Stunted Clematis

[sparkles2307]

I got a Celtic Skies Clematis from Michigan Bulb in APRIL. Kept it inside because in April in MN there was still 6 in of snow on the ground. I followed the directions to the letter for keeping it indoors till ready to plant and it seemed to do fine. Its been in the ground with BEAUTIFUL growing conditions for 2 months now. It has grown 2 new leaves and 1/2 inch in height...thats it. The other flowers I got from MB are doing GREAT but this thing just sits there, I had to go to the local nursery and get a black eyed susan to take up room on the trellis till the clematis gets motivated. What do I do to encourage growth? Or are they just slow movers all the time?

 

[Hattie the Hen]

Hi sparkles

Getting a clematis away to a good start is very important! It is very important to dig a very big hole for it -- about 3ft across & 18" deep. You need to add a lot of mature compost because it needs plenty of feeding for the first year at least. Often the company supplying it suggests you cut it back to 6" high after planting! You should have been told to keep it well watered & to position it where it's head was in the sun & it's feet in the shade. I ALWAYS put a pile of rocks or paving slabs at its base. These help to keep it cool & moist (they also help you realise what is there in the winter when it dies back.

If you did all this & it has done very little in terms of height it is probably making a strong root system -- this is very important as this is what it needs to support the top growth for the coming years.

I would email the company you bought it from & tell them about it's lack of progress (keep copies of your email & their reply in case you need it in the future. This will at least register the fact that you are not happy with its progress. They may offer other suggestions that are helpful.

Personally I would give it a good watering with Aspirin water once a week for the rest of the summer watering with ordinary water on the other days. In the fall I would mulch deeply for the winter.

Good Luck & let us know how it goes.

I have about 30 clematis in my garden which come into bloom at various times of the year! :happy_flower


:rose Hattie :rose

 

[sparkles2307]

Thanks Hattie, this clematis was only 2 inches tall when I got it, with a tiny root ball...a 3ft hole would have swallowed it up! I did make about a 12 inch hole, about 12 inches deep with 4 inches of mulch and loose soil in the bottom. Its got 8 hours of direct sunlight and the afternoons off once the sun is to the west. Well-drained soil that all the other things I planted are doing great in.

 

[Hattie the Hen]

Hi sparkles!

GOSH! In my opinion 2" tall is really too small to plant out in the wide world. I would have planted it in a pot & sunk that into the soil for the summer & bought it inside for next winter. I have never heard of a clematis being sold that small. I have bought them at about a foot high & even those are difficult to get established in time for winter!

What advice did the bulb company give you?

I still think Aspirin water will help!

:rose Hattie :rose

 

[patandchickens]

It's not stunted, it's just itsy teeny tiny. (Lesson: this is what you get from Michigan Bulb Co.)

Be extremely nice to it, and in a few years it may start approaching what you could have bought for $15 from a local nursery :>

Clematis do well with a rock or paver over their roots, to help keep the soil cool and moist and to reduce weed competition. So that might be worth considering.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[sparkles2307]

Thanks for the tips. I know I know...*sigh* I should have just got the plain old purple ones at the local nursery, but I always have to have what no one else has...so I went with the mail order one even tho I knew better....I will implement these tips and see what happens. I will be sure to really take care of it over the winter too!

 

[patandchickens]

It is ok to get clematis by mail, from what I have heard form others -- although chances are there's a better nursery somewhere within a couple hour drive of your house that has a wide selection of the fancy types already potted up and growing on well, which would be the ideal solution -- but it is worth, er, how to say this, not buying them from somewhere like Michigan Bulb Co. (They're ok for very hardy bulbs and such, that you don't mind if some die and are willing to wait a few yrs for them to grow into their full size and health, but there are definitely, ah, other mail-order outlets that will provide more satisfying plants)

Pat