Anyone know about clematis?

[koshki]

Hi all,
Well, I'm starting to turn my attention to my garden outdoors. DH and I have decided to put up a bird house on a 4x4 post, and would like to grow a clematis up it.

But I can't figure out which pruning type would be best. I have a type 3 (hard prune) growing on a fence. But I'm not sure which would be better to get all the way to the top of the post. (I'm guesstimating it will be at least 8 feet tall, maybe more?)

Anyone have any suggestions? TIA!

[PhalNewbie89]

I am not sure what you mean by pruning type but I do know that my mother's clematis all come back each year and grow all over our front porch.

[LouisW]

Before you read my advice know that the only experience I have is with growing native species of clematis in the harsh New Mexico climate so your plants and conditions could be totally different.

Our species of clematis would easily climb to eight feet. Here they occur on forest floors, and are often ground cover instead of vining. Being ground cover on the forest floor they need cooler temps and more water. I don't believe the have a good mechanism for climbing so they depend on tangling into themselves and other plants. That means that you might have to keep them on the right track by tying them to your support as they grow. Im not sure what "hard prune" means but I don't think most cultivated kinds would have trouble reaching 8 feet in good conditions.

[Daethen]

I don't know that much about them, but my MIL grows a few and never cuts them back unless the vine has dried up. Our ex-neighbor had huge ones growing up the side of their house and never pruned theirs. Hers were easily 10 feet high. Just wrap some welded wire or chicken wire around the pole for it to get a grip on.

[steam fire and ice]

I agree with what Jonada said. Don't cut it back unless the vine is dead, usually you find that out totally the next spring, when the plant starts growing again after winter. If you dont prune it back, it will put out new flowers on the exisiting plant, as well as grow and expand out. We always treated ours like our crepe myrtles, and we were always rewarded with a full large plant.

[koshki]

Clematis come in three pruning types. Most are type 2 or type 3. Type two blooms on old wood first, then new wood later in the season. Type 3 blooms on new wood, many of which can have a couple flushes of blooms.

With type 2, you're supposed to lightly prune to shape. Type 3 gets pruned hard in February or March to about 8" tall, and grows back.

I'm trying to figure out which type would be best to grow up a post.

[Dorchid]

I just know they like their heads in the sun and their feet in the shade. I don't have enough sun at my house to grow them, but my mom has a few. The one that always grows the best and is COVERED in flowers is purple, and I think the name is "Jackmani", or something like that. It has to be tied up, and I think it dies back to the ground every year, but it is a nice, dependable, cold hardy plant.

[koshki]

I have a jackmanii hybrid on my fence...I love it. Last summer was the first time it bloomed for me since we bought the house in early 2009. My neighbor's evil ivy had been choking it out. Last spring I cut the ivy back and the clematis thanked me for it!

[psyc1210]

I have Clematis terniflora (aka Sweet Autumn Clematis), and that grows all over my 6 foot fence. It is covered with small white flowers in August-September. I really love it. I believe it is a type 3, my neighbor prunes hers down to the ground after it blooms in September, and it comes back stronger than ever every single year. I didn't prune mine at all last year and it was crazy big. I cut it about 10 inches from the ground this year, and I see new growth starting on it already.

[qutesnowbunny]

I have 4 different types of clematis growing over our 5 foot fence and over my rose arbor. These have grown well over 8 feet. One is Clematis terniflora with small white blooms towards the end of the summer into fall, two are spring blooming not sure of the names but they are deep violet purple and bright fuschia, and the 4th is a white fragrant huge bloom thats in between the others. Clematis are wild growers, so they will grow up or out you just have to work it up where you want it to go. If you set it up to grow up your post or pole or arbor it will go where you lead it

[11Orchid126]

There is a Gardenweb Gardening site with various topics listed in alphabetical order. You might try the Clematis Forum:

Clematis Forum - GardenWeb

[koshki]

Well, thanks everyone. I finally thought to email a clematis grower (in Georgia, I think), and they helped me sort out my dilemma. So here's the difference.

It seems the type 2s are bred to have a big show in spring, then are kind of ratty until the new growth blooms later in the summer.

Type 3s take a while longer to bloom, but are attractive growing until then, and bloom longer in the fall.

So, it's type 3 for me! He also recommended we attach guide wires along the sides of the posts with eye hooks for the clematis to grow up.

Hopefully I will have something pretty to post later this summer! Now I just have to decide which of the hundreds of beautiful plants to choose!

[Phalcycle]

I forget which type a clematis will keep growing from existing branches, but you should get that variety.
I have a type 3 clematis, which grows from the ground each year, which wouldn't fill your trellis.