Last summer mom gave me 2 or 3 little clematis plants. I planted them in a HUGE pot, shaded with daylilies. Well, they are pitiful. They bloomed with the tiniest flowers and the vines are spindley. I'm thinking of cutting them way back and transplanting them to a spot in the ground. Think I should try it or just leave them alone?
Which one do you have? I have a Warsaw Nike that fits that description. I cut it back to about 6 inches above ground level earlier this year and hit came back but didn't get any less spindley.....I don't know if that will help them get bushy like cutting back other perennials.
Wait, who are you again? I know the feeling, I wouldn't know the names of most of my plants if I hadn't kept the tags that came with them. .... and entering them on GardenStew certainly helps too.
Is it possible that they are too shaded? I have all of mine in full sun but they do like their roots shaded. I plant flowers in front to shade them.
I would transplant them into a carefully selected place in your garden. Having said that, I would personally choose to do this in oct-nov. This way they can perhaps more easily get over the trauma of the transplant and you can perform the transplant correctly and calmly without feeling that you have to hurry to get the job done before the roots become damaged. If you are unsure about how to do this, you can either read-up on it on the internet, or PM me and we can discuss it. BTW--I would hold off on pruning them until you can get some idea of what types they may be. There are rules for pruning clematises, based upon whether they are spring, mid summer or late summer bloomers. There are also types that are meant to be grown in containers and do not grow tall anyway...they are not meant to be pruned at all. These are special types. Good luck...and I am sorry that your results thus far were not optimal for you.
I'm not much of a pruner, I know enough to know I don't know enough. Does that make sense? I read a few articles on the internet about the different types of clematis, don't remember much right now but will definitely look it up again. I just feel they would do better in good, solid earth, rather than that pot They bloomed VERY early. If I ever get organized I'll take a few photos to show.
