IME, a young clematis may arrive with only one stem, but most will have a few, and a mature plant will have many stems. If you are somewhere that isn't as cold as my zone in the winter, it is easiest to plant clematis by pruning group. Here I can usually plant group 2 and 3 together since the group 2s tend to get killed to the snow line, effectively making them hard-pruned. It doesn't harm them, just delays blooming a bit.

You might want to look up your plants on Clematis on the Web's search form. It will give information such as the possible plant size or the suggestion that Hagley Hybrid's blooms will fade if not given some shade. Any planted in pots will need big pots.

I have ordered (4) Clematis Plants: 3 of them are Group 3 Pruning, and 1 is Group 2. Two of them will be planted in the ground (Jackmanii and Rosemoor). Hagley Hybrid and Rouge Cardinal will be planted in pots (19"x23"). Yes, Hagley Hybrid will only get partial morning sun so as not to fade her delicate pink blooms. I am in Zone 7A in Southern New Jersey.

The clems in containers should be perfectly winter hardy in your climate. But do pick generously sized containers - a happy clematis will produce a pretty significant root system and will need all that space! And pay close attention to the quality of the potting soil - you want something very durable yet fast draining, as clems resent a lot of root disruption and you do not want to be repotting just to refresh depleted/collapsed potting soil unnecessarily. Check out the 5-1-1 or gritty mix discussed at length in the Container Gardening forum. Either would be perfect.

Most young clem starts will arrive with only a single - and quite fragile - stem. But careful planting and early attention to pruning will encourage more to form. Plant each vine 4-6 inches deeper than it arrived in its nursery container. And prune back hard for at least the first two growing seasons regardless of pruning group. Both of these practices will encourage healthy root development and additional shooting from the root crown. Also fertilizing with alfalfa meal (or bunny droppings) will encourage a lot of basal stem formation - alfalfa contains natural plant growth hormones that stimulate this sort of growth.

Thanks for the reply. I just found 2 stone urns that I am interested in. Do you know if clematis can be planted in Stone urns? I'm trying to find the planters made of the correct material, and found these Stone urns on Hayneedle.com

I have Bone meal that I use a lot for my garden plants (most of my Iris in the garden had bone meal added to the soil prior to planting the rhizomes).

Will Bone meal work with clematis? I can buy Alfalfa meal if that is better.

Let me know your thoughts.....

As long as the urns are large enough and have adequate drainage holes, they would be fine for clematis. Remember that the vines will need some sort of support system in the containers as well, so be sure to allow enough room for that also.

Bone meal does not supply the same sort of benefits as does alfalfa meal and I wouldn't use one as a substitute for the other. Bone meal is typically a bit heavy on the potassium scale and is generally not necessary, although many websites still swear by it - old, erroneous gardening habits die hard!! :-)) The Myth of Bone meal

The stone Urns are large - 20-inch diameter. Most only recommend 18-inch for clematis planted in containers. Ok, it looks like I will be buying Alfalfa meal. I think I already have Alfalfa pellets, which I initially bought for my Iris bed but never used. I watched a number of videos on YouTube regarding planting Clematis in containers, and all the growers used Bone meal. Check out some of the videos on YouTube - there is quite a library of stuff regarding planting Clematis.

LOL!! I've been growing clems since before a lot of folks on this forum were born! I also worked for one of the largest wholesale growers of clems in the western US (supplies many of the larger, west coast mail order sources as well as most local nurseries) and there isn't much about growing clematis I don't know :-) I also grow a fair number in containers since I downsized from my former larger garden (that had some 60+ clematis vines). I feel very comfortable about the growing advice I provide - much more so than I would from any YouTube video. Most of those I've seen are the work of relatively unskilled/uninformed hobby gardeners. YMMV

Oh my! Ok. Then there's nothing left to say . . . . . . . .

I would like to chime in with a question and tap some of gardengal's wonderful experience. I have started adding more clematis to my garden and they are growing and blooming well. Have a Mrs. Cholmondeley that is about 25 years old that I brought from a former home - have found them easy and rewarding to grow. I have heard that clematis like lime, and should be fertilized much the same as roses [which I grow a lot of]. Should I be adding lime - either in the planting hole when I plant or top dressing with? I would enjoy knowing how and with what to fertilize clematis with. Thank you!

