Picture taken today, June 18th. This clematis has been flowering for a month with lots of buds on top. Trouble is I live on the top floor with a southwest exposure and the wind can really howl. In summer this can mean those lovely blossoms on top get blown to smithereens. It's in a pot and there is no calm location on the balcony ... I have a row cedars of which protect the bottom half of the plant. I would like to trim it back at the appropriate time of year to get blossoms on the trellis rather than at the top. Is there a way of doing this?
Good morning, as I don't know your variety have a look at this I've copied in for you. Clematis: pruning / RHS Gardening This has the groups for you to go by. D
Acer In England is correct in that you need to know the name of this clematis cuz there are diff pruning groups A large percentage of clematis at retail in our part of BC are likely fr this long-established wholesale grower out in the Valley Here is their website - and pruning info Pruning - Clearview Horticultural Products And maybe you can ID your pretty plant fr pix on their site if you don’t have the label. For certain - you are very lucky to have such abundant bloom! Also - if you decide to change or add to your balcony sky garden - always read the growth info in label small print ... example: some clematis (Montana) scramble way up a cedar tree whereas some are meant for container garden (Bijou, for example) And generally speaking - they like feet in shade and heads in the sun. All said - I never prune my various clematis but I like that forest look.
Thanks for the info on the Langley shop. We sent an email with the two photos on the original message and two more you see here. Worth "a shot" to see if I get any feedback and tips. And yes Georgia Strait - the main reason I have the plant in its present location - feet in shade, head in the sun.
Clearview created a series of clematis called « Vancouver » Maybe I need one or more! Clematis back in the spotlight | Vancouver Sun QUESTION - are these plants new to your balcony garden this yr 2020? If not - have you ever trimmed pruned them in past years? That would be a clue as to when to prune because the red/magenta color plant looks great and you’re getting lots of bloom What do you feed them?
I bought the Clematis 3 -4 years ago. This year and without any plan I selectively cleaned up the tangled web midpoint in March hoping not to do any permanent damage. Seems to have worked out OK. I just don't know if I should cut back to within 6 inches next year or do nothing ... but I really would like to get it blooming on the trellis. I feed with Miracle Grow and ... maybe the secret ingredient I'll confess - a morning pee. Maybe I should bottle the stuff after your kind words?
Just got a reply from Clearview ... interesting response. Hello Be bold and prune hard. It won’t hurt the plant.Dont overthink it just chop it off at about 1 foot above top of the container. You can do the pruning after it finishes blooming or when it’s dormant, say January. If you prune in January it will bloom a bit later but that will help to keep it more compact If you are satisfied with the result you can prune every year. Happy gardening.
So your clematis likes caffeine :) Well isn’t that great to receive such a speedy reply It sure would look great if you can get that wall of bloom like one sees on Pinterest!
