CLEMATIS?

thinking of planting a couple of clematis, supported on a trellis,against a fence.the trellis will face east. the clematis,if possible, to grow about 7 feet. has anyone an idea which i should go for,and when do i plant. thank you . music.

 

Your choices are endless. It depends when you want them flowering really. Clematis come in three different "groups", 1, 2 and 3 and the number tells you when to prune them.

Group 1, the Montanas are probably the easiest to prune (or not). They bloom in Spring, lots and lots of white or pink flowers and just need a trim after flowering. Group 2 is summer flowering and the one I am iffy on when it comes to pruning, but there are some huge blooms available. I have one growing through a Jasmine so neither really get pruned properly! Group 3 blooms late and is easy to prune as well, just cut back to a few decent shoots near ground level in early Spring.

Go to a nursery, look at the labels of colours and flowers you like and see which group they are...then decide from there. They do need tying onto the trellis to begin with but learn fairy quickly after that. I've heard they like their roots in shade, so sink the crown deep and cover the soil on top with some broken pots, stones or similar.

I love them, they're not half as difficult to grow as I thought they'd be.

 

thank you very much sussexgardener. a lot of good information there.
i like the bit ,they are not as difficult to grow as you thought they would be.
that will do for me. thank you. music.:thmb:

 

Don't be afraid of the pruning guides, that would be my other best advice.

Any ideas what you're looking for in colour or season for blooming? I was recommended the attached website to buy from; never tried them but might be good as a guide?

http://www.thorncroftclematis.co.uk

 

Speaking of Clematis ,one of my favourites is "Vyvyan Pennell" (Group 2 type)
Mine is just in a large pot but flowers brilliantly , double flowers in about June then a second flush of single flowers about September time .See pics. below .........
(not the best of pics. but you get the general idea )

 

hi sussexgardener. i have made my selection of clematis it is :clematis sieboldiana:.i have all the information on the clematis,how tall ,breadth,etc etc. BUT WHEN DO I PLANT IT???.i have a lot of information on clematis from thorncroftclematis, but i cannot see any information as to when to plant!!. thank you music.:cnfs::dh:

 

I treat them as herbaceous perennials and plant in either Spring or Autumn, depending when I buy them. Saying that, this time last year I bought 2 small ones reduced to a silly amount in a GC and kept them in the same pots, outside, over the harsh winter. Both survived, I planted them out in early Spring and both survived.

 

In late summer/early autumn 2007, I planted some Clematis on my land, to grow up and over a hazel arch. Then I did nothing to it since planting. I've never watered it, fed it, pruned it, or anything. The only attention it gets is a quick progress check every month or so, and although I've seen no flowers on it yet, it is thriving and climbing all over the hazel structure I built. It hasn't branched out too much yet, probably due to me neglect of it, but it is thriving. I reckon next spring I might intervene and chop it down to the bottom few side shoots to encourage it to bush out.

I also planted some honeysuckle to climb the same structure. I have had to intervene with that though because it found a couple of my hawthorn tries and decided to try to bind them together in one big tangled mass of vegetation.

 

Check which group your Clematis is. If it's a Montana, it won't have bloomed this year but cutting it back next Spring will mean it won't flower.

 

Music, there are over 400 clematis cultivars to choose from, each with its own colour, growth habit and needs. Pick the correct ones for your home garden situation and you will have a beauty for many years.

Almost all clematis cultivars grow well on walls, fences and trellis. The main considerations are the height the clematis will reach, it's strength of growth and how to support it.

Clematis are light plants and therefore do not need strong support. There are a wide variety of plastic and wooden trellis available, plus a huge range of plastic netting. It is also possible and simple to make your own support. Use wire or plastic string supported by nails or screws in the surface to be covered. Rows 45cm (18ins) apart are more than adequate.

 

I would have said 4,000 cultivars of clematis although not all are widely available.
It is theoretically possible to have a clematis in flower for every month of the year although the winter flowering ones are interesting rather than spectacular.

I have the yellow flowering C. tangutica growing over a shed and it's a real sight at the moment, still with masses of yellow bells but also masses of silky seedheads, but it does need a lot of support.

I also have a few C. viticella cultivars, these are smaller flowers than many but useful as they flower late summer. I also like them because they are cut right back in spring each year so don't develop a tangled mass of growth like some.

Whatever you choose it's worth preparing a good planting hole, incorporating some compost or well rotted manure and planting slightly deep as suggested above

 

purchased 2 clematis yesterday from flora select chelmsford." clematis sieboldiana ,"they seem to cover all the criteria i require. they grow to 2.5mts spread 1.5mts. pruning group 3. flowering time
june- september.rhs award of garden merit. purchased and erected heavy duty trellis,awaiting my
clematis. thats all the good news,now the bad (WE HAVE A POSTAL STRIKE!!). the problem i have now ,if these plants are holed up for goodness knows how long ,in some corner of the uk,the plants could die. they were not cheap, so if they did arrive dead , what would be the position,who could i claim,if i can claim??. dont know the legal angle on this. music.

 

panic over,clematis were delivered today thur22nd, and they look in great condition.they have a couple of flowers on them,seem to be in good nick.
that was a very quick order/delivery. :gnthb:i ordered on tues 20th 3134KarenSIZE]
they were delivered thurs 22nd @ 11.55 am. very good service. music. :gnthb:

 

Sorry..bad posting by me...this can be deleted..

Steve...