"Chris Hogg" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 7 Jun 2011 12:20:59 +0000, may
wrote:


kay;925876 Wrote:
What are you doing in the way of pruning the clematis? It's the new
growth the snails like, and although they can climb, most damage is
within a couple of feet of ground level. I find that if I can get my
clematis above about 3 ft high (if necessary by growing them in a pot in
the greenhouse away from snails) then they are OK. It's a matter of
making sure they have dry woody stems up to about 3ft, so, obviously,
never pruning them lower than that.



these clematis have been in the ground for about 3 or 4 years and
they were getting quite big, one was all over an obolisk about 6 feet
tall, and another was growing through a roderdendron about 7 foot tall ,
and the others were all about 4 feet tall .
i have noticed that the snails only seem to go for the big flower
type.

The ones that are early flowering like the montana they seem to stay
away from ,and the ones that have to be pruned alot with a smaller leaf
and flower they dont seem to go for those either, but its the big
saucer flower ones that they always go for .

Scatter some slug pellets around them. The new ones based on ferric
phosphate are very effective and harmless to other wildlife. Kills
snails as well as slugs. Available in all good garden centres and DIY
stores. See

http://www.organiccatalog.com/catalo...oducts_id=1821

--

Chris

Gardening in West Cornwall overlooking the sea.
Mild, but very exposed to salt gales

Seconded, very very impressed with these here, thought they were a lot more
expensive but they actually do a better job with far less pellets so are
lasting longer. But I still use the liquid killer for climbers that are
being targeted by snails


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