Vines - Clematis
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  (May) I am considering putting clematis in a bed which now has an empty trellis. I have never grown one before and have no idea which variety I should choose. Is there one type which grows better here in Arkansas? Also how do I care for it in terms of wintering, pruning, etc? I have been under the impression that they require quite a bit of care but perhaps I am mistaken on that notion.

  As long as the soil is not heavy, and the drainage is good, I find clematis to be fairly easy to grow. There are many varieties to choose from, and all perform well. One thing you may want to look at is season of bloom. Some bloom only in spring, others all summer and then there are those for fall bloom. Probably the most popular group is the Jackmanii group which blooms all summer on new growth. 'Henryi' and 'Nelly Moser' are C. lanuginosa types, and will bloom well in late spring and can bloom again in the fall. The sweet autumn clematis C. maximowicziana is a great fall bloomer, but can be a bit invasive over time. Pruning is based on season of bloom.

  (August) I put out a Snow Queen Clematis this spring. It had a couple of buds on it and they bloomed. It said on the little card on the plant that it blooms spring, summer and fall. It had about 3 more blooms on it first part of June. When I first put it out it grew rapidly. It is about 4 feet tall, has one "stem" and just sets there. I took it up and put in some top soil and humus but it still has not grown anymore. It gets the morning sun, filtered sun during the day and the afternoon sun. It also showed it to be planted in sun to part shade. How much sun does it need? When do I prune it?

  I wouldn't judge the first years blooms on any plant. Let the plant get established -- which it did this season. Next spring, fertilize as new growth begins and watch it then. Hopefully, it has gone through its transition year, and should perform better next season.

  (September) My mother has had an "old timey clematis" or a type of tiny jasmine vine growing on the west side of her home for over 50 yrs. It used to have wonderful and plentiful tiny sweet smelling blooms during the late summer months. But it has not flourished or bloomed any over the last 5 to 10 years. I have tried trimming in back during this past spring, hoping clearing away the small broken twigs might stimulate new growth but with no luck. Do you have any suggestions on how to jump start some new growth with this vine that holds so many fond memories during the days of front porch visiting? Thank you for your time.

  My guess from your description is you have a sweet autumn clematis. This is an old garden plant, but usually one that is tough as nails. They are usually covered in small fragrant white blossoms in late summer through early fall. They require very little in the way of care, and typically bloom easily in sun or partial shade. A common problem with this plant is keeping it from taking over the place. The only thing I can guess may be happening is that the plant is so old and woody, that you aren't getting a lot of new growth, and therefore not as many flowers. To be sure, though, that we have the right plant, take a sample into your local extension office. If it is sweet autumn clematis, prune it severely next spring -- taking it back in a staggered pruning -- cutting some parts back to almost the soil line, some a foot from the ground, and some leaving three feet. Then fertilize, water and stand back. It should burst into growth, and hopefully flower by next late summer or fall.

  (September) My sister gave me a plant in the spring that has grown like jasmine but is starting to produce little white four petal flowers. It is going to be as vibrant in white as jasmine is yellow when it blooms. She thought it was Virginia Creeper but when we looked it up in the garden book, it does not sound like it that description. She says hers is fragrant but I have not found this as yet but only a few of the flowers have come on. Any idea what we have.

  My guess is, you have sweet autumn clematis. It is rampantly in bloom statewide. In my travels around the state, I have seen it covering abandoned spots -- it is a prolific grower. It also freely reseeds, so be on the look out for it next spring. While most of them are fragrant, I have come across a plant or two that didn't have much scent. Hopefully, when yours really kicks in, it will be fragrant.

  (October) We cannot get rid of virgin bower, which is taking over our two acre wooded/pasture plot in the city. And I have become highly allergic to it. Advice?

  Virgin's bower is Clematis virginiana, a native late season bloomer. It looks very much like sweet autumn clematis, Clematis paniculata or C. terniflora which blooms in the fall too, and is much more invasive. One way to tell the difference is the leaf shape. The leaves on virgin's bower are toothed or notched, while most of the sweet autumn clematis have rounded or smooth leaf margins. Regardless, they are both clematis with beautiful white blossoms in late summer into fall. The native species is not as invasive as the other. If you want to eradicate it, try to cut out as much as you can, preventing it from blooming and setting seed. Spot spraying with Round-up or other non-selective product should also help. You may want to allow friends to pot some up and give it away, as many people love having it in their gardens, but you do need to learn to recognize the foliage and limit its spread.

  For approximately ten years, I had the most beautiful white clematis vine climbing on my mailbox. People drove by to see it, it would have as many as 150 large blooms at a time. It died last year. It started coming back from the root system this spring and I was thrilled. The past few weeks it has been suffering from something, the leaves have brown blotches. What is happening to it and what do I need to do?

  What killed your plant back was clematis wilt. It is caused by a fungal agent called Ascochyta clematidina. It is rain dispersed, so splashing water around the stem and plants can cause it to spread more readily. This problem only occurs on large-flowered varieties. Entire stems or plants may collapse, seemingly overnight. Sanitation is critical when this occurs. Remove the affected stems at ground level and destroy them. As new growth begins in the spring, spray it with a fungicide such as Bordeaux mix. As problems occur during the season you can use a product containing Thiophanate-methyl. Some brands are Greenlight ‘Systemic Fungicide’, Fertilome ‘Halt Systemic’, and Blackleaf brand ‘Rose and Ornamental Fungicide’. Make sure the drainage is good where you have it planted. The growth on your clematis now looks fairly weak and may be the early signs of the problem, or simply a leaf spot. Keep a close eye on the plant and prune out the heavily infested sections. Clean up any plant debris on the ground nearby.

