Every month we get asked many questions about all aspects of growing Clematis. On this page we have tried to list some of the most 'Frequently Asked Questions'.
What can you tell me about the clematis integrifolia ? What are its light requirements etc. and also what, if any clematis bloom in shade?
Clematis integrifolia offers a group of herbaceous, somewhat sprawly plants of about two feet in height. It does not climb. Since integrifolia dies to the ground in winter, it needs to make new growth before it is ready to flower, so look for its display around the middle to the end of summer. The flowers are bell shaped, and cultivars can be had in shades of pink and white in addition to the original blue.
Most clematis do better with some sunlight, but integrifolia will bloom in partial light, especially during the season of long days. You didn't mention the exact degree of shade you have in mind. Perhaps you could try one plant and see if it thrives. If its site proves too dark, you could move it to a brighter location.
Some other clematis which will tolerate low light are: 'Bees Jubilee', 'Comtesse de Bouchaud', 'Dr. Ruppel', 'General Sikorsky','Hagley Hybrid', 'H.F. Young', 'Jackmanii', 'Lanuginosa Candida','Miss Bateman', 'Mrs. Cholmondeley', 'Niobe', 'Silver Moon', 'The President', and 'William Kennett'. Clematis will sulk visibly if required to grow in excessive shade.
Judith Stanton, Connecticut, USA.
I have a list of clematis which grow well here but no descriptions, could you tell me the colors and whether they are single or double?
The following bloom times refer to my zone 6. Adjust for your zone.
'Victoria' is a lavender mauve single with yellow anthers. It blooms profusely in mid summer.
'William Kennett' is a deep mid-blue single with dark red anthers. It blooms early to mid-summer and sometimes again in the early autumn.
'Marie Boisselot' is a white single often blooming from early to late summer.Stamens and anthers are also pale. The flowers tend to present themselves horizontally so Marie is a good candidate for growing along a low wall rather than up a tall tree.
'Proteus' blooms as a dusty purple-pink double in late spring to early summer, and a less flamboyant single in autumn. The coloration includes paler pink, pale green tinges, and sepals with reddish edges. The autumn display offers paler flowers with pale yellow anthers.
'H.F. Young' is a medium blue single with a faint pink bar when first open. It blooms in late spring to early summer and again in the early autumn. Stamens have white filaments and pale yellow anthers, contrasting well with the blue.
'Star of India' is a dark blue-purple with deep pink bar on the center of each sepal. Anthers are dusky brown. It blooms from mid-summer to early autumn.
'Masquerade' is a mauve-blue single with dark reddish anthers. It blooms in early summer and again, paler in color, in early autumn.
'General Sikorsky' is a medium blue single, pinkish bar,and pale yellow anthers. It can bloom abundantly from early summer to early autumn.
'The President' is a purple-blue single with almost startling deep red anthers. It blooms from early spring into summer and again in late summer on into early autumn. In other words, a lot!
Judith Stanton, Connecticut, USA.
Can I grow Clematis Armandii in Quebec, Canada?
Clematis Armandii will not survive the winter in your garden, but you could have it outside from June to September and bring it indoors for the winter.
I do not have C.Armandii but I do have C. Cirrhosa Balearica and Paniculata which I bring indoors for the winter and have had them for over 3 years. I would like more, but have run out of room.
Peter Keeping, Ontario, Canada.
Can I grow Clematis in our winter in Australia?
If you look at our previous clematis on the month page you will find Clematis montana, alpinas, macropetelas and cirrohsa. All these flower earlier than the large flowered early hybrids.
Clematis cirrohsa can flower throughout the winter, starting in autumn and going on into spring. Alpinas and macropetelas (my favourites) start in early spring and come in a number if shades of pink, blue and white. Finally, the montana varieties which can be a bit rampant which flower in late spring just as the early large flowered clematis are budding. A number of the clematis mentioned above are pictured on our Previous Clematis of the Month pages.
Fiona Woolfenden, Great Britain.
My Clematis has got rather untidy, when should I prune it?
If your Clematis flowers before mid-summer in the Northern Hemisphere then you should wait until it has flowered before pruning. Generally, these early flowering Clematis do not require pruning other than a 'tidy' up after flowering. If you have pruned it before it flowers you will lose the early flush, in cold areas these varieties may be pruned by frost to ground level.
Late flowering varieties should be pruned hard every spring as they will often grow 12-20 feet before flowering. I prune once in the autumn, to get rid of last year's top growth, down to about 3 feet. In the spring I then prune to about 6 inches or a pair of buds, once danger of severe frosts are over. By pruning some plants later than others you can get a succession of flowers throughout the summer.
Fiona Woolfenden, Great Britain.
Can I move my Clematis?
If your Clematis is an established plant we would not advise trying to move it. It will involve a lot of hard work to get the roots out intact and despite your care you will probably damage them. From collected experience the exercise will probably result in failure. Best to start again with a new plant in the new position.
Smaller plants a year or so old can be moved with care. Autumn is the best time so the plant has a chance to establish itself before the summer. If you move it in the spring water well throughout the summer.
Fiona Woolfenden, Great Britain.
Where can I get Clematis Seeds from?
The Society has a seed exchange where Members send seeds each October or November and these are distributed to other Members in the following April through a Seed List. A nominal charge is made to cover packing and postage.
Join the Society now for this year's Seed List and for more information look at our Web page on Collecting and Growing Clematis Seeds.
Please remember that most Clematis will not come true from seeds. The species clematis will but not the large flowered hybrids. However these may give you a unique new variety which you will be able to treasure.
