc (referred to as miniatures on the website) - I have a few of these.  Do I still plant them an inch or so under or a little less so, like 2cm rather than 2"
  
  2.  I've done a bit of homework and will get bonemeal and some slow release fertiliser for the hole - is John Innes No3 a good compost to start with?
  
  3.  I have read plastic pots are a definite no-no... which worries me a bit as I do have 2 pots that are plastic but I can move them in time for the cold.  One is a liner pot inside another, so not so bad maybe but the other isn't.  I understand its the extremes of hot/cold being the problem... would additional low companion plants be a help or should I avoid all together.  I just wondered if I needed to take this as gospel?
  
  Thank you all very much - this has helped me so much.   
  I can barely wait to plant out tomorrow. 
  I have never been so concerned about trying to get planting right.  Clematis have such a reputation which now believe is more a matter of knowing what you plant, when to prune etc. 
  

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• mikeymustard Posts: 495

  May 2022

  I've collected a few of the Evison boulevard varieties over the last couple of years. All the advice above still stands, but a couple of specifics for growing these little babies (and any clem in a pot):
  Try and get the biggest pots possible to plant them in; clematis require a lot of water, and small pots dry out really quickly! Bigger pots make it all easier.
  The "dwarf" plants I have (Filigree & Bijou) still want to be buried fairly deeply if possible (obviously not gonna be quite so easy in a hanging basket). Because the flowers are low to the ground, the slugs think they're in mollusc heaven, I'm afraid
  Potting medium: I originally potted my clematis in multipurpose compost -big mistake so have gradually added soil (sandy - from our allotment, rather than pure clay like our garden) with some grit, as compost is too light and either too wet or too dry. I see you're going the JI3 route, so that should be fine.
  Feeding: clematis are greedy little beggars when they're in pots. If you feed them loads of tomato/rose/clematis fertiliser right up to when they flower you'll get an explosion of flowers, which is nice, but they don't last long. If you think about it, tomato fertiliser helps you get loads of tomatoes, not loads of tomato flowers! So be sparing with the feeds - bone meal or superphosphate to get the roots going, a good balanced feed when they start growing (@Fairygirl's suggestion of slow acting fertiliser is a good one because it helps stop you overfeeding them. And you will try to overfeed them, don't ask me how I know 😄). I'm trying Vitax clematis feed this year, which seems to be going well. Judging by the smell I'd say it's modified chicken shi, er poo. They've all had a handful as they started growing, and they'll have another after they've flowered, in the hopes of getting another flowering.
  As @BenCotto says: don't think that every wilt is "clematis wilt" (in fact, I've never seen actual wilt) it's much more likely to be lack of water or pest damage - just this week I've had Cezanne in a small pot (I was going to bring it into the garden room while it flowered then repot after) suddenly droop (like, ok in the morning and flumpty by midnight), then a couple of days later, a young plant [Aotaoroa] did the same. The latter plant had 3 out of 4 shoots possibly eaten, but certainly broken clean off at the exact same height (about an inch)! For possibly the same reasons, a growing stem (often heavily budded) can just die off - I've not worked out whether it is slug/mouse damage or mechanical (maybe rough sparrows or pigeons, or rough handling by me), nothing to worry about, just very dispiriting on a small plant 😟.
  Sorry I've gone on a bit, I'm waiting for my dinner to cook. 
  

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• FayeG Posts: 34

  May 2022 edited May 2022

  @mikeymustard... thank you so much for all this info, it's so helpful.  I've got the JI3, some bonemeal and a rose fertiliser which I won't over-do at bottom of hole and mix my JI3 with some of my natural soil too immediately around pot and then natural soil.  Bury the first 2" even on the little ones.  Pots = bigger, not small... got it   The Raymond Evison I thought was a good start for me.
  
  Slugs appear to be a major issue and I hate using pellets but I succumbed to buying a pack and I'm going to sprinkle around initially because I cannot afford to lose this little lot to them, and just keep an eye on the little bug&ers especially this week... then look at ways of coping with them going forward.
  
  I know I will probably overfeed so I will re-read your post again in a while and have taken everything in and I'm really grateful for your input, thank you.
  
  Everyone have a lovely weekend ahead and a massive Thank You VERY much. Faye x

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• Fire Posts: 19,096

  May 2022

  Please keep us posted.
  

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• msqingxiao Posts: 482

  May 2022

  Newbie mistake I made was not providing adequate support (trellis/obelisk) to the young stems which grew quite fast, and strong winds managed to snap the main stem from the base. Thanks to the advice on this forum (https://forum.gardenersworld.com/discussion/1056023/help-pls-young-clematis-main-stem-snapped/p1) I managed to splint it successfully and it is now doing ok. 
  
  Oh and the slugs and snails like the new growth....

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