clematis montana
I planted this Clematis Montana Grandiflora in 2014.
It grows to over 8 feet and has loads of green.
However last year we got 2 flowers in May and this year we had one.
I feed it clematis food every 7 - 10 day and have substituted tomato/seaweed food once just for a change.
The position is sheltered west facing and I use mulch and also cobbles to keep the roots cool.
Heavy clay soil
Has anyone got any ideas on why this is not flowering?
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Oh dear. I'm worse than no help. Mine is still in it's pot since last year and it has loads of flowers. Sorry.
Maybe you're loving it too much.
8 feet is nothing for a montana. That one will go to up to 12 metres Maybe as HH says you need to look at any pruning you're doing. They just need a haircut, if even that to tidy them up.
Last edited: 10 June 2016 10:33:02
Heavy clay soil and cobbles are not an ideal combination. The weight of the cobbles will compress the clayey soil reducing air pockets in the soil which the roots also need to have. It may be that they are teeny cobbles in which case it should be ok.
Thank you for the quick replies.
Yes Holly Hock. I pruned it good and proper. Ooops.
I am so jealous Plant Pauper. I will trim it at the top of the fence but no more.
I think I will have to clear the larger cobbles off Ladybird4. The idea of the little patch is to be all white. I have three Kew that are absolutely gorgeous year after year and a Jasmine at one end that is a year old and that I did not prune.
Yes I do think I love this Montana too much. I will limit myself to morning chats with maybe added kickass!
Thanks again.
What time of year do you prune it Erica?
Erica the shoots that it makes this year are the stems that will carry the flowers next year. You chopped them off! Leave it alone this year apart from feeding and so on and it'll romp away next year. Do you have room for a 12 metre plant? You may have to rethink your type of Clematis. There are some which you chop down every year and they are much less ENORMOUS!
Assuming you have it on a wall or fence Erica, train the new growth sideways as well as up. That creates more flowering opportunity. Montanas only need pruning when they outgrow the area you want them in.
As ppauper says, unless you have an adequate space for it, you may be better opting for a different type of clematis altogether. Montanas are most suited for covering sheds, garages , big walls/fences etc. as they get very big.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Actually my garden is quite small but my neighbours garden is paved and so she loves anything that climbs over and spreads on her fences.
I have three other clematisuses(!!!) and they all are pruned to the height of my naval on St Valentines Day and they do very well on it so I did the same with the Montana and I should have checked more carefully..
I don't think I want to give up on it Fairygirl as it is my fault and there is plenty of fence space for it. It has a reprieve of one year!
Many of the montana group clematis only reach a height of 2.0 to 2.5 metres, without knowing the cultivar name it is not possible to estimate the mature height.
Definitely should not be pruned in Spring, soon after flowering is ideal for a trim and a good time of year to use the discarded montana material for cuttings.
With this talk of pruning clematis and different types is making me wonder...We have a Madame Julia and at the end of last autumn cut it down to about 3 foot. This year it is growing again doing really well with lots of buds on it. However we also have a clematis President and have treated it the same as the Julia I.e cut it down to about 3 foot. This Spring the President has grown up the trellis and only produced one flower so far. Have I done something wrong?