Time to Plant Clematis 

Some say “tomayto” and some say “tomahto”, some say “CLEMatis” and some say “CleMAtis”.  I say who cares, no matter how you pronounce it, Clematis are the absolute queen of all vines and everyone that gardens should find a way to work as many varieties as possible into their yards.  Between the early blooming Armandii and the late blooming Sweet Autumn there are literally hundreds of varieties that boast anywhere from small one inch bell shaped flowers to the grandiose 6 inches across ones that come in all colors of the rainbow.  How could anyone resist?

But while these vines can become garden standouts in time, it isn’t always easy to get them established.  I asked my retail manager Kerry Hollinger what sage words of advice she would dispense to a gardener that was just getting started with Clematis and here is what she said.

“Cold feet, hot heads.  Good drainage.  Let them dry out a bit between waterings.  Be patient.  Know when to prune them.  Fertilize lightly.  Be prepared to kill a few before you are successful.” To that I would add plant them an inch or two on the deep side and look for well established plants rather than small cheap ones.  So let’s elaborate. 

If you have gardened for very long then you have probably heard the adage about Clematis liking their roots in the shade and their tops in the sun.  I used to pooh-pooh this idea and plant them all in full sun.  I had a lovely red variety growing on a trellis in the middle of my rose garden out on the west side of my house where it got all the afternoon sun.  The vine would sprout up in the spring, grow rampantly over the trellis, bud up nicely and just as the buds started to show some color the whole damn thing would wilt and die.  Drove me absolutely nuts.  I few years ago I tore out the rose garden (that’s another whole story for another time), removed the trellis and frankly forgot about the Clematis.  I replanted the area with wild tropicals which shaded the forgotten Clematis and low and behold it romped 15 feet up and through my weeping Giant Sequoia and bloomed its silly little head off the entire summer.  Cold feet, hot heads.  Believe it! 

After location, the next most important consideration is to buy a well established plant.  This last year I discovered what I consider to be the ideal size container in which to buy clematis.  It is called a Super One Gallon and it is marketed under the Monrovia label.  Super Ones are larger than a one gallon but not a big as a 2 gallon.  And of course the price is in between the two sizes as well.  These are well established plants with a marvelous root system that is just waiting to be plunged into your garden.  I can’t tell you how impressed I have been with these plants.

Planting time and depth are two factors that can lead to success or failure.  While we generally sell most of our Clematis when they are in bloom, this is not the best time to plant them.  Plants in full bloom don’t appreciate being roughed up and torn out of their containers.  It’s down right rude.  Sort of like being interrupted in the middle of an orgasm.  (Yes, for plants blooming is like an orgasm.)  The best time to plant in my opinion is right now just as the leaves are coming out.  They will hardly skip a beat and be off to the races in no time at all. 

The other factor with planting is how deep to plant.  While I would rarely if ever recommend this technique for other plants, for Clematis if you plant them one or two inches deeper then they were growing in the pots they seem to root in better and you lessen the chance of contracting Clematis Wilt, that nasty disease that causes your vine to wilt just about the time it is ready to bloom.

As for pruning, the early spring bloomers can be pruned hard just after they bloom.  Summer and fall bloomers should be cut back in the spring before they start to grow.  Always check with the nursery to make sure you have the proper pruning regime.

So to summarize just remember this little jingle: 

Hot heads and cold feet, 

Plant them early and plant them deep. 

Steve Smith is owner of Sunnyside Nursery in Marysville, a retail garden center celebrating their 60^th anniversary this year.