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Have I gone too far?

dlastsuttondlastsutton Posts: 2
in Plants
My mix of 3 clematis plants (no labels and just moved in so don’t know the history of flowers) had become a real mess so I read some online advice and took everything back to the original vines but I’m not sure I’ve got it right!  Do I need to go further and take these old woody stems out or do I just stop and wait?  Any advice gratefully received. 

Posts

  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,618
    If it was a montana, its not going to flower now this year anyway. I would cut all three down to six  to 9 inches  from the ground  and let them totally rejuvenate.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117

    The heftier one could be C.armandii judging by the foliage, so I'd leave that for now.
    The others could be anything, so you could certainly cut them back more, but alternatively, wait until they flower. Group 3s need cutting back hard around this time of year, to about a foot [30cm] or so. To a good pair of healthy buds. If there are no buds showing, it would be best to wait. They can all be cut back later anyway.  :)
    The biggest problem though, is that there's too many for that space, regardless of what they are, and they'll all just compete for space over time, so you won't really get the best of them. There's also not enough proper support. You'll need to add more wires on  vine eyes or some heavier trellis or similar.  :)
    Are there no photos from when you viewed the house?
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • bédébédé Posts: 3,095
    edited February 2023
    The accepted orthodoxy for a new existing garden is to just observe for the first year.  Perhaps a light tidy here and there.

    You seem to have done just enough with your clematis, probably montana.
     location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand.
    "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
  • dlastsuttondlastsutton Posts: 2
    Thank you all for your guidance; feeling slightly relieved and it looks like I have some more work to do!
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    edited February 2023
    If you want - follow @fidgetbones 's advice, and cut back more, or alternatively post some pix of them in flower later. That will help with IDs and then further advice. Montanas get their flowers before the foliage appears, although you often get a bit of a crossover with them. 
    I thought the one with leaves showing could be armandii but I see now it probably belongs to a rose.  If there's a rose in there as well, you'll have trouble keeping them all healthy in that little bed, especially if that end one is a montana   :)

    Are those labels at the foot of the planting area for the other plants, or are any of them clematis labels?
    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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