Maybe i'm wrong here, but i don't see the problem. Mrs. Donahue of Donahue Clems told me that , in fact, all clems could be cut back every year w/o harming them. And now is pretty close to the end of their season (but of course you don't i.d. your location so this could be wrong). Just cut it completely back before digging up and moving. No worries, imo.

Yes, that is what I did for the years it was there; but if you read closely the Roots were entwined in the tube underground making it almost impossible to get the root out! Had to do some root surgery once I was able to lift the whole thing out but that was not easy; neither the trellis nor the root wanted to come out!

Not to talk about clematis (though me and my Ernest Markham have had our times too...poor thing), but your general title strikes a chord.

Time and time again, I see people on the forums offer good advise when people ask, then I see evidence of them doing whatever fool idea they asked about, despite all the good reasons they shouldn't do it. In some cases, later, we get to hear about why they should have listened.

It's a mite frustrating and makes me want to stop offering advise. If you don't want it...don't ask. We're not typing for the fun of it...

/End Rant.

Don't we all have to learn the hard way, though? I find I learn better from the mistakes I make than the times everything goes right. In any case, I think old Ernie will be fine once he recovers from the move. No harm, no foul.

yeah, EM is a tough old bird.

I'll tell you a short (sorta) version of his history with me.

I bought it in one of those little baggies sold (probably at Wal-Mart) when I was a teenager (I'm nearing 50 now). For several years, it didn't do much...of course it didn't help that my ducks repeated insisted that it was in the middle of where they HAD to make a nest...breaking it off.

It persevered..but never did much, till I moved (and took it) to a new house. It finally wasn't under duck peril and it took off...and now tries to climb the porch and the side of the house, and provides copious (unwanted) ground cover over the bed it's in. It flowers almost all the warm months (though not prolifically except in fall and spring).

Now I'd like to see those ducks break it all down (lol)...

dbarron you are quite right , but please have patience with us!:) opheliathornvt is right sometimes we have to learn the hard way. I promise I will do a better job of listening.
Thank you for the story about Ernest, I think he will be ok and grow better next year and am encouraged by your story of how tough he is!
roseberri

Oh, I wasn't fussing at you...I was fussing in general :) You just triggered it with your subject line.

By the way, I'm a lazy gardener and EM doesn't get cut back at all. Maybe that accounts for the overgrowth (lol)...I must admit, due to all the growth, I'm thinking of a cut back to grown and clean out all the old growth.

This post was edited by dbarron on Tue, Sep 9, 14 at 12:57