Hi all,

I planted a wonderful baby baby group 3 clematis late last spring...maybe a 2 or 3 inch pot. It sat for a short time then ZOOM! Up the trellis about 5' by the end of the summer. I think i should not have let it grow that fast and given it more time to establish strong roots.

Anyway, when frost came, it looked like it died. The vine turned hard and brown and crispy looking. I figured the vine had died to the ground for the winter so I didn't cut it off. Spring rolls around and next thing i know, its leafed out at the TOP of the vine! Still brown and crispy all the way up, but healthy green leaves coming out of the dead looking vine 5' up. So I am reading about pruning Clematis and it mentions 'nodes' and 'buds'. This poor crispy vine doesn't have any nodes or buds until you get about 3' up! What do i do to give this plant a good chance? Just this spring it is already up to about nine feet! HELP!