Plant Care

All the plants you have in your garden and also inside the house, should be cared for correctly. This will ensure you get the best displays and long-life from them.

Pruning

Pruning Clematis

Before you start pruning clematis, carefully check to see which category is relevant to your plant.

(1) Spring and early-flowering varieties that rarely need pruning, unless they grow too large and out of control. These include varieties of Clematis montana, C. alpina and C. macropetala, as well as evergreen varieties such as C. armandii and the winter flowering C. cirrhosa. If C. montana or C. alpina require pruning you should wait for them to finish flowering first.

(2) These just need long stems trimmed back to a pair of buds on each stem, tidying up plants to keep them neat and well shaped. Cutting stems back encourages new growth and brings the flowering height down. Best pruned in spring.

(3) Late flowering varieties. Pruning should be done in late winter or early spring.

Pruning techniques for clematis vary according to their flowering season as well as the age of flower-bearing stems. It is a good policy to keep a basic framework of old main stems for early flowers and cut back other stems to a strong pair of buds for shoots that will flower later in the year.

Cut out all thin, weak or damaged shoots to their point of origin or to ground level.

A quick summary of care for your clematis :

Feed clematis immediately after pruning, introducing the feed into the soil surface. All clematis will benefit from regular liquid feeds throughout spring to encourage new shoots to develop.

Clematis prefer to have their roots growing in the shade rather than in the sun.

You can grow small shrubs, and other plants to cover the root area and provide shade around the base of clematis.