Please tell me the best way to plant Clematis huldine. Also best cultural practice. Thanks George Stilwell
Roots in shade, tops in sun. Plant deep, like a tomato plant. Select a location with good soil and something it can climb on, mulch and water after planting etc.
A lovely plant. It belongs to pruning group 3 (cut back in Spring to just above a healthy new leaf bud about 12ins. from the ground). However, I find, with this particular clematis, if you do this with just half the stems but trim the rest back to about 3ft. you will get an almost continuous supply of flowers all season long. Clematis like plenty of water and low nitrogen fertilizer throughout the growing season (don't fertilize when in flower). Having said that, Clematis are very resilient. There is one near my home growing in the garden of a derelict house, totally neglected amongst the weeds. It puts on a beautiful display every year.
Fertilize when a plant needs it, flowering or not. Slug damage to new shoots and clematis wilt are pervasive headaches with large-flowered clematis but 'Huldine' seems to be a better-than-average doer. An old largely untended rhododendron planting near me (former residence of Halfdan Lem) has (if it is still there) a 'Huldine' that decorates the fence between it and the Park-and-Ride lot next to it every year with a good show of flowers.
Linda Beutler in her 2004 Timber Press book "Gardening with Clematis" lists Huldine among her 10 best clematis for beginners. She says it is in the Viticellea Group and can be hard pruned to the ground or nearly so in late fall. The vine blooms on new wood, and hard pruning encourages new growth. Also, pruning allows them to quickly get to their 10-15 foot length in a season. "If they go unclipped, they just get longer and heavier, making an unholy mess that detracts from the blooming display." She says unpruned Huldine can overwhelm a structure.