Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
heavenlyfarm

Help!! How to "fix" my clematis?!!!

heavenlyfarm
9 years ago

Hi,
So far as long as I can remember we have had a pink clematis climbing up the porch post and it since has been getting bare with only new growth on the top of it. Last year wasn't too bad and I made a failed attempt at pruning out the dead parts because it is so tangled and you can't tell where any shoots start/end. This year there is several feet of just dead vines/branches before it shows any lush growth or leaves. It looks hideous and I don't know how to handle this one. If I were to cut it back to the ground, would it produce new shoots from the roots or would I have essentially killed it? I don't mind sacrificing blooms for a year or several, I just would like it too look healthy again! Or is it time to replace it with a new clematis/cuttings?
~michael

Comments (2)

  • mnwsgal
    9 years ago

    Do you know the variety? If it isn't a Montana or other clematis that only blooms on old wood it can be pruned. Is it blooming now or budding?

    Pruning two clematis are usually early bloomers and large flowered. If it is a prune three clematis then it does best if pruned close to the ground every year. Those not pruned often end up as you described with blooms only at the top.

    Most of my early blooming prune 2 clematis die back to the ground in the winter. The bloom is later and those that are double with first bloom may have few on no doubles, blooming single instead. Still get a nice full bloom in the spring with sporadic blooms until frost. In my zone I do not get a full bloom in the fall as there isn't enough time for regrowth to get another bloom.

    Sounds like an old plant. How thick are the stems? That may make a difference on how far to cut back.

  • gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
    9 years ago

    Hard pruning a clematis will seldom do it any significant damage and almost always helps. I would avoid cutting back to the ground - that's a bit too severe - but if the stems are pencil sized or smaller, cut back to the third set of buds or paired leaf axils (or where leaves were before they dried up and fell off). If the stems are larger in diameter, be a little more conservative and leave more..

    When you do this is flexible. When does the clematis bloom? If it has already bloomed, you can do it now. Or you can wait until fall or late winter. If you do it now, you can go ahead and fertilize after hard pruning. I prefer an organic rose fertilizer as those typically container alfalfa meal which encourages additional basal stem growth. If you cut back hard in fall, skip any fertilizing until spring. A late winter/early spring pruning can also be fertilized at that time.

    Most types of clematis benefit from annual pruning or at least those in pruning groups 2 and 3, with flowering beginning May or later. This will prevent that bare/dead leggy look with flowers only at the top of the vine. If it blooms very early, like before that start of May, come back and let us know. Pruning of these types of clematis is quite a bit of a different process.

Sponsored
Jennifer Gilmer Kitchen & Bath
Average rating: 5 out of 5 stars77 Reviews
Award Winning Kitchen & Bath Design Team | 11x Best of Houzz