Supporting canes

andrea19652

I bought some Young Clematis a few months ago, they all had canes already in them supporting them. I have left them in as the plants are in a position where they could get caught by the wind. Should I remove the cases and wind the new shoots around the trellis or leave the canes until the plants are more established.

Sorry to be a pain with all my posts but I'm new to this and just want a lovely garden. I don't mind the hard work ( I have a man for that lol) but I don't want to plant beautiful things wrong and then find them dying through not doing things right.

Fairygirl

How young are the plants Andrea? If they're small, it might have been better to pot them on and let them develop a bigger root system and plant out next year. 

However, if they're already in the ground, you can leave the canes on to direct the stems onto the supports. You need to untangle them and then train them in horizontally as well as vertically to encourage them to have a good spread of flowers. Pruning them correctly will also help you get the best from them as they mature. 

Don't apologise for asking questions - we've all had to do the same. 

Last edited: 19 September 2016 19:50:35

andrea19652

Hi, and thank you. I think they are last year's babies but don't look too strong, I have been spreading the vines on the trellis. Also I wasn't sure how to prune them, they are starting to lose their flowers now so what is the best way to prune them, didn't think they needed pruning....we live and learn ?

Fairygirl

No pruning just now Andrea. Prune in late winter/early spring. I had a look and Ruby Wedding is a group 2, so doesn't normally need much pruning, but you can also treat it like a group 3 and prune it back to a good pair of buds when you see the plant coming to life again in spring. That will encourage it to bulk up a bit and send up more shoots. A general feed and a mulch at that point will give it a good start for the new season  

Marygold

andrea, you need to know what varieties you have as clematis are divided into 3 groups depending on when they flower. Didn't they have any pruning instructions on the labels? You say they are starting to lose their flowers now. This could mean they are late flowering varieties known as group 3. If so, you would prune them in the spring. This could be down to a couple of feet as they flower on current years growth.

If you tell us what varieties they are, I'm sure there are people here who can give you more detailed instructions.

Fairygirl

Sorry Andrea - I think I've mixed you up with someone else who has Ruby Wedding. 

Let us know the varieties. It's fairly simple though