It's mid-February here, which means it's time to start pruning all manner of things around the farm. First on the list are all of my Clematis group 3 plants. Clematis is a favorite genus of mine—a quick accounting in my head reveals I've somehow collected a total of 12 vines (so far). Although it's strictly a climbing plant, with over 350 species available, it's incredibly versatile. You can find some that grow just 4–6 feet tall, others that will scramble wildly to the top of a tree, and others that grow every height in between. Plus, there's a wonderful diversity of flower shapes, sizes, and colors. Now that I'm thinking about the wide array of options available, it seems reasonable to think that having 12 vines is really more restrictive than excessive. Perhaps I should look for a few more...
But wait, I need to avoid being distracted by the Brushwood Nursery website again and give you a good overview of the various Clematis groups and how to prune group 3 Clematis in particular. I'll address the other groups in another post.
Each specific variety of Clematis will fall into one of three groups. Generally speaking, group 1 vines flower in late winter/early spring on the growth of the previous season. They're some of the easiest to manage because they don't require pruning, though you can cut them back just after they've bloomed if you want to keep them in bounds or you see damaged stems. Group 2 vines commonly have large flowers. They'll take a pruning in February and after they're finished with their first bloom, and then they'll reward you with a second flush of flowers (again, more on them in the next post).
Group 3 vines produce flowers on the current season's growth, so it's really important to cut them back well before they get underway. They usually flower later in the season, but here in zone 8a, they bloom in early April, and we often get a second flush in the fall. So essentially, they don't exactly follow the "rules" when it comes to their bloom time, but it's really important to follow the rules of pruning them at the right time. It's a powerful lesson I've learned from experience.
You see, I have a magnificent Clematis 'Huldine' vine that grows on an antique ladder leaning against our dining pavilion. The position is ideal for this variety in particular because Huldine has a distinctive front and back. From the sidewalk, we get to see the glistening white sepals (petals) on the front side, and while we're hosting friends for dinner outdoors, we all get to
admire the gorgeous lavender pinstripes on the back side. It puts on quite a show, and that's why I decided a couple years ago to just let Huldine grow unchecked. I wanted it to climb up the ladder and across a chain I hung across the front of the dining pavilion, so I didn't prune it.
It did grow just as I wanted, but the growth was so thick that the ladder essentially became a sail. A good gust of wind could blow the ladder down, ripping the vine away from the chain and potentially damaging the entire plant. It did that twice, and then I had to tie the ladder to the nearest post of the pavilion.
I thought that would be the end of my problems, but the next season, as a result of a very wet spring and extremely poor ventilation for the leaves (again, due to my willful negligence), it developed powdery mildew. The leaves were decidedly unappealing, and the flowers were stunted.
So this year, I decided to put my full faith in Huldine's ability to put on vigorous growth in one season that will provide abundant blooms but not so much growth that its susceptible to disease or other "slings and arrows of outrageous fortune."
Here's how I did it. First, I started at the base of the plant and scanned each stem beginning at the 12-inch mark. For the thickest stem, I cut it back to the first swelling buds I found nearest the one-foot height. Now, with a rose, you make your cuts at an angle, but with a Clematis, you need to cut straight across because you'll find the buds are horizontally across from each other on a stem. If you cut diagonally, you'll surely sacrifice a bud.
Once I established that lower starting point for the first stem, then I started looking a little higher on the next stem and cut where I found new shoots around the 18-inch mark. I kept that pattern going until I made the last cut on the final stem around the five-foot mark. Then I started pulling everything that was no longer attached to the plant away from the ladder, loading it into my wheelbarrow, and taking it up to the compost bins.
What I'm left with is a set of stems that gradually slope upward, and that should give Huldine the ability to flush out and flower from the bottom of the ladder to the top and to breathe easily. I've taken that same approach to my other group 3 Clematis all around the property.
If you're not sure what group your Clematis falls into, just run a quick search online. I usually have to remind myself what some of them are, so I just type in something like "What group is Clematis Josephine in?"
So, now it's time to give your secateurs (they're pruning clippers, but "secateurs" sounds so much nicer) a good cleaning and sharpening and get out there! Your group 3 Clematis vines will surely reward you for it with a brilliant display in the coming months.
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