Clematis

terence.mccallum

Hi all my clematis is growing very tall but very thin can I cut the top out and will it thicken out 
cheers Terry

Obelixx

Which clematis are they?

Most clematis thicken up by putting up new shoots from the roots as they grow and develop over the years.  Some do this with more vigour and rapidity than others but generous feeding every spring, watering during dry periods and a good mulch every autumn will encourage most varieties to be strong.

For now, if you can loosen and re-train your existing stems so they are more horizontal that should encourage it to branch out at leaf nodes and produce more branching stems.

terence.mccallum

Ok will do thanks

GardenerSuze

@terence.mccallum Early flowering clematis are pruned after flowering. Clematis that flower in the summer and autumn are pruned late February early March. New plants do take two or three years to establish. The most important thing is to develop a good root system so that you get lots of flowers. I have bought them in the past and cut them back when planting to encourage a good root system

terence.mccallum

They are Princess Kate and Prince William

GardenerSuze

@terence.mccallum Therefore group three. Beautiful.

terence.mccallum

Had a Princess Diana but that died 

mikeymustard

terence.mccallum said:

Had a Princess Diana but that died 

Daily express wont be pleased then 😉

Fairygirl

@mikeymustard - funny that eh? Most folk are still alive before they die!
Who edits that rubbish 

How are you growing your plants @terence.mccallum? Are they in the ground? It's important to have good conditions and aftercare for them, but yes - as @Obelixx says, they need cut back properly, assuming they're mature plants, and then given enough food and water.
Training new growth horizontally gives a much better spread of flowers, or you can grow them through other plants - shrubs are good. 

terence.mccallum

No I am growing them in a large container they are only about 30 cm High and only have a couple of shoots