my husband brought me in 3 lovely clematis yesterday, i wonder if anyone can help , i had ivy out side my front wall it grew everywhere, as you can imagine i cut it all off from the roots , i loved it but it was growing over to my neighbours wall and she is a rottweiler, hence the reason for cutting it away , the problem is i cant get the thing off the wall. i was wondering if i could plant one of the clematis and would it grow to cover the now eysore ivy
any help would be grand
If you can be patient and give the ivy time to wilt and die you will be able to pull it off your wall. Leaving it there will be unsightly, especially in winter when the clematis is dormant.
Meanwhile, either plant the clematis in bigger pots so they can expand their roots and feed their top growth or plant them in situe but don't let them attach themselves to the wall and ivy as you'll lose the new top growth when you remove the ivy. Once the ivy is gone, you'll need to provide supports for the clematis using either horizontal wires attached at regular intervals with vine screws or trellis panels attached to the wall using battens so they can twine around and behind and also have aeration.
Quote from: Obbelix on June 10, 2010, 14:15:48
If you can be patient and give the ivy time to wilt and die you will be able to pull it off your wall. Leaving it there will be unsightly, especially in winter when the clematis is dormant.
Meanwhile, either plant the clematis in bigger pots so they can expand their roots and feed their top growth or plant them in situe but don't let them attach themselves to the wall and ivy as you'll lose the new top growth when you remove the ivy. Once the ivy is gone, you'll need to provide supports for the clematis using either horizontal wires attached at regular intervals with vine screws or trellis panels attached to the wall using battens so they can twine around and behind and also have aeration.
thanks i just phoned the man we got them from he told us exactly what you say thanks ever so much
may
Glad to be of help. Something I forgot to add is that yu should plant your new clematis 4"/10cms lower in their new home than they were in tehir original pots. This encourages them to send up extra shoots form tehir roots and provides insurance should they succumb to an illness called clematis wilt.
If they do, they will wilt from teh top down. As soon as you spot tis happening, remove all the stems above the ground to stop teh infection spreading downwards then give th eroots a good drink of liquid tomato or rose food for an instant tonic and apply a mulch of garden compost mixed with pelleted chicken manure or blood fish and bone. This will give a slower release feed to encourage new shoots.
Never give up on a clematis. They can take a couple of years to settle but will then take off. I've also had OH behead 3 of mine with his hoe so I now put an upturned clay plant pot over their base to protect them. J ust bash out the bottom gently with a hammer and upturn it over the clem when you plant it. The three he butchered all came back though one took 2 years to emerge again.
Young clematis foliage is gourmet nosh for slugs so use wildlife friendly slug pellets to protect them.
Quote from: Obbelix on June 10, 2010, 16:23:34
Glad to be of help. Something I forgot to add is that yu should plant your new clematis 4"/10cms lower in their new home than they were in tehir original pots. This encourages them to send up extra shoots form tehir roots and provides insurance should they succumb to an illness called clematis wilt.
If they do, they will wilt from teh top down. As soon as you spot tis happening, remove all the stems above the ground to stop teh infection spreading downwards then give th eroots a good drink of liquid tomato or rose food for an instant tonic and apply a mulch of garden compost mixed with pelleted chicken manure or blood fish and bone. This will give a slower release feed to encourage new shoots.
Never give up on a clematis. They can take a couple of years to settle but will then take off. I've also had OH behead 3 of mine with his hoe so I now put an upturned clay plant pot over their base to protect them. J ust bash out the bottom gently with a hammer and upturn it over the clem when you plant it. The three he butchered all came back though one took 2 years to emerge again.
Young clematis foliage is gourmet nosh for slugs so use wildlife friendly slug pellets to protect them.
yes hubby said that the man told him to plant it lower i thought he had misheard him but thanks for that he was right , he also said to put a cut off bottle in the side of it to water it from there why would that be
You bury the neck end of the bottle next to the roots and then use that as a funnel when watering so it goes directly to the roots and doesn't just spread over the surface and evaporate.
It's not something I do. I find it ugly. It's easier on the eye to make a small saucer effect around the stems where they emerge and raise the soil slightly away from there. Then water drains naturally towards the roots.
It is ofeten held that clematis like their feet in the shade and heads in the sun. Some people advise placing slates and stones around the stems but I find that just makes hiding places for slugs. Better to plant something in front to shade the roots. Also some clematis, especially the large flowered hybrids, have flowers which fade quickly if in direct sun so shade or dappled shade is best for them.
thanks obbelix,