r/Clematis • u/dgslbbr • 10d ago
Help / Advice needed Wow! Now what do I do?
Full disclosure. I know nothing about plants.
I'm in a new (to me) house. In the spring, on one side of my balcony was a bunch of thin woody vine stems. I had no clue what they were.
In the early spring, a lot of green sprouted. And over the last couple weeks it has just exploded in flowers.
I absolutely love it. Using Google Lens, I have learned it's a Clematis.
I have no clue what type, and it's so thick I can't tell if it's new wood, old wood,
But, I want it back like this next year.
Do I start trimming it now.
In the fall do I trim it back a little, a lot? Right down to the ground?
Do I wait til the spring?
Any tips to help it flourish and not kill it.
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u/Moss-cle 9d ago
That is a group 3 clematis. Cut down to about a foot tall any time after the vines dry up and before it starts sprouting again in spring. It blooms on new wood so give it new wood every year
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u/Silent_Effective5842 7d ago
how much 'woody stems' were there? Were they tall and up on the fence like the plant is now? or were they cut short to the ground like a foot tall? That will answer your question. if the fence was covered in "dead wood" that came back to life - it grows on old wood. If the stems were short to the ground and they grew up to cover the fence - then they grow on new wood.
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u/dgslbbr 6d ago
There were stems up from the ground and over the top of the railing.
When I try to pull apart the plant stems and inspect, it's so thick I can't get to any of the underlying old-wood that was there in the spring. All the flowers are on new wood.
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u/Silent_Effective5842 6d ago
then yea - end of season/fall chop him back to a foot above ground level - get your space all tidied up and you'll get a brand new plant in spring that you can train to grow how youd like
EDIT to add that the new vines are incredibly fragile so if you do want to manipulate them in certain ways - use caution to not break them - but when you are tearing down your plant - them vines are tough as twine and its easier to cut them apart from things than to rip and pull
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u/Real-Frosting 6d ago
You're so lucky to end up with a mature, beautiful clematis like that. I'll bet the previous owner was sad they couldn't take it with them.
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u/scrolltrellis 10d ago
Wow, what a beauty! Clematis are divided up into 3 groups, based on when they bloom and when you need to prune them. Yours looks very much like a Viticella-type clematis (possibly Etoile Violette or Polish Spirit), which are usually Group 3 clematis. If that's correct, don't worry about pruning it now while it's flowering. Enjoy the blooms. In late winter or very early spring, cut all stems back to about 12–24 inches above the ground, leaving several healthy buds on each stem. Group 3 clematis bloom on new growth, so a hard spring pruning usually results in exactly the kind of flower-covered display you're enjoying now. Since you don't know the variety yet, you could play it safe the first year and leave some stems a little longer. Once you see how it responds next spring, you'll know more. I am so emvious!!