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I LOVE clematis, it’s one of my favorite summer flowers! I just got a new fabulous clematis plant this spring for my pollinator garden. I’m looking forward to incredible clematis blooms all summer long this year. Of course I have a few things I need to do to make sure that happens!
Clematis is a colorful, blooming perennial that loves to climb on trellises and fencing. Once you establish your clematis plant, you can enjoy it for many years to come with little effort. If you want to plant clematis this summer and enjoy vibrant blooms year after year, take a look below at 7 tips for growing incredible clematis in your own yard or garden.
1. Pick the perfect planting spot.
Clematis prefer to live in part to full sun. Be sure to avoid shady areas. Plant the clematis in well drained, rich soil that will help nourish it as it grows. You want to be sure you plant in a hole that is twice as deep and twice as wide as the plant base.
2. Provide some support.
Clematis love to climb, so you want to give them support to climb on. Stakes and soft ties are a great way to support the plant while it grows. You can then add a trellis, taller stakes, or even a decorative garden piece for the plant to begin climbing on.
3. Train the plant.
Your clematis may need help attaching itself to the support structure. Gently wind the tendrils of the plant around the structure. By guiding them around the structure you can best teach them to continue to wind and climb the structure.
4. Protect them from pests.
Slugs seem to like clematis and can be an issue if not kept in check. Remove slugs as you see them or provide slug traps near the base of the plant to catch them before they start climbing. Avoid using chemical repellants as they can stun the plant.
5. Prune as needed.
Clematis plants need little pruning. You just want to be sure you remove any dead blooms once they are expired, and remove any dead or decaying/pest eaten greenery. This will help the plant stay healthy and allow it to use its energy where needed…on the blooms!
6. Don’t forget the water.
Your clematis plant needs a good two inches of water per week. If you aren’t getting regular rain in your area, you will want to water the plant at the base (avoid saturating the leaves) so it gets the moisture it needs.
7. Mulch away.
Mulch around the base of your plant can help it stay cool and retain moisture. Place several inches of mulch around the base so your plant can stay more comfortable.
See how easy caring for clematis can be? Give these tips a try and see what results you can achieve with your own clematis plant!
Beautiful! We have flowers in our backyard but I’m not familiar with this bloom. I wonder how they would do in Arizona!
Hello Heather thank you for the little lesson on clematis I have a question, I was reading on Pinterest somewhere that someone learned a new trick to give you beautiful big clematis flowers they said to add a little bit of lime around the bottom of the trunk into the soil and that would help have you heard about that does it really work?
Thank yo
My leaves and everything else is sooo beautiful, but this is the first time I haven’t seen any flowers. Usually it’s loaded, just about year round… and I have lived here since 2005. It’s beautiful but no flowers at all. Looks healthy as ever. Let me me know what I could be doing wrong? Thank you Rosie
Recently I read that clematis need to be fed often. Is that your experience?
I do not feed mine often, and it does very well?
It could be something as simple as the weather? Maybe a late frost, too much/ not enough rain? Prune it back a bit and see if that doesn’t help?
I’m not sure on that? I’ve never tried it. It probably would not hurt, as long as you don’t get carried away, and only add a little. It may depend on your particular soil makeup on whether it will help or not.
I have had clematis in my yard for many years. I had one in a pot and moved it to a new home 2 years ago which set it back considerably, but it is catching up. I am having trouble getting all my olants to climb on a structure, but just recently read that they need somerhing less than 1/4″ wide for the plant tendrils to curl around. I never knew that before! The article went on to state that if the stems just lie on the ground they will die back. This is absolutely the truth! I will now be providing them with something more suitable to climb on. I have 8 altogether, but my favorites are the blues and violets!
Use a slinky as a trellis. I curl it around a dead tree that I use as a trellis! Works great ?
I have a HUGE clematis called “Freckles” that blooms year round here in Wales. It has given me several new plants by seed (they are fluffy like very thich dandylions). The one thing that has not been mentioned is that clematis DO NOT like their “feet” in the sun and you should keep the root area shaded.