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Clematis Montana Var Rubens 'Pink Perfection'
Hi All
I planted a clematis montana 'pink perfection' last spring but as a newbie to both clematis and gardening in general I left it to do its own thing and it's now a bit of a mess perched awkwardly on top of a trellis (rather than wrapped through it). I want to cut it right down to 20in or so and start again and train it properly this time. However, if I do that now (early to mid Feb) will that mean I don't get any flowers this year?
Any advice much appreciated!
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You're right, you will cut off all the flower buds if you prune now. Do it after flowering. It's not that easy to train though, in my experience!
You should cut montana rubens back straight after flowering. I think you will lose this years flowers if you cut it back hard now as it's a relatively early flowering plant (May). You may as well let it flower and then give it a haircut.
OK I'll hold off and prune after flowering - I do love the flowers so I'll have to practise being patient like a proper gardener!
Many thanks to you both for the advice!
It is actually recommended to cut all 1 year old clematis back to about 30cm regardless of type. The idea is to stimulate more growth from the base which is far easier to do when they are so young. My advice is therefore to do it now and lose this year's flowers. In the long run you'll end up with a better plant.
I would agree with Bob in this instance, normally it would have been cut right down on planting, it sounds like its got weak growth now, letting it flower wont do it any favours, gosh! I'm a hard gardener
Montana is a lovely Clematis. I have it growing over my garage where I prune it straight after flowering each spring..
But I'm also actively encouraging it to spread further along the garden amongst the border
Thanks BobTheGardener and Lyn for the additional info - I didn't realise that all groups could do with cutting down the first year (not just number 2s). I am still at the newbie oooh-can-I-cut-off-one-inch-and-not-kill-everything stage! And LeadFarmer that is big and beautiful - I love seeing how others grow these in their own gardens, it's given me ideas - thank you!