Ever needed to dig up a mature clematis? Well, yesterday I tackled digging up my Comtesse de Bouchard because what few leaves formed this year died. It was in the Group C class or Type 3 category. Now I have no idea how old this clematis was as it was planted by the previous owners of our house. We have only lived here 6 yrs. It has always performed beautifully but back last Fall, I decided to cut it back to about 12-18 inches above ground to get rid of the ugly brown dried leaves. This year it only produced probably 6 leaves and they looked diseased. Yesterday I decided to dig that clematis up..well, I think I dug to China! I used my digging fork, a hachet, pruning sheers, lobbing sheers. I have never seen so many entwined roots in my life! I filled up our recycle bucket almost to the top and I say that has a 5 gal capacity or more. I know I didn't get all of them up. The roots probably go further and deeper than I could get. I filled the hole with garden soil and leaf gro and will not plant another clematis there. This clematis had been planted at the corner of the brick facing to our garage; not in front where you would think somebody would plant it; so it would grow up the trellis easier. We'd like to get another clematis but will not plant it in same place.