"shazzbat" wrote in message
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"Charlie Pridham" wrote in message
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"ZeroZero" wrote in message
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Sounds like a montana type, it should be in flower now, if its not but
seems otherwise healthy chop it back now and let some light and air in.
If its very old this may kill it but they die of old age eventually
unless they are cut back from time to time. If its not leafed out then
its had it any way!

We just lost our montana Rubens. There were a few buds, but none opened.
It was planted on a south facing wall, and there were various other things
around it at ground level, so it did have it's "feet in the shade, and
it's head in the sun" which is traditionally quoted as the best thing for
them. I don't know whether the cold winter did for it, or it just died of
old age, as has been suggested. Other montanas around here seem to be
having a bumper year. Anyway, it did us so well for a decade or more that
we've now replaced it with anothe Rubens.

Steve

Steve, what seems to happen with these is left un pruned for years the
stems become large and woody and rot from the inside, its better in the long
term if an old stem is removed every 5 years or so and the plant forced to
make some new growth low down (easier said than done!).

I have just noticed in the original post that growmore was given, never a
good idea to feed something that has good leaves and no flowers it just
encourages more leaves


--
Charlie, Gardening in Cornwall
Holders of National Collections of Clematis viticella
and Lapageria rosea cvs
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk