Last year I successfully grew one clematis. A Polish Spirit. I haven't
cut it at all, just let all the leaves die on the vine. After winter a
lot of leaves are dried in place. I remember the clematis had very
delicate, brittle wood when it was growing.

How can you tell this is still viable wood vs. dead wood? (it looks so
dead!)

I can't see damage, but other vines have died off from very tiny
damage. Do you just wait it out?

When do clematis first show life? After frost date?



DiGiTAL ViNYL (no email)
Zone 6b/7, Westchester Co, NY, 1 mile off L.I.Sound
1st Year Gardener

On Mon, 01 Mar 2004 19:49:49 +0000, DigitalVinyl wrote:

Last year I successfully grew one clematis. A Polish Spirit. I haven't
cut it at all, just let all the leaves die on the vine. After winter a
lot of leaves are dried in place. I remember the clematis had very
delicate, brittle wood when it was growing.

How can you tell this is still viable wood vs. dead wood? (it looks so
dead!)

I can't see damage, but other vines have died off from very tiny
damage. Do you just wait it out?

When do clematis first show life? After frost date?



DiGiTAL ViNYL (no email)
Zone 6b/7, Westchester Co, NY, 1 mile off L.I.Sound
1st Year Gardener


I cut my clematis back to 3" above soil line. It grows back vigorously
every year. Clematis should come alive when the weather warms. Look at
the crown for new shoots. If the crown has turned to mush, that's it for
the plant.

You may already know this, clematis like cool feet but sun on the
branches. Shade the roots/crown for best performance. Also, clematis are
not water plants, i.e., they do not take kindly to poorly drained soils or
wet feet.

On Mon, 01 Mar 2004 19:49:49 +0000, DigitalVinyl wrote:

Last year I successfully grew one clematis. A Polish Spirit. I haven't
cut it at all, just let all the leaves die on the vine. After winter a
lot of leaves are dried in place. I remember the clematis had very
delicate, brittle wood when it was growing.

How can you tell this is still viable wood vs. dead wood? (it looks so
dead!)

I can't see damage, but other vines have died off from very tiny
damage. Do you just wait it out?

When do clematis first show life? After frost date?



DiGiTAL ViNYL (no email)
Zone 6b/7, Westchester Co, NY, 1 mile off L.I.Sound
1st Year Gardener


I cut my clematis back to 3" above soil line. It grows back vigorously
every year. Clematis should come alive when the weather warms. Look at
the crown for new shoots. If the crown has turned to mush, that's it for
the plant.

You may already know this, clematis like cool feet but sun on the
branches. Shade the roots/crown for best performance. Also, clematis are
not water plants, i.e., they do not take kindly to poorly drained soils or
wet feet.

On Mon, 01 Mar 2004 19:49:49 +0000, DigitalVinyl wrote:

Last year I successfully grew one clematis. A Polish Spirit. I haven't
cut it at all, just let all the leaves die on the vine. After winter a
lot of leaves are dried in place. I remember the clematis had very
delicate, brittle wood when it was growing.

How can you tell this is still viable wood vs. dead wood? (it looks so
dead!)

I can't see damage, but other vines have died off from very tiny
damage. Do you just wait it out?

When do clematis first show life? After frost date?



DiGiTAL ViNYL (no email)
Zone 6b/7, Westchester Co, NY, 1 mile off L.I.Sound
1st Year Gardener


I cut my clematis back to 3" above soil line. It grows back vigorously
every year. Clematis should come alive when the weather warms. Look at
the crown for new shoots. If the crown has turned to mush, that's it for
the plant.

You may already know this, clematis like cool feet but sun on the
branches. Shade the roots/crown for best performance. Also, clematis are
not water plants, i.e., they do not take kindly to poorly drained soils or
wet feet.

I leave it alone until it is all leafed out and then trim dead stuff. there are
different clematis leaf out different times. Ingrid

DigitalVinyl wrote:
How can you tell this is still viable wood vs. dead wood? (it looks so
dead!)
When do clematis first show life? After frost date?


