Clematis: My Bloomin' Nelly Moser, 1 by pirl

pirl wrote:
The montana* group can and does take full sun. I've had mine in the same spot for 17 years now. If I allowed it free reign it would encompass the entire 32' of 3' high fencing around the dog's pen (now my "garden room"). Note the ferns at the bottom of the attached photo. It really does appreciate shade for the roots.

Soil, compost, manure, moisture, mulch and the right exposure are the essentials for good growth. Epsom salt, water crystals and any other additions are helpful but not mandatory. You won't find a site telling you to grow them in sandy soil without nutrition.

The problems are generally us and not the clematis. We focus so much on blooms that we sometimes get disappointed at not having immediate lush growth. I really hate saying, "Just wait three years for blooms", and yet it's often the case.

*montana has nothing to do with the state of Montana. It's simply a descriptive word like atragene, integrifolia, etc. and comes from the French, meaning monster...and it is! This photo was taken exactly two years ago. Now the trellis cannot be seen. If the sun cooperates I'll take another photo from the same vantage point today to show the difference in two years.