Clematis montana Rubens cut

Choose the time for the pruning carefully

the Clematis montana 'Rubens' blooms from May to June on the wood of the previous year. A pruning of this clematis in late winter is therefore impossible, since by this time it has long established all the buds for flowering. How to prune the mountain clematis with expertise:

• The pruning of Clematis montana basically after flowering
• An overcast, dry day in June or July at the latest is ideal
• Do not cut all the shoots at the same time, but only a few per year
• Start each cut just above a leaf knot in a slightly oblique position
• Remove all dead wood, including poor and diseased tendrils

In the first two years you can easily let the clematis grow uncut so that they can do their job of greening facades, fences and trellises. Only when the climbing plant threatens to shed from below in later years should a pruning be considered. A rejuvenation cut is preferably carried out in stages over several years.

Wilted flowers are cleaned off immediately so that no seed heads develop. These drain unnecessarily the strength of a clematis, which is at the expense of growth and flowering. Cut off the withered flower including the next pair of leaves.

Body cut promotes growth

So that Clematis montana 'Rubens' lives up to its reputation as the ultimate climber, it receives one in the first year Body section. plants If you put the young clematis in the ground in late summer, the roots will find perfect conditions. Long shoots develop quickly. Cut these back to 20 or 30 centimeters in November / December. The result is particularly vital branching next spring.

Tips & Tricks

Creative hobby gardeners compensate for the comparatively short flowering time of a Clematis montana 'Rubens' by adding species and varieties with a different flowering time combine. If you add a Clematis viticella, for example, the color spectacle continues unabated from June to September. The same applies to Clematis orientalis or Clematis chinensis.