Harry..how exciting to hear that all your labour of love has come to fruition!!..They will only get bigger and more beautiful with each passing year...You have done well "Little Grasshopper"...now you move to the top of the class...LOL...Jeanne

Harry, post pictures of your Betty Corning flowers. They are such a delightful shape and the fragrance is divine. Mine started blooming some this past weekend while I was visiting my mom for Mother's Day. I would take pictures but the winds have been howling here all day.

Congrats! I can't wait 'til my first batch reaches 3 years in the ground. I pruned all my (first year) clematis hard this spring, but it was before they had buds. Am I supposed to prune again or wait until next year? I just noticed that 2 of mine (Comtesse de Bouchaud and Perl D'Azur) have some buds on them. Should I let them bloom??

Yay Harry!! Look, you cannot post something like with without pics! Yours are some of my favorite gardens.

This is my leap year for my first clem, so I'm getting excited.

~MH

Yes Almond..let them bloom...Jeanne

Almond,
I did not cut off flower buds. I was referring to new growth bud eyes which show green on the otherwise dead-looking vine in spring.

I should mention that just a few days ago I was raving about the amazing start of my two fall-purchased viticelli's. More amazing yet was the way Betty Corning exploded from the ground and quickly passed them. Betty has new vines that are 6" out from last year's growth. I'm startin' to think I'm gonna need a bigger arbor...

I was just going to post something just like this! This year is #3 for my mom's Polish Spirit and it's looking really good so far! I've even passed on some of the wisdom from the experts on here to my aunt! Thank you, thank you, thank you for posting the answer to "how should I take care of my new_________" over and over!

Harry..that is why it's important to know the eventual size of a mature clematis and COTW is good at listing that..but in saying that with the pruning group 3's..since they are hard pruned..it's easy to replace their structure to something larger ...Jeanne

Jeanne,
But I have the very thorny Westerland rose growing with it. W is already 10' with inch-thick canes.

If I try to replace the arbor, I promise to submit photos of the process as well as me in the hospital later - getting much-needed transfusion.

I think a Westerland can handle any mature sized clematis...am I missing something?

You suggested replacing the structure if its a group 3 clem. But the mean-spirited Westerland will still be there in the spring.

I may have to replace the arbor. Or transplant Betty.

I will post pictures throughout the season.

Is your Arbor falling apart?..