Is it possible to transplant full grown clematis without killing them? I have one in particular that has been in this spot for all of 4 years. It was a decent sized plant when I put it in. I know I need to dig outside the rootball to get it all, I am just wondering if anybody has any pointers on this? I will have to do it soon as my clematis are just starting to bud out.....
Transplanting
I would say as long as it is not blooming and you can dig as far out from the main plant as you can it will be ok. I dug one up one year and never got it back in the ground that year. It stayed out all winter and lived.
Marie
that is encouraging. I have moved smaller clems without any issue, I am hoping that I can do the same with my larger one.
Just get as much as you can, it should be fine.
I moved a huge John Pawl II last fall, it is growing like it never moved. Also moved a large Pearl d Azur this spring, still waiting for buds, but I am sure it's fine. I say go ahead if it's not already leafed out and growing like mad.
Good luck with moving the clematis, Carolyn. I'm sure you'll do fine with it.
Until I went through all my clematis photos I had forgotten that I did move three one year in late October but they were all just a few years old and none had big root balls.
Keep us posted on your progress, please.
Dig deep...dig wide and prune any roots that are messed up from the dig..make sure and have your new hole dug..if you don't have problems with critters...put a generous handful of Bonemeal in the new planting hole ...plant 2-4 inches deeper ...and above all else make sure you keep your newly planted clematis moist...I stick my finger in the soil daily and if it even feels like it is drying out I water deeply..once you notice it putting out new leaves and growing you can do your regular watering...moving during the cool season is always less stressful than subjecting a transplant to the hot summer...fall and early spring are my fav times for relocating plants..hope this helps...Jeanne
Yesterday I moved Huldine, Mrs. T Lundell, Alba Luxurians and Hagley Hybrid without any problems. The clematis I really need to move is Hendryetta.
Hendryetta is in this photo on the obelisk. The butterfly bush to the left is a Nanhoe Blue, which was touted as being 'dwarf' when I bought it. The plant on the right, I can pull those branches down, because this is an agastache and it dies down to the ground for me every winter. I am thinking that I can either cut back half of the Nanhoe Blue or take my chances with Hendryetta. Obviously I should have planned my spacing better.....
One thing just occured to me - Hendryetta is an integrefolia http://www.clematis.hull.ac.uk/new-clemdetail.cfm?dbkey=2017 - I could take out the obelisk and just let Hendryetta sprawl and see what happens. The plants that are in front of Hendryetta are Veronica Sunny Blue Border and one of those fancy pom pom daisies......Hendryetta might look nice sprawling through the veronica and the daisies.
As you can tell, I am really reluctant to move Hendryetta..... I would appreciate everyones' thoughts.....
I had my helper rip out those supposedly dwarf butterfly bushes last year. They reached the gutters - no thanks.
My inclination would be to move Hendryetta (so pretty!) so she can have spot to show off more than just as a ground cover - that's just my thought.
Just another opinion would be to leave it and see how it looks sprawling. You can always dig it next year.
bananna18 -
that is where I am leaning....as you said, I can always move it next year.
This was the first year I put her in....
Carolyn
That's gorgeous, Carolyn. It fits that spot so beautifully.
Arlene
Thank you.
It did fit that spot nicely until I planted the dwarf butterfly bush - which is now easily 6'x6'. What is really funny about that, is the dwarf is now bigger than my Black Knight BB, which is not a dwarf....
How strange! The exact same thing happened to us and it was also with Black Knight as the comparison. For me (at my age) it's just way too much work to try and keep the BB's deadheaded and looking good.
Very pretty Hendryetta! I know what you mean about those BB. That is a hard bush to deadhead. It stays evergreen here and I just don't bother with it.
I may just take out the butterfly bush instead of moving Hendryetta...
Great idea! The alternative might be to keep it cut back constantly (might be weekly) and then let it go in July. You'd have lots of flowers and butterflies!
Arlene -
that is a thought as well. Part of my issue is that I don't have a lot of 'bones' in this garden and the BB provides this. I also noticed last year all the butterflies that seemed to love this shrub.
In August the butterflies used to flock to mine in the sun. The ones in the shade don't get the same action.
Neither of us have the required bones! I have either the fourteen 50' pines or hydrangeas at 6' or less with very few other shrubs. I try creating height with trellises but the right shrubs would be wonderful. Now I'd have to delete a lot of plants to fit anything else in the gardens. We gardeners spend an inordinate amount of time juggling, don't we?