Yes - cutting back to a good pair of buds is always a good idea. Those more 'thuggish' clems can certainly be hacked right back, but I'd always tidy them properly to those buds, or a viable bit of growth, depending on variety. It's also why the larger flowered Group 2s and 3s should be planted a bit deeper - more stems from below ground, and it's also helpful if they get wilt. I've had problems with Niobe in the last couple of years, but it's come back each time as it's well established, and lots of new growth comes away from below soil level. I'm hoping it'll be ok this year as it's one of my favourites.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
@Fairygirl Many years ago a gardening friend got in real trouble with OH for cutting C Niobe flat to the ground by mistake. It was fine, infact it had more flowers than in previous years, possibly because it had become a more mature plant. As you know I hope to move this year so may be there will be an opportunity for me to grow clematis at last. A waste of time and money here.
I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
I hope you can find some that work for you @GardenerSuze. There are loads which will work whether you have wet or dry soil, acid or alkaline, shade, sun, wind rain or anything else in between, or a mixture of all of them, and very few aren't hardy and reliable in almost all of the UK
Etoile Violette and Rouge Cardinal are two which thrive well on neglect. I managed both of those when I started gardening, and didn't have a clue about clematis. They both survived my incompetence, and EV is still a favourite. I was even thinking earlier today that I fancied getting R. Cardinal again too.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
@Fairygirl All the ones you mention are such beautiful colours and tried and tested varieties. I would be inclined to purchase these rather than some of the new introductions some of which are poor flowering.
I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
I think that's a good idea @GardenerSuze. They both do well in various conditions and aspects. There are plenty of others too - The President, Warsaw Nike and Elsa Spath are all easy I can thoroughly recommend alpina Constance too. Indestructible. Mine is in a tiny, narrow raised bed, and although it's open to the ground, the ground under it is manky clay, red chuckies and hardcore. It's never been fed or watered, and I cut it right back a few years ago to move the trellis out from the fence a bit. It was back to normal the following year.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
@Fairygirl Thank you I have put this thread in my bookmarks for future reference. Should be writing names in my garden notebook but doing it the lazy way instead.
I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
I've been looking at some early ones again Thorncroft has some nice purple ones. It's fatal.... Constance is in growth much earlier this year [ another non winter] so it should flower in a few weeks. It's usually around last week of March. I'll post a photo of I remember.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Re pruning my clematis . Seems now my plant is sprouting new green shoots from up near the top quarter of old growth. I cant see any new shoots down at the bottom at all. Certainly not near ground level.
Have I left it tooo late to do anything? I was advised not to touch it till March at the least. Advice please?????????/ Many thanks
Who told you to leave it until March? if it's the blue clematis in your picture you should have cut it right down about mid Feb, but it's not too late but you must be bold.. if you leave all that growth on, your clematis will be hanging over your fence and down your neighbour's side by mid summer... you don't want that do you?
Cut the whole lot down to about 6 inches just above lowest nodes.. you won't see any green there at the moment, it will also shoot up from below soil level, as is mine below, a clematis very similar to the one you have.. More shoots will appear from below ground during Spring.. don't be afraid to do this..
I think we said to cut it back at the time you queried @detainer ,which was about 10 days ago. If there's new growth at the top there, it wouldn't matter. You'd just cut back to somewhere viable as we said earlier in our responses
I often do mine in early March, but that's because they don't normally start growing until then anyway. The last two winters have been different though, and most of mine have shown some new growth through February.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Posts
It's also why the larger flowered Group 2s and 3s should be planted a bit deeper - more stems from below ground, and it's also helpful if they get wilt. I've had problems with Niobe in the last couple of years, but it's come back each time as it's well established, and lots of new growth comes away from below soil level. I'm hoping it'll be ok this year as it's one of my favourites.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
As you know I hope to move this year so may be there will be an opportunity for me to grow clematis at last. A waste of time and money here.
Etoile Violette and Rouge Cardinal are two which thrive well on neglect. I managed both of those when I started gardening, and didn't have a clue about clematis. They both survived my incompetence, and EV is still a favourite. I was even thinking earlier today that I fancied getting R. Cardinal again too.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I can thoroughly recommend alpina Constance too. Indestructible. Mine is in a tiny, narrow raised bed, and although it's open to the ground, the ground under it is manky clay, red chuckies and hardcore. It's never been fed or watered, and I cut it right back a few years ago to move the trellis out from the fence a bit. It was back to normal the following year.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Constance is in growth much earlier this year [ another non winter] so it should flower in a few weeks. It's usually around last week of March. I'll post a photo of I remember.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Seems now my plant is sprouting new green shoots from up near the top
quarter of old growth.
I cant see any new shoots down at the bottom at all.
Certainly not near ground level.
Have I left it tooo late to do anything? I was advised not to touch it till March at the least.
Advice please?????????/
Many thanks
Cut the whole lot down to about 6 inches just above lowest nodes.. you won't see any green there at the moment, it will also shoot up from below soil level, as is mine below, a clematis very similar to the one you have..
More shoots will appear from below ground during Spring.. don't be afraid to do this..
If there's new growth at the top there, it wouldn't matter. You'd just cut back to somewhere viable as we said earlier in our responses
I often do mine in early March, but that's because they don't normally start growing until then anyway. The last two winters have been different though, and most of mine have shown some new growth through February.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...