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clematis
Ralph Edwards
Posts: 4
Hi
My spring flowering clematis is flowering. -Freckles.
its in its second year, but all the flowers are high in a tree and the fence I wanted covered is bare!
When and how do I prune so get some flowers lower down next spring?
0
Posts
Hi Ralph - the main problem with any climber is that they want to go up! You have to train the new growth horizontally, using wires or trellis for the stems to wind round, or be tied into.
You may have to bite the bullet and prune it back when it's finished flowering, and then tie it in where you want it to be, as new growth appears.
I have an alpina clematis which is flowering just now. It covers a fair bit of trellis against the fence, but left to it's own devices, it would simply have done the same as yours, and the flowers would be on my neighbour's garage behind, instead of where I want them
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I'm now hoping that with good foundations and a couple more years it will fill in nicely. Any new growth I spot, I divert sidey-ways into a space.
The good news is that it sounds like yours has established well.
Hi
Thank you for the advice - and the photos. Lovely.
I will cut back and train and post a photo here next year to show you the result.
Mave & Ralph
Look forward to it Mave & Ralph.