How to plant a clematis: depth, position and first prune
Half an hour of careful planting sets a clematis up for decades. Here is how to do it properly.
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Section · 3 guidesPlanting & care
Planting depth, position, watering, feeding and dealing with problems such as clematis wilt, explained step by step.
Here you will find the practical groundwork for keeping a clematis healthy, from the day it goes into the soil through each season that follows.
The guides answer the questions gardeners ask most often. How deep should the plant go, and how far from a wall? Why do large-flowered hybrids want different treatment, and what is that first hard cut for? How much should you water and feed, in borders and in pots, and does mulch help? What is clematis wilt, how can you tell it from drought or slug damage, and can a plant recover? If a plant refuses to flower, what should you check first? A month-by-month calendar then pulls the routine together across the whole gardening year.
Clematis wilt: causes, symptoms and what to do
A clematis that collapses overnight isn't always lost, and it doesn't always have wilt.
Feeding and watering clematis: what they need and when
Deep watering, a spring mulch and the right kind of feed are the keys to a clematis that flowers well.