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

I leave it alone until it is all leafed out and then trim dead stuff. there are
different clematis leaf out different times. Ingrid

DigitalVinyl wrote:
How can you tell this is still viable wood vs. dead wood? (it looks so
dead!)
When do clematis first show life? After frost date?


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

On Mon, 01 Mar 2004 19:49:49 GMT, DigitalVinyl
wrote:

Last year I successfully grew one clematis. A Polish Spirit. I haven't
cut it at all, just let all the leaves die on the vine. After winter a
lot of leaves are dried in place. I remember the clematis had very
delicate, brittle wood when it was growing.

How can you tell this is still viable wood vs. dead wood? (it looks so
dead!)

I can't see damage, but other vines have died off from very tiny
damage. Do you just wait it out?

When do clematis first show life? After frost date?




I'm interested in hearing the responses to this. I have three
different kinds of clematis (spring, and 2 summer bloomers). They
look like dead vines on the trellis, but believe me, they will flower
soon. What beautiful blooms from such an ugly vine! If you trim it
down, you may have no blooms.
:-(

On Mon, 01 Mar 2004 22:28:54 GMT, wrote:

I leave it alone until it is all leafed out and then trim dead stuff. there are
different clematis leaf out different times. Ingrid

DigitalVinyl wrote:
How can you tell this is still viable wood vs. dead wood? (it looks so
dead!)
When do clematis first show life? After frost date?


Just be patient. I'm in Eastern Ontario and mine come back every
year. They look like dead sticks until the buds finally break.
Joe



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

On Mon, 01 Mar 2004 22:28:54 GMT, wrote:

I leave it alone until it is all leafed out and then trim dead stuff. there are
different clematis leaf out different times. Ingrid

DigitalVinyl wrote:
How can you tell this is still viable wood vs. dead wood? (it looks so
dead!)
When do clematis first show life? After frost date?


Just be patient. I'm in Eastern Ontario and mine come back every
year. They look like dead sticks until the buds finally break.
Joe



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

"DigitalVinyl" wrote in message
...
Last year I successfully grew one clematis. A Polish Spirit. I haven't
cut it at all, just let all the leaves die on the vine. After winter a
lot of leaves are dried in place. I remember the clematis had very
delicate, brittle wood when it was growing.

How can you tell this is still viable wood vs. dead wood? (it looks so
dead!)

I can't see damage, but other vines have died off from very tiny
damage. Do you just wait it out?

When do clematis first show life? After frost date?

'Polish Spirit' is a viticella clematis. It requires a hard pruning each
spring, approximately at the same time forsythia is done blooming. A hard
pruning is down to 12" - no further. ALL newly planted clematis will benefit
from a hard pruning after their first season in the ground - it strengthens
the root system and makes them more resistant to clematis wilt. After their
first season, you will need to prune according to their type and bloom time,
but not to the ground.

If you have other clematis questions, check the website of the International
Clematis Society or the GardenWeb Clematis forum. Both have excellent FAQ's
and very knowledgeable posters.

pam - gardengal

"DigitalVinyl" wrote in message
...
Last year I successfully grew one clematis. A Polish Spirit. I haven't
cut it at all, just let all the leaves die on the vine. After winter a
lot of leaves are dried in place. I remember the clematis had very
delicate, brittle wood when it was growing.

How can you tell this is still viable wood vs. dead wood? (it looks so
dead!)

I can't see damage, but other vines have died off from very tiny
damage. Do you just wait it out?

When do clematis first show life? After frost date?

'Polish Spirit' is a viticella clematis. It requires a hard pruning each
spring, approximately at the same time forsythia is done blooming. A hard
pruning is down to 12" - no further. ALL newly planted clematis will benefit
from a hard pruning after their first season in the ground - it strengthens
the root system and makes them more resistant to clematis wilt. After their
first season, you will need to prune according to their type and bloom time,
but not to the ground.

If you have other clematis questions, check the website of the International
Clematis Society or the GardenWeb Clematis forum. Both have excellent FAQ's
and very knowledgeable posters.

pam - gardengal

"Pam - gardengal" wrote:


"DigitalVinyl" wrote in message
.. .
Last year I successfully grew one clematis. A Polish Spirit. I haven't
cut it at all, just let all the leaves die on the vine. After winter a
lot of leaves are dried in place. I remember the clematis had very
delicate, brittle wood when it was growing.

