Type 3 Clematis

Hi All.
I have several type 3 clematis and as normal just prune them down to around a foot and have no problems with buds forming. However I have 3 x type 3 which are driving me bald.
Triternata Rubromarginata ,Betty Corning & Princess Diana. All 3 do not produce buds from stems but from fresh shoots from soil!! Magnet for the Cepaea Hortensis snail ,small stripey type. No matter what I do I cannot win,slug pellets ,crushed egg shells ,copper,grease,traps.I replaced the Trig Rub with the Betty Corning but that one grows the same. It actually has grown to around 2 feet but the buggers have got the tips again, same as P.Diana.
Trouble is when you look for a type 3 clematis to buy it does not say if buds form on stem or from fresh fresh shoots. Bit reluctant to purchase 2 more unless I get the same problem.

This year I waited for buds to form on Betty Corning but non were there.I did then notice that new shoots were coming up from soil. I then gradually cut old stems down 1/2" at a time to ground level and there was no evidence of any green so the old stems were dead.
Has anyone else got these clematis and do yours shoot from the ground.

 

Hi

I have "Diana" and the same problem as you , it got munched so much last year I only had one stem come up this spring so far , its a nuisance thats a fact , I try and keep the area totally clean of any leaves etc, the dry weather has helped as its stopped the snails and slugs so far .....

to be honest if it dont do well in my garden it may have a 2nd chance and buy a new plant but after that I give up , thats why I like the montana group they just get on with it and no trouble apart from going too huge.

Spruce

 

Spruce. The Triternata Rubromarginata I dug up and put it into a pot as a 2nd chance. It is growing ok now as easier to control the pests. Strangely I went out to look at the 2 other clematis that has been eaten and I found 2 small caterpillars on plant so perhaps it is not the snails after all doing the damage. I have now put normal car grease on the stems in the hope that the caterpillars will not go past it.

I sent an email to Taylors Clematis whom I purchased 2 of the clematis from last year. I did not complain about the plants as they were healthy plants when I received them but asked is there any way I can determine if a type 3 clematis will grow either from the cut down stems,I have no problems with them being eaten , or the clematis that grow new shoots from the soil which are attacked. Interesting reply which I did not know and some recommendations.

Hi Peter, generally all species clematis come from beneath ground
level, so you are better off looking at any of the group 3 that do not
have a 'species' name in front of them.
i.e 'texensis'
'viticella'
tangutica'
'heraclefolia'

depending on which colours you are after maybe look at :-
niobe http://www.taylorsclematis.co.uk/clematis-niobe.html
rosemoor http://www.taylorsclematis.co.uk/clematis-rosemoor.html
blue angel http://www.taylorsclematis.co.uk/Clematis-Blue-Angel.html
Fuji musime http://www.taylorsclematis.co.uk/clematis-fuji-musume.html

 

Thanks for the info. I think I am going wrong by not being patient. What I mean is I should realize that not all group 3 clematis bud at the same time.The rest of the group 3 I have seem to bud quite early,in fact I am so busy doing other things that I suddenly realize that I have not pruned them down and have several pairs of buds on.
I then looked at the other group 3 that I am having problems with and there are no buds so I wait a couple more weeks and still no buds. It is then that I just cut them down to around a foot thinking if I do not do this it will be too late, I am wrong!!

I cut them down to a foot and there are no buds on the stems ,hence as you say they are forced to grow from the soil. I think next year I will just wait no matter how long it takes,even to the end of April if need be to wait for some buds to form.Obviously this group 3 clematis takes longer to bud.