I bought a couple of Clematis Montana plants yesterday and haven't put them in yet - if we're supposed to be having an overnight frost this week should I wait before I put them in?
I had a huge montana killed by a late frost that did for all its new buds and shoots one year so it may be a good idea to put them outside in the daytime but put them somewhere sheltered from frost for a few nights till they've hardened off a bit.
When you do plant them, dig the hole at least 4 to 6 inches deeper than the pot they're in, water them thoroughly and then back fill with plenty of garden compost or bought soil improver plus some proprietray clematis food granules as clematis are hungry and thirsty plants. Burying them deep encourages extra shoots to form so you get more flowers.
Every spring, give them another feed of clematis food and a liquid tonic of tomato or rose food to get them going. Prune them after flowering in spring but only to keep them in bounds and encourage flower buds to form lower down for next year. Montanas are very vigorous when happy so give them plenty of space to grow.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast. "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
Posts
I had a huge montana killed by a late frost that did for all its new buds and shoots one year so it may be a good idea to put them outside in the daytime but put them somewhere sheltered from frost for a few nights till they've hardened off a bit.
When you do plant them, dig the hole at least 4 to 6 inches deeper than the pot they're in, water them thoroughly and then back fill with plenty of garden compost or bought soil improver plus some proprietray clematis food granules as clematis are hungry and thirsty plants. Burying them deep encourages extra shoots to form so you get more flowers.
Every spring, give them another feed of clematis food and a liquid tonic of tomato or rose food to get them going. Prune them after flowering in spring but only to keep them in bounds and encourage flower buds to form lower down for next year. Montanas are very vigorous when happy so give them plenty of space to grow.
"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
Wow - speedy and extra information too! That's really useful - thank you
http://www.britishclematis.org.uk/Planting.htm hi Munzle i got this from the Clamatis society if it helps