clematis-through-apple-tree---ok-or-not

Lyndab

I am growing my first clematis this year (not sure of the name because I lost the label).

I planted it beneath my rather ancient apple tree - and it has alrady started growing into it. Is this ok or can one affect the other ?

    

                                            

Also have got some rusty spots on  leaves of the apple tree, not sure what it is or if it can transfer to Clematis. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

 

 

Lyndab

Hi Sara4 - I bought 2 originally - they were about 6 inches high. Fed them both the same on seaweed type liquid. One died a hoprrible death, this one has thrived. Someone said I should not feed once the flowers arrived - so I stopped and just gave it lots to drink.

Try a seaweed feed next year - it might help.

Green Magpie

I can't see any reason not to do this. I have two rather manky old pear trees and I have trained two Viticella-type clematis to grwo through them in the summer. They look really pretty.

nutcutlet

sounds a lovely idea. I'd avoid the really rampant ones, montana, armandii, 

Green magpie's viticella suggestion is probably a good one. Anything you can cut back every year so it doesn't overwealm the tree or leave you with dead bits of clematis at the top of a tree, way out of reach, (like my armandii)

flowering rose

One house my Mother had had over 70 clematis growing through the trees ,they were ok  and kept in check but they can strangle a tree and as in covering it and taking over ending in a bit of a mess,but they do look better growing through a bush or like mine ,a rose ,passion flower and red currant bush.

Lyndab

Thank you - I put viticella into the search on here and it came up with lots of them - including one that looks like mine called Bluebell, so hopefully it will get on ok in the apple tree.

Green Magpie

Yes, the big strong ones (Armandii and Montana, which yours doesn't look like) are to be treated with caution. We let one of each of these grow up through old - and eventually dead - apples trees. In the end the trees fell over, probably helped by the weight of the huge clematis. The Montana has survived, by being attached to a second tree, which it now reaches by straggling across the ground; the Armadii has died.

Fairygirl

Looks great Lyndab. When they're just tiny plants they need a bit of time to get a decent root system on them so it's usually better to pot them up  and grow them on for a bit before planting out into the ground where they can get 'lost'. Lovely that yours has taken so well.