I see, Fairy girl! Clematis are so versatile. I didn't realise how trainable they are, how lovely to have them growing at your workspot. I have another clematis (a third one), a montana, that ran off growing sideways, very happy to wind itself around rosemary and anything in its way. I looked up macropetala and it's beautiful, I love the many petals, I might look into getting one.
Thank you Marlorena! It's a mature-ish plant but I only had it recently and I pruned it last year around March, and put some fertiliser and compost under it. It produced two flowers.
So I haven't done anything to it since last spring. I do have general purpose compost and some fertiliser.
Right now it's rather sparse with two long twiggy stems coming up. But I can see some tiny buds coming in further up. I took some photos to show - you can see it's rather overshadowed by that large shrub which needs cutting back.
I wonder what I should do with it now ... any suggestions much appreciated!
I'd cut the shrub back There's a lot of competition there for moisture and nutrition etc, which Group 3s need. I'd also cut the clem back to good buds G3 clems take a good few years to mature and grow to their best.
You may need to rethink the site though, especially if you don't want to keep pruning back the shrub.
Montanas need a lot of room- most are very vigorous and cover many metres of wall, building etc. Great for covering ugly garages or sheds etc. Not for a tight space
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Thank you Fairygirl, yes that shrub is out of control and needs cutting! Those photos are of my suspected Ruby Glow group 2 (not sure if it is Ruby Glow!). So I should cut my Ruby Glow back now, above some bud, that's really good to know, I'll go ahead and do that. I'm thinking I should put some compost and fertiliser around it too unless that's a bad idea.
The montana is in a different bed, between the fence and some rosemary. It did flower last year, and I cut it back after it flowered. The stems are now at about waist height. The bottom part looks like this (a bit hard to get a good picture). I was thinking I should just leave the montana, let it flower, then prune again after flowering ...
I would say that's the best thing to do with your Montana They can get really large and end up disappearing into trees, over walls etc. but can take being cut back really hard if you find it getting really out of control. I have cut mine back to a foot tall more than once without any problems.
Thankyou AnniD hopefully I'll get some flowers. Last year they had a lovely smell, a bit like vanilla if I remember right. Before I cut it back it was going crazy growing many feet sideways then eyeing up a leylandii and growing vertically up it.
Sorry! The first set of photos was the Sally evipo Group 3. Then the second lot was the Ruby Glow group 2 I think. Then that third photo was the Montana Group 1. I should have been clearer.
Ah ok. I don't really prune my Group 2s, except the odd bit after flowering. they often have a 2nd flush of flowers, but up here, they rarely produce more than a handful as they're later to flower in the first place. I've never had the one you mention though. You can treat them as Group 3s , and cut back hard. That will delay flowering until summer, rather than having the normal spring display. Both those groups benefit from plenty of food and water [although if you have lots of regular rain it's easier] and a mulch. You can plant them deeper to help produce more stems from below ground which means a bushier, heftier plant. Group 1s don't like that deep planting at all, and that actually includes the montanas, although I've always found they don't mind a bit of extra mulching, and they certainly don't mind wet. The drainage has to be decent though. The small flowered Group1s need poorer conditions, but very good drainage. I can't keep the koreanas alive though, even in the best sites .
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Thanks so much, that is super helpful Fairygirl! I think my Group 2 last year only flowered once, and a bit later. I'll have a think and maybe treat them as a Group 3 and cut back hard. Though I think that's what I did last year, so maybe in the end, I'll leave them this year and see what happens ...
I will give them a nice mulch, some food, and make sure to water them regularly if not enough rain (not a problem at the moment).
Interesting about the deep planting, it's all new to me. I'm supposing that would only be for a new plant you are putting in, rather than replanting a current plant deeper ...
I'll treat the montanas to some mulch and food too, maybe they'll produce more flowers.
You can certainly re plant, especially a clem which has only been in it's site a short time - ie a couple of years. However, you can simply add plenty of organic matter each year to create a higher level. If the soil's healthy montanas don't need food. I don't think I've ever fed any of mine after planting. It does depend on the soil though, and I've never gardened on anything except clay, which is full of nutrients.
I'd certainly look at cutting that shrub back which is encroaching on the clem in that pic. It's surprising how quickly ground can dry out when there's competition, and rain doesn't get through dense canopies of foliage either. Going into spring, and certainly summer, that soil could be very dry
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Posts
Thank you Marlorena! It's a mature-ish plant but I only had it recently and I pruned it last year around March, and put some fertiliser and compost under it. It produced two flowers.
So I haven't done anything to it since last spring. I do have general purpose compost and some fertiliser.
Right now it's rather sparse with two long twiggy stems coming up. But I can see some tiny buds coming in further up. I took some photos to show - you can see it's rather overshadowed by that large shrub which needs cutting back.
There's a lot of competition there for moisture and nutrition etc, which Group 3s need.
I'd also cut the clem back to good buds
G3 clems take a good few years to mature and grow to their best.
You may need to rethink the site though, especially if you don't want to keep pruning back the shrub.
Montanas need a lot of room- most are very vigorous and cover many metres of wall, building etc. Great for covering ugly garages or sheds etc. Not for a tight space
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
They can get really large and end up disappearing into trees, over walls etc. but can take being cut back really hard if you find it getting really out of control.
I have cut mine back to a foot tall more than once without any problems.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I don't really prune my Group 2s, except the odd bit after flowering. they often have a 2nd flush of flowers, but up here, they rarely produce more than a handful as they're later to flower in the first place. I've never had the one you mention though.
You can treat them as Group 3s , and cut back hard. That will delay flowering until summer, rather than having the normal spring display.
Both those groups benefit from plenty of food and water [although if you have lots of regular rain it's easier] and a mulch. You can plant them deeper to help produce more stems from below ground which means a bushier, heftier plant.
Group 1s don't like that deep planting at all, and that actually includes the montanas, although I've always found they don't mind a bit of extra mulching, and they certainly don't mind wet. The drainage has to be decent though. The small flowered Group1s need poorer conditions, but very good drainage. I can't keep the koreanas alive though, even in the best sites .
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I will give them a nice mulch, some food, and make sure to water them regularly if not enough rain (not a problem at the moment).
Interesting about the deep planting, it's all new to me. I'm supposing that would only be for a new plant you are putting in, rather than replanting a current plant deeper ...
I'll treat the montanas to some mulch and food too, maybe they'll produce more flowers.
If the soil's healthy montanas don't need food. I don't think I've ever fed any of mine after planting. It does depend on the soil though, and I've never gardened on anything except clay, which is full of nutrients.
I'd certainly look at cutting that shrub back which is encroaching on the clem in that pic.
It's surprising how quickly ground can dry out when there's competition, and rain doesn't get through dense canopies of foliage either. Going into spring, and certainly summer, that soil could be very dry
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...