Judith

I think the reported need for lime is a bit overstated :-) Soils in my area are on the acidic side - 6.0-6.5 - and all clematis thrive here without amending to add lime. However, in more strongly acidic soil, some adjustment might be necessary. In TX, which tends to wards more alkaline soil conditions, I doubt any liming is ever necessary. I might add that lime is NOT a fertilizer, just an amendment to alter soil pH, although the right kind of agricultural lime may offer some minor plant nutrients (Ca and Mg) that may or may not be present in the existing soil in suitable concentrations. But only a soil test will determine if that is the case.

Clems will respond favorably to any complete fertilizer as well as to applications of compost. Tomato/vegetable or rose fertilizers are often mentioned as suitable, as both will encourage flowering and not excessive leaf growth. Organic rose fertilizers, which often contain alfalfa meal, may be most suitable as alfalfa meal contains a natural plant growth hormone that encourages basal stem formation, always a good thing with clems and their fragile and often singular stem development when young.

Applications of rabbit manure will accomplish the same thing, as alfalfa is the principal base of a domesticated rabbit's diet. When my daughter was young, we kept several pet rabbits and the bunny poop was applied liberally to all my clems with wonderful results. Rabbit manure is one of the very few animal manures that can be applied directly to the garden without fear of 'burning' or damaging the plants.

I would agree that lime won't be needed, and may even be a problem in Texas soils as they are already alkaline as GG48 said. I garden in very acid soils, and my clematis grow just fine without any added lime, so it certainly isn't needed where you are. I do need to add lime or wood ash to my veggie garden, but that's the only place I add it.

I am delighted to receive gardening advice from experts like gardengal and babs. Thanks to you both! I am more experienced with roses and daylilies, but want to increase my knowledge of clematis. I use an organic rose fertilizer called Mills Magic Rose Mix which is wonderful for roses - it has alfalfa in it. I also use alfalfa pellets on my daylilies. I will put some on my clematis as well this spring. I understand that they shouldn't be fertilized while they are in bud and in flower - is this correct? When would be the best time to put any additives on them? I raise miniature horses and have lots of great composted manure that I topdress my plants with and seems like it would help the clematis as well - is this OK? Thanks ya'll for your informative comments - they are appreciated.

Judith

Judith, your rose fertilizer sounds perfect! I would go ahead and use that. I would suggest applying the ferts when you prune back your vines this spring, similar to the procedure recommended for the roses. And mulching with the composted horse manure won't hurt either.....in fact, a good thick mulch will help protect the root zone from excessive sun and heat and help to retain soil moisture (just keep back from the stems themselves).

I have also read of the cautions against fertilizing whilst in bud or bloom but I have not personally encountered any issues if doing this. A number of my clems are grown in containers and they get fertilized pretty routinely (but somewhat weakly) during the growing season and I have never noticed it affecting flowers or bud formation at all.

Completely OT: Too bad there is not a forum for gardening "pets".......I would love to see a photo or two of your mini horses. I bet they are adorable!!

It's my 1st post to Clematis forum, I am from the rose forum. I like Jackmanii. I planted 2 Clematis (Jackmanii & one pink one) next to my mailbox by the street years ago, but somehow only one pink clematis left, and it wasn't doing great last growing season. Jackmanii was gone. Do you think the road salt ate it? Last 2 winters were very cold, we had a lot of snow, and sub zero temp, and tons of salt was being used on the roads. Is there a salt hardy clematis with long bloom time-from summer to fall? Any thoughts would be great. Thanks.

maximus2015, Hope your Jackmanii long lasting.

I don't know any clematis that bloom all season. There are summer blooming Clematis, and ones that bloom spring and fall, some of which might bloom for 6 weeks or so. My best bloomer is Mikelite which bloomed last summer starting some time in early to mid-June for at least a month and perhaps longer (my photo taking is a bit sporadic.)

