They are very hungry, greedy plants - one of the very few for which I actually buy a specific feed. Everything else gets pelleted chicken manure, but clematis get proper clematis feed. They need cool feet, and warm heads, plenty of air to freely flow around them. Plenty of moisture when there is dryer weather. Some clematis are big strong growers, such as the montanas, and some are small, delicate little things. Some don't climb and make lovely herbaceous plants. There are nearly as many clematis as there are days in the week. Something will grow well for you, but you may have to experiment a bit.
All the best with them, they are so well worth the effort.
It all depends what group the clematis is. Group 1 which includes Montanas don't need pruning until they get too messy and straggly. Group 3, like Princess Diana, need cutting back hard. Have a look at this site to see what to do about pruning. http://www.taylorsclematis.co.uk/
Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
I don't pinch mine out either but group 2s and 3s get a good prune after winter, any time between now and the end of March for me depending on how long winter lasts. I cut them down to the ground or to a low pair of buds depending on which they are as some are more vigorous than others.
Then, as Bookertoo says, they need a very good feed as they are hungry, thirsty plants. I give mine slow release clematis food after pruning and a liquid feed of rose or tomato food as an instant tonic. A light scattering of wildlife friendly slug pellets helps too as the blighters love the new shoots.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
we have 5 clematis in our garden and this year 2 did not flower the others seem to have all the flowers at the top and foliage at the bottom, it is annoying when a neighbour has one which is flowers from top to bottom and flowers every year I wondered if pinching to tops out would make the flowers form lower down the plant
Snooze - it's more in the pruning and generous feeding. Do you know which varieties you have? As the others have said, some are pruned hard, others not at all. Also, if you tie them in as they grow, you can encourage flowers lower down.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I was looking at clematis a few days ago and noticed that there are varieties called "top to bottom" which do what it says on the tin and have flowers from top to bottom whereas lots of varieties tend to flower towards the tops and eventually the bottom leaves go brown and unsightly.
only know 2 of the varieties but have taken a chance and moved one this week and we have new shoots so it has survived the move lets hope it does better in it's new position as it was miserable where it was
Clematis aren't really the type of plant which responds to pinching out, but pruning will enhance flowering by helping the plant produce more shoots from the base which in turn make more flowering stems. The non pruned types, like montanas, are slightly different. If you haven't pruned them at all, that's the most likely reason for the flowers all being at the top, especially if the emerging stems aren't trained sideways as well as up.
Giving them plenty of nutrition and water especially during dry, hot spells helps them too. They're pretty tough in most gardens - it just comes down to getting to know them and what their likes and dislikes are. Like most plants really!
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Posts
I have never pinched out mine
They are very hungry, greedy plants - one of the very few for which I actually buy a specific feed. Everything else gets pelleted chicken manure, but clematis get proper clematis feed. They need cool feet, and warm heads, plenty of air to freely flow around them. Plenty of moisture when there is dryer weather. Some clematis are big strong growers, such as the montanas, and some are small, delicate little things. Some don't climb and make lovely herbaceous plants. There are nearly as many clematis as there are days in the week. Something will grow well for you, but you may have to experiment a bit.
All the best with them, they are so well worth the effort.
It all depends what group the clematis is. Group 1 which includes Montanas don't need pruning until they get too messy and straggly. Group 3, like Princess Diana, need cutting back hard. Have a look at this site to see what to do about pruning. http://www.taylorsclematis.co.uk/
I don't pinch mine out either but group 2s and 3s get a good prune after winter, any time between now and the end of March for me depending on how long winter lasts. I cut them down to the ground or to a low pair of buds depending on which they are as some are more vigorous than others.
Then, as Bookertoo says, they need a very good feed as they are hungry, thirsty plants. I give mine slow release clematis food after pruning and a liquid feed of rose or tomato food as an instant tonic. A light scattering of wildlife friendly slug pellets helps too as the blighters love the new shoots.
How to take cuttings from clematis.
we have 5 clematis in our garden and this year 2 did not flower the others seem to have all the flowers at the top and foliage at the bottom, it is annoying when a neighbour has one which is flowers from top to bottom and flowers every year I wondered if pinching to tops out would make the flowers form lower down the plant
Snooze - it's more in the pruning and generous feeding. Do you know which varieties you have? As the others have said, some are pruned hard, others not at all. Also, if you tie them in as they grow, you can encourage flowers lower down.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I was looking at clematis a few days ago and noticed that there are varieties called "top to bottom" which do what it says on the tin and have flowers from top to bottom whereas lots of varieties tend to flower towards the tops and eventually the bottom leaves go brown and unsightly.
only know 2 of the varieties but have taken a chance and moved one this week and we have new shoots so it has survived the move lets hope it does better in it's new position as it was miserable where it was
Clematis aren't really the type of plant which responds to pinching out, but pruning will enhance flowering by helping the plant produce more shoots from the base which in turn make more flowering stems. The non pruned types, like montanas, are slightly different. If you haven't pruned them at all, that's the most likely reason for the flowers all being at the top, especially if the emerging stems aren't trained sideways as well as up.
Giving them plenty of nutrition and water especially during dry, hot spells helps them too. They're pretty tough in most gardens - it just comes down to getting to know them and what their likes and dislikes are. Like most plants really!
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...