  I have two clematis vines that have become very large and bushy. One produces small dark purple blooms, and the other has a lighter, larger bloom--I think it is called sky blue. I think they should be cut back, but I am not sure when or how much. Is now a good time, or should I wait until spring?

  Clematis pruning can be quite tricky, and while you won’t kill the plant by pruning at the wrong time, you can miss a season of blooms. There are several types of clematis, and the key to knowing when to prune, is knowing when they bloom. If yours bloom primarily in the spring and that is it for the season, wait and prune them after bloom. If yours start blooming in late spring and bloom all season, they can be pruned prior to new growth, since they will bloom on the current season growth. If they bloom in the spring, then rest, and bloom again in the fall, they need very little pruning. Full, bushy plants are a welcome addition to the landscape. The need arises for pruning when all of the flowers and growth comes at the top of the vine, and the rest of the vine looks slim and bedraggled.

  Last year in the latter part of the summer, I planted two clematis. These were planted by my mailbox, the base of which is wood. I used strings for them to climb. This spirng, one of them started growing fast, put on three beautiful blooms, then turned brown and dried up. The other one is growing, but much slower. Several people have told me to keep watering it and it might out of it. My questions are: Why was it doing great, and then just suddenly dies? Should I continue to water it or just give up?

  What is the drainage like where it is planted? Clematis planted in heavy soils can suffer from a root rot, wilt or canker disease. If wilt or canker is the problem, cutting out the damaged parts of the vine, can stop the spread of the disease and the plants can send up new shoots. If the soil is heavy or poorly drained, the problem will reoccur and can kill the plant. Make sure the soil is well drained, add some sand or humus to the area, and replant. Hopefully, you won’t have the problem again. If there isn’t any new growth appearing on your damaged vine, you may want to start over.

  Please find enclosed a bloom from my clematis vine. I had large white, blue and purple blooms in the spring. Now my entire vine is covered with the enclosed small white blooms. Will they continue to be the small blooms? I love the larger blooms.

  You have one of the sweet autumn clematis vines growing in amongst your larger flowering varieties. They are prolific growers and can produce a heavy profusion of vines. Hopefully, they have not weakened your larger flowering varieties through competition. But the flowers are not being produced on the same vines. They are separate plants, and you should have the larger blooms next spring.

  I have an autumn clematis purchased from a good seed catalog, which has never bloomed in the three years I’ve had it.

  This plant is a tough plant which usually bloom easily under a variety of conditions, usually preferring benign neglect. It would perform best in full sun, but usually bloom fine in partial shade. Could it be growing in heavy shade? Do you prune it often during the growing season? Are you overdoing it with nitrogen fertilizer? Make sure it gets some sunlight, then let it grow next season, using a little super phosphate along the way. Good luck.

  I have two clematis vines. One was tagged ‘Ernest Markham’ and it blooms very early and has red flowers. The other one is ‘Lanuginosa ‘Candida’ and blooms later. When should I prune them and how much?

  Clematis plants vary in their pruning needs, based on their bloom period. Ernest Markham should bloom on current season growth, and can be pruned back hard in the spring, prior to new growth. ‘Candida’ will flower in June if a proportion of the previous years growth is left. If cut back within four inches of the ground before growth begins, you will get vigorous new growth and more flowers, but at a later time.

  When is the best time to cut back a clematis, and what type of fertilizer does it require?

  Pruning clematis is determined by what type of clematis you have. There are varieties that bloom only in the spring -- these should be pruned immediately after bloom. Other varieties bloom all summer; these should be pruned prior to new growth, beginning in late winter or early spring. And yet another type blooms in the spring, rests in the summer and then a repeat of blooms in the fall. These can only be pruned sparingly as needed, since one or the other cycle of blooms may be lost. Determine what season your plant blooms, and prune accordingly. If you prune at the wrong season, you won’t hurt the plant, you may just lose some flowers. Fertilize with a complete fertilizer in the spring as new growth begins.

  During the heavy winds we had a few days ago, my clematis vine (which was in full and glorious bloom) started wilting down. They still haven’t recovered, seeming to decline more and more. Only two of the vines were affected, but they were the largest ones. The smaller vines look fine. What caused this and is there anything I could have done to prevent the damage?

  Clematis vines can be brittle, and my guess is they simply had so much wind, that it caused the stem to break or get enough damage that it cut off the supply of water to the top of the vine. Cut off the vine at the point where injury is visible. It shouldn’t be anything that will spread to any of the rest of the plant. The only thing you could do to help, would be possibly give it some protection from wind, by other buffering plants planted around it, or make sure it is securely fastened to its support.

  What do you suggest doing with Clematis, after it has bloomed? I have never done anything with mine in past years, but a friend says she trims hers back, and it will bloom again. Do I just take off the pouffy things where the flowers were? Thanks for your help. 

  It all depends on what type of clematis you have, as to whether they will rebloom. If you have a spring only bloomer, pruning after bloom if needed is good. If yours blooms all summer, they should be pruned before growth begins. There are other types that bloom in the spring, and repeat in the fall. They can be pruned after the first bout of blooms, and will usually still bloom again. If yours is a spring only bloomer, pruning won't help it rebloom. The pouffy things are seed heads, and I think look attractive. They can delay flowering if you have non stop summer bloomers, but I don't think you have one.

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