Training climbers

I worked at a specialist clematis grower for a few years and would be dismayed at the lack of good specimen plants around the nursery trained correctly to show people how to get the best from their plants. The advice from the staff was good but they couldn't back it up with an example, and you know what they say about a picture?

At Alnwick gardens, one of the North East of Englands' major tourist attractions, ( Where those dire Harry Potter films were shot ) The clematis against the walls have been left to shoot to the tops of the walls. So there is ten feet of bare stem with a clump of growth hanging over the top of the wall. How often have you seen that in a garden?

I tend to use wires as opposed to trellis if I'm training anything against a fence or wall. They are much less visible for one thing. Plant your climber at least 12 inches away from the wall/fence and angle it in towards the wall. The first wire or trellis lat should be 18'' above the ground and span horizontally as far out as you want it to go. aim for at least 2' /60cms either side of the climber. Seperate the plant stems out and loop them round the wire or tie them in so that even numbers of stem are going out in both directions. When they are at the end of the support, loop then up to the next support which needs to be approximately 10'' /24cms above the first. Train them along this to opposite ends so that they cross each other in the middle.




Here have a look at a one year old Montana alba doing the old zig zag thing.











If the climber you bought only has one stem take it back and buy a decent one. I hate those 'one stemmed wonders' that garden centres sell. Below you can see a good example of a one stem wonder and a multi stem beaut'.

Both Montana clematis but the one on the right, apart from having liverworts on the pot, has been neglegted. No signs of pinching out, the one and only stem being allowed to race to the top of the cane. The left hand specimen looks clean, green and from memory had at least five stems. growing climbers is like building a pyramid you want a good broad foundation at the bottom not a single point on which a broad expanse is allowed to grow. So you are training your climber outwards along supports, looping up and training along the next support. This system should be continued over the months and years until the desired height is met. You will end up with a wall of colour, when the plant flowers, as opposed to a blob of colour on top of a bunch of naked twigs. If you have bought a one stemme wonder and cant be hassled to return it cut it hard back in its first spring. If it is an early flowerer ie flowers before late May, let it bloom then take it hard back. Mulch well with Farm yard or stable muck. Then start from scratch with the training system described.

The next picture shows two of my favourite clematis grown in 7.5litre pots. There are three of each plant per pot, grown on four feet canes. The plants were spiralled around the canes as they grew but they were also pinched out at regular intervals to encourage more stems. So from a foundation of fifteen stems you can triple or quadruple the amount of flower producing growth. These are group 3 clematis so they are pruned hard down to ground level each spring. all that growth and flower comes in one year.

The left is Clematis 'Madame Julia Correvon 'and the sexy dark flowers belong to a Polish bred recent introduction called Clematis 'Romatika'.

Romantika detail.

Madame Julia Correvon.











Pinching out is essential in order to get as many stems as possible and increase the flower potential of your climber. Simply wait till a new stem produces two pairs of leaves then pinch out the growing tip. When do you do this? Well I always wait till the moon is approaching or around the new moon phase when less fluid is pumping through the plant. http://www.gardeningbythemoon.com Tree hugging hippy crap?? Not from my experience. The phases of the moon had a dramatic effect on the growth rate of the clematis I worked with. The photos above should illustrate the results I got from following the moon in my care of these plants. Why should you pinch out? Well from each tip removed will come two more stems, and so on and so on. Stop pinching out by Mid May with the group 3s as they will be thinking about flower bud production by then. Group 2s pinch out after the first flowering. Same with group 1s.

If you plant in the ground mulch well with bulky organic fertiliser. Your own compost or farm yard muck. Dont place flat stones around the base of your clematis to shade the roots! Why not? Becuase what likes to shelter under flat stones?..... Slugs! And slugs love the fresh new growth of clematis. Use course grit about 2"/5cm thick around the base of your climbers.

The best clematis for trellis or wire support training are the group two or early large flowered hybrids. They tend to only produce four to six leaf pairs before a flower bud so quite short growth. Also you dont prune them too savagely in the spring. Usually only taking strong stems back by three buds or so, weaker ones a bit further. I prefer the group 3s with their fast growth and months of mid to late summer flowers. Also they are ideal for growing up through shrubs and trees to add a bit of interest to their host. Chose an early flowering shrub such as Forsythia or Philadelphus and grow a late flowering clematis through it. Come spring find the base of the clematis grab all the stems together and cut them all about two buds above ground level. Should take about 30 seconds. Pull the stems from the host and shred them for the compost heap. Group 1s the early small flowered such as Alpinas, Macropetallers, Montanas and Koreanas can be grown either way but choose a big strong shrub or tree to host them as they require pruning only when they get out of hand. Again wait till after flowering before pruning.
OK hope that helps. Go and get grubby.