I don't think there are any that are salt tolerant. You could try growing a clematis in a large pot that you move to a sheltered spot for the winter (but it would have to be a hardy one) or you could plant something else by the mailbox and plant the clematis somewhere else where they would be happier. My feeling is that all but the smallest clematis (ones bred for pot culture) are larger than your mail carrier would prefer to have growing near the mail box. A healthy Jackmanii is certainly a bit larger than I would plant by my mailbox unless I had a free-standing trellis a few feet away from the mailbox.

A final thought - your clematis might not actually be dead. They will sometimes disappear for a year or two if they are unhappy. A couple of times I have found roots still alive in a spot where I had thought that a clematis had died. In that case I would dig it up and plant it in a spot with good garden soil.

summersrhythm, Your Garden and your Clematis are absolutely beautiful! Kudos to you on creating such a beautiful haven. I'm very envious. Such lovely flowers you have in your Garden.

Thank you very much Maximus. :-) I am a rose gardener, love clematis. Dreaming about gardening during the winter, so ordered more clematis:

The president

Avant-Grade

Jackmanii Superba

Rebecca

Hania

Dr Ruppel

Cardinal Rouge

Daniel Deronda

Great. I will be growing roses this year too - I grow mine in Pots. I'm growing 2 English Roses this year - Graham Thomas, and Queen of Sweden. The 5 Clematis I will be planting this year are: Jackmanii, Rosemoor, Josephine, Rouge Cardinal, and Hagley Hybrid. 3 of them will be planted in Stone Urns, and the other 2 (Jackmanii and Rouge Cardinal) will be planted in the ground. I cant wait for April to get here so I can start planting ! I'm also an avid Iris grower. I have 2 Iris gardens filled with over 60 Historic Tall Bearded Iris.

Just a quick FYI regarding Alfalfa meal vs pellets, you can use pellets. Just toss them at the base of the plant. no need to buy meal if you already have pellets. Rain breaks them down. I toss them all over my garden on Clemmies, roses, daylilies and hostas. Pellets from the feed store are about twelve bucks for forty pounds. Much cheaper than meal in a box from the nursery.

That's what I have- 40lb Alfafa pellets, a horse farmer/gardener told me to soak the pellet in hot water(in a bucket), it breaks down the pellets fast (it looks like grassy oatmeal), when it cools down, I use a cup to toss Alfalfa around my roses, I just started using Alfalfa last summer.

Maximus, Those are very good DA roses (David Austin). Last year I bought a lot of DA roses from Wayside Gardens, they had a sale in April-May, they were $9-13 per rose.

I already have a box of Alfalfa meal, so I'll use that this year . I've noticed that the pricing at Wayside Gardens has gone way up over the last few years. I haven't purchased anything from them in quite awhile. My DA roses are coming direct from David Austin USA.

My Clematis Hybrid "Daniel Deronda" was blooming beautifully after we planted it. Now, we have no blooms. Will it bloom again?

If you trim the plant lightly now, removing the old flowerheads and a short portion of the vine (12-18" depending on its size), you will likely get a few late summer blooms. A number of pruning group 2 LFH's will offer a sparse repeat bloom in late summer if lightly pruned after the initial bloom flush.

Thanks. I did remove the old flowerheads but the plant is only about 18 inches tall now so I hesitate to prune the vine itself.

Does fertilizer help? If so... what should I use?

No, fertilizer will not have any impact. It is really the light pruning that will trigger any rebloom.

OK thanks!

If only 18" tall now, it must be a pretty new vine!! If so, I wouldn't be overly concerned about it producing a later bloom this season but rather focus just on general care to get the plant properly established. Clems often do not bloom very heavily or perform typically until 3-5 years of establishment.

My clematis was doing welllot of blooms, looked yesterday the plant is brown a almost dead why

HU-665701964,

Some things to check:

Look for damage to the vines from critters or weather

Check soil moisture. Is it soggy or dry or evenly moist?

Some general questions:

Do you know what kind of clematis it is or do you have a photo of it before it started looking dead or even one now?

How long has your clematis been in the ground, or is it in a pot?

Is it mulched and how do you decide when to water it?

Where generally do you live?

What has your weather been like recently?

The good news is that clematis will often come back given care, though it may or may not be this season.

(7) of my potted Clematis have been pruned down to the soil level. This was just not my year for Clematis. Only (1) so far is beginning to grow, and that is Duchess of Albany. None of the others are growing.