Clematis Planting and Care Tips
Simple clematis planting and care tips that will help you get beautiful flowers. Clematis plants produce wonderful climbing flowers that are perfect for trellis, walls, and fences.
Clematis Planting and Care Tips
Clematis are sometimes referred to as the queen of climbers. They’re a great way to add color to any garden or space. Because they are perennials, they will give you a fabulous display of flowers year after year.
Types of Clematis Flowers
The types of clematis are differentiated depending on the pruning group that they fall under. There are three pruning groups.
- Group 1
This category blooms on last year’s stems. In gardening, this is also referred to as flowering on old wood. They are often the first ones to bloom and also produce small flowers.
There are varieties under this group that are evergreen. This group requires little to no pruning. All the pruning should be done after flowering.
- Group 2
This category produces large flowers. They also bloom earlier compared to group 3. They are the most common type of clematis. Most people know and own clematis varieties in this second group.
- Group 3
The clematis in this group is small. They bloom from fresh wood. They also bloom late into the season. In general, they also produce small flowers compared to group 2 clematis.
The varieties in this group can be confusing because there are some that are non-vining as well as some that have large flowers.
Planting Clematis
Soil
Clematis can be planted at any time of the year as long as the ground is not frozen. The plants do well when planted in well-drained soil. However, the soil should not get too dry during the growing season.
The plants don’t have any special soil requirements and will do well in most soil types. When planting them in containers, can use a regular soil mix and you will still get good results.
Light
The clematis plants do well when planted in a location where they can receive direct sunlight. It’s not advisable to establish them in a heavily shaded area.
For best results, make sure the clematis receive at least 5 hours of sun every day, especially during the growing months. The vines also prefer to have their roots in the shade and their tops in the sun.
Planting Clematis
Make sure to have good ground preparation before planting. This helps the plant get established properly and quickly.
Select your planting spot carefully. If you’re planting against a wall or a fence especially concrete or wood, do not plant too close. This is because the soil will be too dry. The roots also need space to expand as the plant grows.
It is advisable to plant about 30 to 45 centimeters away from the wall and angle the plant towards the support.
Soak the plant thoroughly in its nursery pot when getting ready to plant it. This allows the plant to loosen from the pot or container which will make it easy to remove it from the pot.
Dig a hole that is deeper than the growing pot. It’s advisable to plant a clematis a few centimeters deeper than it was growing in the pot. This helps the stems to root and form a crown.
Clematis plants with well-formed crowns have a greater chance of regrowing if they are damaged compared to those that don’t.
I have had clematis plants regrow after they were eaten by rabbits and deer because the crown was covered.
Clematis can also get attacked by diseases and pests. The clematis with a well-formed crown also has a better chance of recovering if it is attacked by clematis wilt.
Carefully remove the Clematis from its nursery pot and position it at the center of the planting hole. Partially fill the sides with soil all around the roots.
Add a handful of your preferred fertilizer. If you don’t want to use fertilizer you can add some compost to the soil and mix it well.
It’s important to ensure that your plant has adequate nutrients to support its growth as well as flower production later on in the season.
Fill in the rest of the soil around the roots and firm gently with your fist. Leave a saucer-shaped depression or a shallow trench all around the plant as this helps to direct water into the plant’s roots.
Soak all newly planted clematis plants thoroughly. During the first growing season, you need to keep an eye on the plant and water it when the soil is dry.
After the plant is properly established, you can reduce the frequency of watering.
Fertilizing
Fertilizing clematis provides them with the nutrients they need to push out new growth as well as flowers. In the above paragraphs, I talked about fertilizing when planting which should not be skipped.
When dealing with already established plants, you still need to fertilize them every growing season. At the beginning of the season, take about two handfuls of your favorite fertilizer and pour it all around the base.
Mix it with the soil near the base. Don’t leave it on the surface because it will be eaten by animals, especially dogs. Mixing it in also helps with the absorption by the plant.
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Final Thoughts
I love clematis because they are not too high maintenance. They also come in different colors including different shades of white, pink, and purple.
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