Guide to growing garden plants - Clematis
Clematis is a hardy perennial.
It is a large genus and therefore it may flower in Spring, Summer or Autumn, depending upon the individual Clematis species.
They are climbing vines which have large flat flowers of many colours such as pink, yellow, purple and white.
How to grow Clematis
It can take anything from one month to three years for the seeds of Clematis to germinate. The seeds of Clematis should be sown at a depth of 3mm (if using roots then use a depth of 6cm) in flats in the autumn. The flats should be in a shaded area and covered in glass; once winter is over bring the flats indoors so that they are subject then to a temperature of 21 to 24 degrees centigrade. Alternatively seeds can be frozen in the freezer for three weeks and sown in a shady part of the garden below glass in the spring. If you buy vines from a garden center then they should be grown outdoors from autumn.
Clematis should be planted at about one meter apart into a sunny part of the garden that has a rich loamy soil of pH6 to 7.5. Ideally the soil should have added organic matter.
Caring for Clematis in the garden
The Clematis vines require regular watering and an application of a a weak fertilizer every six weeks throughout the growing season. As they are climbing plants they will require a support. Dead branches should be pruned in the spring. As Clematis is quite difficult to grow from seed it may be easier to take cuttings, this should be performed in early summer.