Clematis Care

Native to England, the popular member of the Ranunculaceae, the buttercup family, the clematis belongs to the genus of climbing flowering vines. There are over 200 hundred species, and still counting cultivars being developed to suit most climatic conditions, so no one is left out when it comes to celebrating such beauty. What a clematis vine offers is unmatched in the vine family; variety in flower colors and form, patterns and designs, foliage and varied plant height.

Most species of the clematis family are vigorous climbers, with a few odd exceptions that grow to be herbaceous. When it comes to variety, clematis has it all, the flowers it produces can be single or double. Its petal, more known as sepals are mostly thin, slightly wafer-thin at times, and could be wide, rounded, pointed, crinkled, crimped and even twisted. They come in very vibrant colors of red, blue, pink, yellow, white, purple, etc, with diverse patterns of center bars and stripes, with shades of colors, contradicting at times, highlighting its designs and patterns. The flowers could be bell or pitcher shaped, with sizes that can range from an inch to large ones; about 10-12 inches. Some varieties have stamens while some don't. The form of your clematis, shrubby or herbaceous, deciduous or evergreen, and annual or biennial depends upon the species (cultivar/hybrid) you grow. The flower's showy sepals that resembles flower petals is not the actual flower, the true flowers are the clustered tiny hundred tubular flowers in the center, with the colorful sepals surrounding them, giving an appearance of a large single flower. Clematis is primarily grouped into three categories:

• Early Bloomers: Clematis within this group will generally bloom in April and May, from buds produced on the previous season's growth. Early flowering clematis includes C. alpina, C. Macropetala, and C. Montana, C. Armandii, C. Chrysocoma, etc.
• Flowering Hybrids: Late summer flowers bloom on new growth, and once again on short stems from the previous season's growth in mid June. Hybrids species include Vyvyan Pennell, Duchess of Edinburgh, Pink Champagne, Nelly Moser, etc.
• Late Bloomers: Flowers bloom into July and through autumn on the present/current season's growth. Late flowering clematis species includes C. Tangutica, C. Flammula, C. Viticella, C. Paniculata, C. Maximowicziana, etc, and hybrids like Ville de Lyon, Inspiration, Royal Velours, Duchess of Albany, etc.

Clematis Maintenance and Care

The first step towards having these beauties in your landscape is to get them. One can find a variety of them from local plant nurseries or propagate through cuttings. A note here, clematis propagation takes practice, collecting the right cutting requires an experienced and practiced hand. Primarily inter-nodal cuttings are used in early summer. Use a hormone rooting powder before pushing them into the ground. Ensure adequate moisture and humidity for their rooting to start and establish. One can also propagate them through their tiny fluffy seed tails.

Clematis require full sun or partial shade to grow best and the flower colors to come true, although it's best to keep them out of harsh sunlight. They prefer fertile, well-drained soil, comprising peat moss, rotted organic manure, and/or compost. Dig a hole 6 inches deeper than the root ball, as the plant's stems and foliage should be in sun, whereas the roots, including the root ball deep in the soil as it prefers a cool environment. Back-fill the soil, and round off 4-5 inches of soil around it to create a well like place. Water well immediately, ensuring that the root ball is soaked well. A young vine will need frequent, not excess watering throughout its first year. Clematis roots are not very good in competing with other plant roots, hence, choose a spot where you have plants with non-invasive and shallow roots.

As most clematis are climbers they will need support. The trellis or wall climber support you choose should be thin, as they climb using their delicate twining petioles. Make sure the wire you use is free of rust. One can build a garden trellis at home too. A young clematis can be shaped and trained better, than the established ones. Don't crowd too many vine shoots towards one side, a clematis heavier on one side will definitely fall to the ground. The first year will see very little activity in foliage growth as the concentration is more on root growth. Once that's done, by the second year the clematis vine or the shrub variety will grow vigorously and bloom too. Feed it annually before the flowering commences with a 3:1:2 or 4:1:2 ratio specific fertilizer. Once the clematis vine or shrub is about 5-6 years old, it won't need much fertilizing, organic compost will be just fine. Winter care includes pruning and protecting the vine from extreme cold. Although the roots prefer a cool environment, too much chill in the soil is damaging to them. Mulch around them before the onset of harsh winters, and remove it before the setting of spring.

Pruning Clematis

Pruning is primarily done to remove old blooms and make way for a better profusion next season. Pruning should be done annually, and in the months depending upon the type of species or hybrids grown. The groups have been mentioned above. Early bloomers should be pruned back as soon as the bloom gets over, before the end of July. Flowering hybrids can be pruned in February or March, the cuts should be no more than a few inches from the stem tips. Late bloomers can be pruned in February or March, cut each deadhead flower stem to a height of about two to three feet. Prune all dead and old wood. For a vine that has gotten too tangled you can change its taring shape by giving it a hard prune according to its specific pruning season.

The clematis is susceptible to clematis wilt, Ascochyta clematidina, mildew, aphids, earwigs, slugs, etc, which can be gotten rid off with a little care that involves pruning and a regular spray of germicide. Like all flowering climbers, a blooming clematis can be planted using two to three different varieties (species), for one to enjoy a continuous bloom.