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Clematis done?

yorkiethorntonyorkiethornton Posts: 89
in Plants
Hi. Have a couple of clematis that for a while looked good. One in a pot, the other in ground. Both are looking worse for wear; I think I now leave them till next Feb/Mar to prune then? Any advice? Thanks.

Posts

  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 29,138
    Water them generously and frequently.   The one in the pot will easily become thirsty and that one growing up the tree is competing for moisture and nutrients with a thumping great tree in a heatwave!  You need to help them along and, every spring, give them a generous feed.

    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
  • yorkiethorntonyorkiethornton Posts: 89
    Obelixx said:
    Water them generously and frequently.   The one in the pot will easily become thirsty and that one growing up the tree is competing for moisture and nutrients with a thumping great tree in a heatwave!  You need to help them along and, every spring, give them a generous feed.

    Hi thank you. Had wondered about growing up a tree; looked good for a while; maybe move?
  • Joy*Joy* Posts: 571
    The one I had in the same position as yours did so well, it covered the top of a very high tree with a trunk 30cm at least, in diameter. During a strong wind when there were no leaves on the tree, I watched the wind blow the tree down. The clematis canopy was huge and we never watered it after the first year. So, if you want it to grow up the tree,  water it in dry weather until it has sent its roots down and eventually you might not need to. Remember the saying, they like their roots in the dark and their head in the sun!
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 29,138
    That last bit is a myth @Joy - with a few exceptions, clematis mostly need rich, moist but not boggy soil to do well.  They have thick, fleshy roots that like to be deep so they can find moisture.

    Whether or not your clematis is happy so close to a tree @yorkiethornton depends on its variety.  If it's a group 3 it flowers on new growth each year so, unless you don't mind it only flowering high overhead, it's best in a positin where you can cut it down each spring, feed it and then train the new growth as horizontally or diagonaly as possible to get more flowers and enjoy them.


    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
  • yorkiethorntonyorkiethornton Posts: 89
    Thanks both for your comments; really useful 
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