Clematis | Gardening On

Its flowers are undoubtedly what attracts the most attention, but not its petals as you would expect, but its tepals which has the appearance of petals, which are very colorful and very ornamental. Depending on the species, they can bloom in spring or summer, and be bi or unisexual. The fruit is a very curious pod inside which the seeds are protected.

They grow where they can. They are very resistant and very adaptable. For example, him clematis vitalbawhich is native to Europe, in the Balearic archipelago (Spain) grows between the stone walls and climbs the almond trees of the field. The flowers of this climber, by the way, are very small, barely 1 or 1cm in diameter, white in color. It is small, but beautiful, as you can see in the image above.

Importantly, all plants of the genus are toxic. It contains essential oils and compounds that irritate the skin and mucous membranes, and if ingested in large quantities, they can cause bleeding in the digestive tract. Even so, it must also be said that in small amounts they are very beneficial, but we will talk about that later .

Care for clematis

To have a beautiful and healthy Clematis for many years, it is essential to consider the following:

Location

It will vegetate without problems both full sun and semi-shadow.

Land

It is not picky about the soil. It grows even in poorly drained limestone.

Irrigation

Clematis is able to withstand drought, but at least for the first year it is advised water it once or twice a weekdepending on the dryness of the environment. From the second, it can be watered once every 10 days.

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To have a healthy and vigorous plant, it is highly recommended fertilize from spring to autumn with an organic compostsuch as guano, algae extract, or even compost.

Rusticity

Are you worried about frost? You can stop doing it now. It is very rustic, supporting up to -10ºC.

Transplant

The ideal time to transplant your Clematis, either from a pot to a larger one, or to the ground, is in spring, after the risk of frost has passed.

Plant in pot

To move it to a larger pot you have to fill it with a little universal substrate for plants, introduce it, and add more substrate to finish filling the pot. Afterwards, it must be given a generous watering, soaking all the soil well, and, very importantly, put a stake or pole so that it can climb.

It is advisable to use a pot about 4cm wider than above. So you can grow much more in less time.

Plant in the garden

If what you want is to be able to enjoy it in your garden, follow this step by step:

1. Make a hole near latticework or that place where you want it to climb, about 50 x 50cm.
2. Then mix the earth with a handful or two of vermicompost or horse manure.
3. Then, if you see that the plant is going to be low the way it is, land.
4. Then enter your Clematis and cover the hole with the earth.
5. Give him a tutor or guide that takes you to the pergola, lattice or post that you want to cover.
6. Now make a tree grate about 4-5cm high using the same soil from your garden or, if you prefer, with decorative stones.
7. Finally, waters.

Pruning

It is a plant that, due to its growth speed, is sometimes very necessary to prune. It will be done whenever it has grown in excess, except in winter.

How to reproduce the Clematis

Clematis reproduces mainly by seeds, but they can also be propagated by stake. We explain how to proceed in each case:

Reproduction by seed

Clematis sowing takes place in summeras soon as you acquire the seeds. Once you have them, they are placed in a glass with water for 24 hours, and the next day they are sown on the surface of a pot with previously watered universal substrate for plants.

As they grow very fast, it is advisable not to put more than 2 in each seedbedSince when it comes to transferring each seedling to individual pots or to the garden, it can be a bit difficult to separate them.