GR3/5/04 2:12
03ucsonqn7drilmuegtfe5@4ax
..com

I've just been bought my very first clematis, and it's in bloom (well,
about four flowers are open). Am I supposed to cut it right back once
it's planted, or should I just leave it?

If it's in bloom, it won't expect to be cut back while it's performing for
you - it's waited all year for this moment of glory! ;-) All you're going
to do is transfer it from one 'bed' (the pot) to another, so don't cut it.
Plant it, water it, keep the root run cool with a piece of slate or stone or
the shelter of another shrub and let it 'do its own thing'. If planting it
against a house wall, keep the roots about 2' out from the wall so that they
aren't in the rain shadow of the house gutters. And don't let it dry out
because Clematis don't like to be too dry.
Find out what it is, either in terms of its name or its type and then the
many here that grow Clematis will be able to tell you when, how and if to
prune it.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)