Clematis Pruning
Large flowered clematis varieties usually have a great deal of dead wood
each spring; small flowered kinds, proportionately less. During
the growing season fertilize the plants with super- phosphate or
ground bone, and potash in any form, but use sparingly such nitrogenous
plant food as manures, nitrate of soda and sulphate of ammonia.
When winter sets in mulch with strawy litter or other loose material
to prevent heaving and settling of the ground due to alternate freezing
and thawing.
When spring comes remove the mulch and loosen the soil 2" or 3" deep.
Prune back all dead parts at least to living wood and also shorten
the living parts from a third to two-thirds. The new shoots will
be much stronger and blossom more freely than if all the living parts
are allowed to remain.
The small flowered varieties may be pruned even more severely-a half
to three-quarters of the living wood. Many gardeners cut the Japanese
or sweet au- tumn clematis (Clematis paniculata) back within 12"
or 18" of the ground each spring.
Pruning the tops of both large and small flowered kinds concentrates
the plant food in the remaining living parts which are thus stimulated
to grow and blossom more' freely.
Copyright Information: Gardening
Short Cuts
See also Clematis, and Annual
flowering vines
