Too late to plant Clematis?

Hi guys ... have a new small landscaping job in my village ... mainly clearing up, sorting the lawn and thinning out (the guy has just moved in)

He has requested a few creepers on some fences for the 1st job .... I will plant 3 evergreen Star Jasmines to cover a section of a garden wall (south facing), and will plant 2 Clematis on a different fence panel (south facing and only 1,5m long and 1,8m high ... it is by side gate that that joins the front garden to the back garden)

A quick look on the internet, and I have earmarked 2 Clematis ....

Fragrant Oberon, because it is evergreen and smells good (flowers in April and May)
Clematis Fragrant Oberon - Taylors Clematis

and Bourbon because I like the flower colour (flowers from May till Sept)
Clematis Bourbon

so my questions:
is it still a good time to plant Clematis? ... I read somewhere a while back that the best time to plant Clematis is around Easter time

I also read that after the 1st year's growth, you should cut the clematis right down to the ground to strengthen the roots?

I don't want to botch this job, as the guy has a lot more work for me next spring ... a nice sized garden and not much in there, and he is happy for me to 'do my own thing' (those are the type jobs I enjoy, because I can landscape/plant as though it were my own garden)

 

Hi, don't take it as "gospel" but I would imagine as long as they are well watered and the planting hole is well prepared planting at this time of year and in to the autumn should be fine..

As far of cutting them back, I've also seen several references recommending cutting clematis back to a couple of buds after planting to encourage more shoots and a well branched plant; whether that would be advisable at this time of year or best left until the spring I'm not sure??

:thumb:

 

I didn't know there were 'best times' for planting clems but - in my own opinion i would plant a clem now but not any later than asap :WINK1:

And secondly .... pruning ....
Fragrant Oberon ( Clematis on the Web :: clematis detail (hv) )
is a Group 1 and doesn't need annual pruning but, to make the plant send up more stems you'll have to do it, it flowers early so if you do this after flowering at least you'll get some flowers.
Also, i don't take mine back to the ground, i take them to about 8", and, slugs adore the new shoots so you'll have to be vigilant with the pellets i'm afraid. I've had stem after stem eaten until there's been only 1 stem left.

Clematis Bourbon ( Clematis on the Web :: clematis detail (hv) )
is a Group 2 and is a summer bloomer and will therefore flower on new wood so prune this in late winter to early spring, again prune for extra stems maybe after flowering or just ensure the winter prune in February.

Clems are incredibly easy to grow but people make really hard work of them.
The biggest tips for successful clems are these two things .....
* Water them LIKE THERE IS NO TOMORROW.
* Prune (where applicable) for extra stems or you'll just have one flimsy and brittle stem and if that gets damaged you've had it until new stems grow (months/years) !

Also, plant them very deep and plant them so their roots are in the shade but their heads are baked in the sun.

 

thanks Guys! .... much appreciated! ...

 

Hi Dim,I certainly hope it's OK to plant Clematis now,as I have planted five today.........Five for a tenner,I have put some of that Micorrhizal fungi on the roots,some compost ,bonemeal and loads of water and covered the ground with crocks to keep the moisture in...............Plant them deep,,,,,

 

thanks Roders and everyone else ... will go to the garden centre tommorow morning to see if they have the ones I want .... if not, will order them online ... I have to get some other stuff such as compost etc so will look there first

as for rootgrow/fungi ... I planted some Heuchera a week ago .... with half of them, I used rootgrow, and the other half not ... they are the same species, are all the same size from the same batch, and are planted in the same area

so I will be watching carefully to see if there are any noticeable differences ... however, I will continue to use rootgrow on everything I plant from now on

 

Dim, As long as a plant is pot grown it can be planted at any time during the year, as long as the ground isn`t waterlogged or frozen. However, I would advise against planting two clematis to one 6ft panel. That is just a waste of money. You are talking of planting 3 Trachelospermums? In what size an area may I ask?

 

the wood fence is a bit of an eyesore and it is a focal point from the back patio ... I could plant 1 clematis, but I always like to 'mix things up', and for an extra tenner, will be worth it IMHO

as for the star jasmine, I will be covering a 2m high wall that is just over 7m long ... I know some specs state that the star jasmine has a spread of 6m, but it takes ages to fill 6m ... I have planted loads of these (my favourite crawler for a south facing wall) , and I never plant them more than 3m apart if I am covering a large area ... they take a few seasons to get going

 

In my professional opinion you are overplanting and putting your clients to needless expence. In 3 years, a lot of these plants will need to be removed.

 

perhaps that may be the case ... I always enjoy planting 'full' ...

I normally get given a budget, and am told to plant what I feel is suitable ... so, if I spend a few pounds more to fill the gaps, it comes out of my own profit .... I could plant one star jasmine for £15 and it will take a long time to cover 7m, or I could pay £45 and have a happy client who will refer me to his mates (all of my work is from referals)

most of my clients want 'quick' results

but saying that, I shop very carefully and buy loads off ebay for a fraction of the cost that garden centres sell them for

I also have a 'plant swap' system that works very well .... when I need to thin out beds, and if there is no space in the garden for them, I take the excess plants to other gardens I look after and plant them there if there is space .... and vice versa .... and works very well, and everyone is happy ... and does not cost them as I plant them for free (instead of composting them)

here are a photo of a garden I landscaped 3 years ago (I have better photos, but they are on my laptop) .... this was an old victorian house that was completely demolished and a new house was built in its place, and an office was built on the side of the garden ....

the garden was bulldozed/graded and all that was left were a few large trees ... I planted all the plants and planted the grass from seed ...

I still work there once a week and have now been asked to design and install a sprinkler system .... the garden is 'full' and the client is very happy ... most plants were bought off ebay for cheap .... from this job, I have 3 more gardens that I maintain in the same street

 

No offence Dim, but you are the type of gardener who gives the TRUE professional gardener a bad name.

 

I never take offence, I am still learning new things everyday.... thats why I frequent this forum, so your advise and comments are much appreciated

I have no formal qualifications in gardening ... I am a mechanical engineer by profession .... i also tell my clients this before I undertake new work, but they don't seem bothered

 

Obviously I should rip up my qualifications and take up mechanical engineering.:thumb: