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Clematis Ashva

DyersEndDyersEnd Posts: 730
in Plants
Has anyone got this clem?  I've just bought two to climb up the obelisks by the steps down into the garden and although the flowers are lovely I'm wondering if I should prune the stems back a bit so they can develop a really good root system before the winter. I'm also wondering how hardy it is so any personal experiences would be brilliant.

Following advice on the forum I've looked on the web but Hull Uni site doesn't mention hardiness.  http://www.clematis.hull.ac.uk/new-clemdetail.cfm?dbkey=2081

Posts

  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 29,138
    You can sometimes get a clue to hardiness from its parentage or the person/place of origin but there is no info on those either.

    As it's a group 3, make sure you plant it several inches deeper than it was in th epot and keep it well watered.   Give it a generous mulch in autmn to protect th eroots form frosts and improve fertility.   Once it dies back you can prune it down or else wait till spring and prune back.   Then it'll need some slow release cleamtis food to get it gong and keep it going and, if in pots, a weekly dose of tomato feed or seaweed fertiliser to encourage good flowering.   
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
  • DyersEndDyersEnd Posts: 730
    Thank you Ob.  They're both in the ground now and I hope I've planted them deep enough. They had pretty good root systems already so I'll continue to water/feed now and give them a good thick mulch later on.
    I'm struggling a bit with trying not to be impatient to be honest :)
  • Richard HodsonRichard Hodson Posts: 790

    They say Group 2 ?      


    http://www.clematis-nursery.co.uk/ashva.htm

  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 29,138
    The Hull site says group 3.   Much easier to manage a 3 and in my last garden all group 2s were effectively 3s as nothing above ground survived the winter frosts well enough to be kept.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
  • Richard HodsonRichard Hodson Posts: 790
    The plant is Lithuanian origin, so probably quite hardy, over there they list it as 70 to 90 cms.
  • DyersEndDyersEnd Posts: 730
    I hope Hull are right as I wanted a group 3 and I hope the Lithuanians are right about it being hardy and wrong about the height as they'd only come half way up the obelisks if that were true  :/
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 29,138
    You can treat any group 2 as a group 3.  They just flower later and longer instead of in two shorter flushes.

    As for height, I have a Jan Fopma that is supposed to get to about 2m but has surpassed that this year despite still being in a pot while I wait for its new bed.   Plenty of feed and regular watering.......
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
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