I feel a little bit of a fraud writing about growing clematis. That’s because the clematis in my garden are slightly hit and miss. I have some that are thriving, and others which look very unhappy indeed.
But it struck me that, as with most gardening, there’s probably as much for us all to learn from the stuff that doesn’t work as there is from the successes.
So here’s my year so far with clematis – warts and all – and the lessons I’ve learned as a result.
Growing Clematis – the successes
First let’s start with a few positives. Some of my pot combinations have been stellar this year. For instance I have Clematis Bernadine planted with the spreading rock rose Helianthemum Lawrenson’s Pink. The colour combination is really eye catching.
The clematis flowers from May through to September and the rock rose from May to July but the rock rose is evergreen. So it provides a lovely backdrop of silvery leaves to the clematis even when it’s not in flower. I blogged about this when talking about pot combinations (you can read it here)
Growing Clematis – complementary colours
The colours you go for don’t have to contrast. For instance, I’ve also had a big success with a vibrant ruby red clematis (I’m really sorry I can’t remember its name). This has flowered and flowered and looks lovely next to other complementary plants such as the heuchera root beer growing near it in a container.
Combining with White
I’ve also had some good results combining mauve and purple clematis with white plants. For example, I think this Clematis Angelique looks very attractive with Salvia sylvestris. I’ve only planted the pot this year. I think in a year or so, once the Salvia fills the base of the pot and the clematis has established further, it will look really lovely.
Another good white and purple combination has been Nemesia Wisley Vanilla partnered with Clematis Zara
Rescuing Failures
This season I’ve also successfully rescued failing clematis. For instance, one precious plant sufferred terribly at the hands of extreme winds a few weeks ago. She looked done for. However, I gave her an extra feed of Tomorite and within 24 hours she was back in the game!
I also nearly killed a Clematis Integrifolia due to my watering habit! I was watering it in the evening, which I think encouraged terrible mildew. In essence the water vapour didn’t have the day-time sun to evaporate it, and so was sitting there overnight, building up dampness. Such a silly error now I think about it. I changed my watering regime but the plant still looked dreadful. I’d let the problem go on too long.
Anyway, ignoring all the rules about pruning clematis, I took the plunge and chopped off all the offending mildewy leaves. That was about three weeks ago and the plant is flourishing. It’s like new. This is a photo of it as of this morning. (The wet on its leaves is because it rained overnight).
It has a lovely cascading habit, and although I don’t think I’ll now get any flowers this year, it looks in tip top shape for next year. Phew!!
Propogation
My final success – and the most exciting – has been propogation. I love my ruby red clematis, so much so that I wanted another of it. However, as I’ve already confessed, I can’t recall its name. Disaster! So I thought I’d try and take a cutting from it. I turned to the gardening queen (in my book) Carol Klein. So rather than have me explain how to do it, just watch her video demonstration… it seems so easy. I took five cuttings.
I don’t have a cold frame or a green house, so once I had taken the cuttings I put them next to the mother plant. My logic was that she likes that spot, so hopefully the babies would too.
Well, four of my cuttings have done nothing. Their leaves went blackish and I assumed they had died. But one, I think, has worked!! As you can see below, it has developed a flower. I’m going to remove this as I think it should concentrate its energies on growing roots etc. One of its leaves has also been munched, so I’m now keeping it up on a table away from slugs and snails. But fingers crossed this little fella will continue to thrive and I will be potting it into something more substantial in due course!
The Failures
OK, I can’t put it off any longer. In amongst these successes have been some failures. One was the mildew induced by watering. However, the major one has been this. I had an idea to plant a series of big pots, in a curving arc past a big old apple tree in my garden.
My plan was to plant each up with a different clematis, but to create a cohesive effect by underplanting each pot with the same thing. A filler plant I could change each year. For this year it would be the aforementioned Nemesia Wisley Vanilla. I already had three of the pots (which had held tulips) and was able to buy the other two in a two for one deal. So far so good! I ordered a mix of different clematis and duly planted everything up.
You can see in the picture the effect I was going for shape-wise. And from a distance it looks quite good. The Nemesia at least is lovely!!
However, if you get close you will see that I have had very mixed results. Two of the clematis – Zara, which I mentioned earlier, and one called Esme – are fine. The three others are struggling.
What’s Gone Wrong?
I feed the pots every week, as I do everything else in pots in my garden. So I know they are getting the nutrition they need. So what’s going wrong?
I think it could be a combination of things. The compost they are in is a bit hit and miss. I bought it during lockdown from someone I’ve not bought from before. When I got it out of the bag I didn’t much like the look of it but had no option but to crack on. Secondly, although my garden is very sheltered, now that I’ve plants there, I can see that the particular spot where the pots are, is more exposed than I appreciated. It certainly doesn’t compare to the cloistered patio area where my other clematis are thriving.
I also question whether the area gets enough sun, especially once the apple tree is out. This last point I’m not so sure about as I have clematis in quite a lot of shade on my patio and they’re doing well. Mmmm. My plan is to repot the three lacklustre ones in better compost, keep them in position until next year and see how they’re performing then. I’ll then take a view on whether it’s going to work or to abandon the idea and move the pots to a more sheltered spot.
Their Versatility
So those are my successes and failures for this year, but what my planting doesn’t show is the versatility of these wonderful plants. The vast bulk of my clematis are in pots. However you can also grow Clematis trailing over archways, sheds and arbours, scrambling through other plants in beds and borders or as feature plants in a bed. This, combined with the array of colours on offer, and the range in terms of their flowering period, means that they give gardeners some tremendous options.
So, to illustrate this versatility, I asked a few of my neighbours if they’d mind me sharing pictures of how they’re growing clematis, and they very kindly agreed.
Pathways and Entrances
My neighbour Christine has this gorgeous purple/pink clematis growing at the side of a pathway as part of a hot colour planting scheme. It’s absolutely thriving (as is everything else in her garden!). I like the way it provides colour at height, lifting the eyeline.
Caroline has an archway as you move from one part of her garden to another. This is planted on both sides with Perle d’Azur, a lovely mauve clematis which I believe works well with climbing roses. It’s already very attractive (I photographed it yesterday when the weather was dark and dreary and it still looked fabulous.) In time this will smother the whole archway creating a wonderful effect.
Growing Clematis In Borders
Caroline also has white clematis in a bed, climbing over a metal obelisque. I love it working among this sea of poppies and poppy heads.
Denise and Richard in my village have a sunny, sheltered walled garden, perfect conditions for growing clematis. So it’s not surprising to find so many clematis there. They have some lovely combinations together such as Clematis Prince Charles and Etoile Violette
Their garden also illustrates beautifully how well clematis and roses combine. This hot red clematis punctuates this old rose perfectly.
Shading the Roots
Last but by no means least, my friend Kay has come up with an ingenious way of using an old pot to keep the roots of this clematis shaded. I always underplant mine, but this is a neat alternative trick. I might steal it!
Growing Clematis – Lessons Learned
So what lessons have I got to share from my clematis exploits?
- Try contrasting and complementary colours
- Use in borders, among poppies, on arches, with roses, scrambling through other plants and combine two clematis together
- Think about their flowering periods, to ensure season long colour
- Don’t water in the evenings
- After wind damage feed with liquid feed and don’t despair
- If it’s mildewy, be brave and cut back
- Keeping roots cool doesn’t have to involve underplanting
- Allow the plant’s top to access the sun
- Sheltered conditions matter
- Good compost matters
- Take cuttings – it’s easy
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