I need to prune my group 3 clematis - I have not done this before but wondered if I should wait until the forecast snow this week to pass first before attempting?
I did all mine back in December as they were putting on so much new growth. They have all survived the 'Beast from the East' and today I had to go out and tie up some 6ft shoots!
“Every day is ordinary, until it isn't.” - Bernard Cornwell-Death of Kings
l know I should be pruning my clematis "down to between 6 and 12 inches, to a viable bud" but the buds on my plant are at least 24 inches up! Should I cut off lower, regardless? Will it sprout from ground level?
Have you checked what pruning group your clematis are. If not go to Taylors Clematis website, check the variety to see what pruning group they are and then use the search box to find pruning.
Thank you, Yviestevie. Yes, I have checked - and the instructions are exactly as I quoted! The problem is, I don't have any viable buds at this height ....
Then cut down to just above them and give the plant a very generous feed of clematis food. It should be OK. If your clem is a viticella it will, in my experience, start to produce many new shoots from below ground as it matures over the coming years and it's then safe to cut down to the ground and not bother about buds.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast. "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
Thank you Obelisk. I will take your advice. The clematis is Fond Memories ( a viticella I believe) so I hope it will indeed sprout from the base. Present stems are very thin and spindly - although it bloomed well last year (its first year).
Just a baby then. Give it a few years more and a good mulch along with its spring feed and another in autumn and you'll soon get those extra stems coming.
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They have all survived the 'Beast from the East' and today I had to go out and tie up some 6ft shoots!
"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
Not a viticella but still a group 3 for pruning purposes - http://www.clematis.hull.ac.uk/new-clemdetail.cfm?dbkey=2989
"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw