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Growing clematis through a shrub
I'm new to growing clematis, just started last year. Dtarted with two that are growing against a fence. I picked up four more bare roots and was trying to figure out where to plant them. I read that duchess of Edinburgh prefers growing through a shrub. How do you do that? What do you do when you need to trim the shrub in spring?
also, I read that you should use a fine wire mesh for clematis. Wanted to use some on my fence. Do you get something readily available at a hardware store like lowes or do you have to just string some fine wire?
sorry for the rather basic questions, didn't know who else to ask.
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I think it depends on which Clematis you plant. A Clematis montana would probably smother most shrubs, whereas some hybrids are probably too delicate.
Many clematis growing in the wild use other trees and shrubs to scramble through.
They are ideal for this use. The summer flowering cultivars and species are best for this. Can you tell us which shrub you have, please ?
There are smaller evergreen varieties that can be left to ramble. Such as cirrhosa
Its probably easier to use climbers that you prune to the ground every spring.
I have two viticella clematis that I let climb up my tired old pear trees every year. They look lovely, and are probably the only reason I keep the pear trees. The clematis die right back and get cut down to near ground level each winter, so it doesn't interfere with pruning. Other Group 2 and 3 clematis could be trusted to climb through a shrub as long as you don't want to trim the shrub between about April and the autumn.
I agree, the montana and Group 1 clematis will grow rampantly and are only suitable for somewhere they won't be in the way.
I don't think any particular type of mesh is needed, they will climb up anything that give then a foothold. At this time of year I go round and encourage this by tying the stems to the mesh etc in with some soft twine - but take care, the stems are very fragile.
Richard is correct.
it all depends on the shrub, and the clematis.
Some shrubs would be overwhelmed by some clematis.
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
..I think Preethi is in either the U.S or Canada so they would need to tell us which zone they're in...