I have inherited this old clematis with roots as thick as a child's arm. It has not flowered last year and this year their are no buds. I haveno idea of the variety. Part of the problem may be shade as it is in a passageway, but even those parts that have escaped over a wall into direct sunshine have no buds. The previous gardener specialised in giant brambles so i dont think its been cared for. I did put some growmore on the roots last year - but zilch.
Should i hard prune, if so how?
how do you fix such an old monster I should hate to lose it

Zero

thanks

"ZeroZero" wrote in message
...

I have inherited this old clematis with roots as thick as a child's arm.
It has not flowered last year and this year their are no buds. I haveno
idea of the variety. Part of the problem may be shade as it is in a
passageway, but even those parts that have escaped over a wall into
direct sunshine have no buds. The previous gardener specialised in giant
brambles so i dont think its been cared for. I did put some growmore on
the roots last year - but zilch.
Should i hard prune, if so how?
how do you fix such an old monster I should hate to lose it

Zero

thanks




--
ZeroZero

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!

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

Montanas are funny things. I had one for about 10 years that never gave me many, if any, flowers, frost always seemed to occur at the wrong time, and bits of it were frequently dying back. The winter before last it froze to the ground, and I put all the above ground plant into the bin in the spring. Then new shoots came from the roots in the summer, it grew like wildfire, and this spring a plant as large as it has ever been was completely covered in flowers.

The clemitas has lots of leaf and it seems to be flourishing yet no flower buds

"ZeroZero" wrote in message
...

The clemitas has lots of leaf and it seems to be flourishing yet no
flower buds




--
ZeroZero

You don't say where you are but if the spot where its growing is prone to
spring frost then buds get zapped, the plant is hardy but the emerging buds
are not.

Since you have no flowers it is possible it is another sort of clematis
entirely, some pictures posted on the web with a link to here would help.


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

"Charlie Pridham" wrote in message
...

"ZeroZero" wrote in message
...

I have inherited this old clematis with roots as thick as a child's arm.
It has not flowered last year and this year their are no buds. I haveno
idea of the variety. Part of the problem may be shade as it is in a
passageway, but even those parts that have escaped over a wall into
direct sunshine have no buds. The previous gardener specialised in giant
brambles so i dont think its been cared for. I did put some growmore on
the roots last year - but zilch.
Should i hard prune, if so how?
how do you fix such an old monster I should hate to lose it

Zero

thanks




--
ZeroZero

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

"shazzbat" wrote in message
...

"Charlie Pridham" wrote in message
...

"ZeroZero" wrote in message
...



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