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- Cut back clematis or not - tips for pruning
- It is better not to cut back spring blooms
- Here a light summer cut is recommended
- Summer bloomers call for courageous pruning
- Tips & Tricks
Cut back clematis or not - tips for pruning
The topic pruning of a clematis is discussed controversially among gardeners. We have looked around among recognized experts and collected useful tips. Here you can get help on how to cut back on a clematis or not.
It is better not to cut back spring blooms
It is the vital wild species, such as Clematis alpina or Clematis montana, that do not necessarily require a pruning. Choose a wrong time, in the worst case you rob the magnificent clematis of this year's flower abundance. Early-flowering clematis lay their buds in the previous year. How to handle the cut if necessary:
Here a light summer cut is recommended
Double flowering hybrids, such as the majestic clematis 'The President', welcome a slight cut after the first flowering. For this purpose, in June, cut off all withered flowers, including the leaf pair underneath. The clematis thanked with another floret after 6-8 weeks.
Summer bloomers call for courageous pruning
They bloom incessantly from June to well into the autumn and develop an imposing habit. The mighty summer blooms among the clematis species produce long tendrils each year, where they bloom lavishly. In order for Clematis viticella and their conspecifics to accomplish this miracle, the pruning is crucial. That is how it goes:
Anyone who does without the radical pruning of these clematis will sooner or later be confronted with a long-lived forest vine. As light and air are no longer able to reach the inside of the climbing plant, the shoots give way to sad sticks.
Tips & Tricks
In a freshly planted clematis, the question is not whether to cut it back or not. Here is a built-up section in November or December of the planting year indispensable. Cut all tendrils back to 20 or 30 centimeters. The result is a powerful, sprouting, densely branching climber next year.