Twilight is a pretty bloom.....Princess Di is quite the climber!
Clematis August 2014
Yes, out of reach for the miserable deer!
I had no idea how tall she got. She has flopped over ,I move her up and she flopped again.I need to move her or get a much larger trellis for her.
Cut I will do today how far down?
Right down to the ground for black stems with dark, dried out leaves.
It is rough to determine just how tall clematises will/can get regardless of the height shown online. Can you move newer stems from the front to the back, or in reverse, so both sides of the trellis would be covered with blooms?
would it green up again before frost, which is here mid Nov. My Daniel D. looks very bad, but I did not dere to cut it. Thanks Pirl.
Any clematis that is cut back now should show more growth within weeks. It can't hurt to give them a drink of lukewarm Epsom Salt water - 1 TBSP. to a gallon. If you have an anti-fungal product, now is the time to use it. Follow package directions and don't give them more than they need. Too much is never a good idea.
Etelka and marie-kap, when I followed Arlene's advice and cut mine down to the ground I had re-growth within >days
I love that some clematis will climb like that; it reminds me of Gertrude Jekyll's rambler roses. (Spell check apparently hasn't read her, or met my great aunt. It thought I meant "agent rude Jekyll.")
I'm enjoying Twilight having different blooms; it's like having two plants in one pot.
This message was edited Aug 21, 2014 3:49 PM
The new growth can appear very fast but I don't want anyone to get nervous if it doesn't happen as quickly for them. Thank you for the endorsement, Turtles!
I had angst over it the first time but why bother looking at such a sad specimen? Better for the humans and the plant to give the clematis a shot at new growth. In any event, you won't harm anything by cutting it back.
Heck, half my message disappeared.
You're welcome Arlene!
BBL
This message was edited Aug 21, 2014 6:39 PM
I hate when that happens!
I cut down all the ones that were brown all the way and the ones that were brown at the bottom half.
I found one starting to put out new shoots, but I cut it back too. These all needed it, one I had not cut back in 2 or 3 years and the others were semi new ones that need the energy to go to the roots again. Still got a few that I need to move and cut back, but that energy got worn away yesterday, so another day for that job.
You did all the right things. Every now and then I cut them all back.
I have quite a few to be moved but it will wait for weather that calls for a light jacket. Working in any kind of heat just wipes me out for the rest of the day.
I do have some clems looking awful....guess I will cut them back.....I had a very tall spike on my rose that I was hoping would win a prize at the fair in another week...not to worry, the deer snipped off the buds!
The deer have gotten worse here. They attacked our gardens and our neighbor's vegetable garden as well as her dahlias. It's such a heartbreaker.
I have much of my yard fenced, but this was in an unfenced section......can't wait til the dog is larger so she can get rid of the squirrels plauging me....every apple on 3 trees has been eaten....
Today I'm looking for some of those "no dig" fence sections at Lowe's. It's such a long, hard fight with the deer.
I have no solutions for your squirrels and the apples. Wish I did.
Me, too! Just have to hope Nicki will chase them out when she's bigger.....she's not doing much chasing right now...snoozing in the office!
She's probably chasing elephants in her dreams!
I hope so!
Any recommendations for a starter Clematis, you guys? It would have to withstand intense full sun. Recommendations on which pruning group I should choose to start out?
I'm going to guess what Pirl will say: Jackmanii.
The good thing about group 3 is that it dies back to the ground in the winter, so you just whack it off in the spring and it comes back like gangbusters. So simple, nothing to it!
Pam is right.
Yes, just whack it back. If not you'll have a gangly monster on your hands with blooms too far up to photograph.
That was one that I chopped back this year. I did not do it for about 2 years and yes it was nasty looking at the bottom.
The Jackmanii clem's need that major pruning or they get really ugly. I'm thinking of going right to ground level next time.
I've had the best luck with Gypsy Queen. She's in full sun, on a trellis with 2 other clems, & she blooms her heart out every spring & fall.