Fiona Woolfenden, Great Britain.
I want to grow a Clematis in a tub to grow up the wall of my house, is this possible?
Yes, but depending on the conditions you must plant it in a big tub and be prepared to water it well. Clematis generally like to have their heads where they get some sun but their feet in a cool environment. Mulch the tub with gravel to retain moisture. I would recommend that you do not use terracotta as it generally dries out very quickly or you line the pot with plastic to stop the moisture evaporating out through the sides of the pot.
You must also give it something to climb up as Clematis climb by twinning their leaves around supports and pulling themselves upwards. If you attach a trellis onto the side of your house you must ensure that there is a gap between the wall and the trellis. Alternatively use wires through vine eyes for a lighter look.
The early large flowered varieties are ideal for growing in tubs. A slightly more unusual choice would be a small flowered alpina or macropetala. These varieties do not need pruning and just need a tidy after flowering. Feed them well and you will get a second flowering later on. The montanas are far too vigorous and should not be used. In milder climates C. cirrhosa makes an interesting display as it flowers in winter. Late flowering varieties are generally more vigorous and less ideal for tubs but can be useful if you wish your Clematis to grow up through a rose or you wish to do maintenance on your property in the winter. In colder climates you can then take the tub inside to protect it.
Finally, you should consider the size of the space to cover. The early large flowering clematis often only grow to 8 feet, some are smaller and some larger. Many of the prune varieties grow 12-20 feet in a season.
To choose one of the many varieties available, I suggest that you invest in a Clematis book to decide on colour, size and flowering period and go armed with it to visit your local garden centre. On the other hand, you may find that, depending on where you live, your choice of variety is restricted so an early visit to the garden centre may be worthwhile to see what they have in stock.
Fiona Woolfenden, Great Britain.
The top of my Clematis has broken off, will it grow?
Well, my father-in-law can make them grow, he just sticks the broken-off top in the ground and - they grow! I've tried to do it the proper way by taking cuttings but I've never had much success with anything other than hardwood cuttings of C. x jouiniana and C. heracleifolia. If you would like to try then see our Web page on Taking Cuttings.
Fiona Woolfenden, Great Britain.
My Clematis is drying up, what can I do?
The full question was: In 1996 I planted Jackmanii to climb my mailbox post. It did well the remainder of that year and the next. In 1997 I decided to plant another, a striped light purple variety. It too did well that year (along with the other clematis). In 1998 both plants sprung up pretty well with buds on both. Then, before Jackmanii ever bloomed, the leaves all dried up like it was November. The other one bloomed 3 flowers, then 2 more, both times beautiful; now it too is started to dry out (half the plant already, from the top down). I thought maybe it was the severe rain event we had (14 days straight) until I came home a different way than usual and noticed the lady down the street's clematis is PROFUSE with flowers and VERY lush with greenery.
The answer: Your problem could be one of several. Lack of water is not one of them I have also the same wet spring here in Westchester Co. as you have had, and you cannot drown a clematis as they love lots of water. Clematis can often behave in an erratic fashion. The first year is usually spent building a root system and top growth is usually minimal. Don't concern yourself with the lack of activity above ground in the first year since it takes about three years under normal conditions for a plant to reach maturity. Use a low nitrogen fertilizer such as tomato fertilizer or 5-10-10, give them plenty of water, and be patient. Young clematis can sometimes die back due to clematis wilt, but it usually does not kill the plant and it will come back later this year or next year. Please see separate Web page on Clematis Wilt. The other possibility is contamination by winter road salt.
Beware, Jackmanii is a very vigorous vine that will engulf you mailbox and lots of area nearby when it matures. Mine will grow to 15 feet with a large spread every summer. A second clematis is a bit of overkill for the average mailbox and it might be best if you move it to another location like under a small shrub or rose where it can grow and climb as it does in nature.
Bill Bird, New York, USA.
My Clematis is approximately four or five years old, it is growing vigorously, however this year there is no blooms as of yet.
Clematis can be unpredictable and can sometimes skip a year of blooming. Too much nitrogen can cause vigorous growth and a lack of blooms. It is best to fertilize with tomato fertilizer or 5-10-10 fertilizer.
Bill Bird, New York, USA.
Many of my clematis leaves are looking yellow, help!
Before you do anything drastic, look again at the yellowing leaves. If they're mostly yellow with green veins, there's a probability the surrounding soil is deficient in iron; if they are just yellow and discouraged-looking, they may need a little magnesium. If you have had the problem before that suggests a chemical imbalance. The market abounds with iron tonics, if that's what you (or rather your plants) need. The magnesium deficiency can be cured quite easily with a tablespoonful of Epsom Salts in a gallon of water.
There's always a possibility some other adverse condition is harming the plants, but the first line of attack is to improve their diet.
Brewster Rogerson, Oregon, USA.
The leaves on our tiny six month old clematis plant have started turning black. Is this due to clematis wilt?
Clematis need careful treatment in a climate as warm as yours (San Jose, California), and it sounds as though this one may have a hard time recovering. Instead of trying to guess what went wrong, I'd invite you to look through the page on Planting Clematis recently added to the I.Cl.S. website, and see if you can spot any major difference from what you did when you planted yours. Without knowing more, I can suggest only that you cut the plant back to the first or second pair of nodes above ground, protect it from full sun, and see if it rewards you with two stems. If it does not, you may have to chalk this one up to experience and get another -- this time at least a "gallon" plant with a well-developed root system! Good luck.
Brewster Rogerson, Oregon, USA.
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