How can you tell this is still viable wood vs. dead wood? (it looks so
dead!)

I can't see damage, but other vines have died off from very tiny
damage. Do you just wait it out?

When do clematis first show life? After frost date?

'Polish Spirit' is a viticella clematis. It requires a hard pruning each
spring, approximately at the same time forsythia is done blooming. A hard
pruning is down to 12" - no further. ALL newly planted clematis will benefit
from a hard pruning after their first season in the ground - it strengthens
the root system and makes them more resistant to clematis wilt. After their
first season, you will need to prune according to their type and bloom time,
but not to the ground.

If you have other clematis questions, check the website of the International
Clematis Society or the GardenWeb Clematis forum. Both have excellent FAQ's
and very knowledgeable posters.

pam - gardengal

Thanks Pam for reminding me of that. I had a group 2 and a group 3,
and I was thinking this was the group 2. I will cut this back now
before weather warms any more.

Thanks.
DiGiTAL ViNYL (no email)
Zone 6b/7, Westchester Co, NY, 1 mile off L.I.Sound
1st Year Gardener

"Pam - gardengal" wrote:


"DigitalVinyl" wrote in message
.. .
Last year I successfully grew one clematis. A Polish Spirit. I haven't
cut it at all, just let all the leaves die on the vine. After winter a
lot of leaves are dried in place. I remember the clematis had very
delicate, brittle wood when it was growing.

How can you tell this is still viable wood vs. dead wood? (it looks so
dead!)

I can't see damage, but other vines have died off from very tiny
damage. Do you just wait it out?

When do clematis first show life? After frost date?

'Polish Spirit' is a viticella clematis. It requires a hard pruning each
spring, approximately at the same time forsythia is done blooming. A hard
pruning is down to 12" - no further. ALL newly planted clematis will benefit
from a hard pruning after their first season in the ground - it strengthens
the root system and makes them more resistant to clematis wilt. After their
first season, you will need to prune according to their type and bloom time,
but not to the ground.

If you have other clematis questions, check the website of the International
Clematis Society or the GardenWeb Clematis forum. Both have excellent FAQ's
and very knowledgeable posters.

pam - gardengal

Thanks Pam for reminding me of that. I had a group 2 and a group 3,
and I was thinking this was the group 2. I will cut this back now
before weather warms any more.

Thanks.
DiGiTAL ViNYL (no email)
Zone 6b/7, Westchester Co, NY, 1 mile off L.I.Sound
1st Year Gardener

Joe wrote:

On Mon, 01 Mar 2004 22:28:54 GMT, wrote:

I leave it alone until it is all leafed out and then trim dead stuff. there are
different clematis leaf out different times. Ingrid

DigitalVinyl wrote:
How can you tell this is still viable wood vs. dead wood? (it looks so
dead!)
When do clematis first show life? After frost date?


Just be patient. I'm in Eastern Ontario and mine come back every
year. They look like dead sticks until the buds finally break.
Joe

That's exactly how it looks. Eight feet of dead sticks.
DiGiTAL ViNYL (no email)
Zone 6b/7, Westchester Co, NY, 1 mile off L.I.Sound
1st Year Gardener

Joe wrote:

On Mon, 01 Mar 2004 22:28:54 GMT, wrote:

I leave it alone until it is all leafed out and then trim dead stuff. there are
different clematis leaf out different times. Ingrid

DigitalVinyl wrote:
How can you tell this is still viable wood vs. dead wood? (it looks so
dead!)
When do clematis first show life? After frost date?


Just be patient. I'm in Eastern Ontario and mine come back every
year. They look like dead sticks until the buds finally break.
Joe

That's exactly how it looks. Eight feet of dead sticks.
DiGiTAL ViNYL (no email)
Zone 6b/7, Westchester Co, NY, 1 mile off L.I.Sound
1st Year Gardener