I know--it doesn't look like Spring, but that's what's been on my mind while spinning. Most people who enjoy the warm months better than the cold turn their thoughts to welcoming Spring this time of year. The sky seems higher, so those gray days of winter don't keep pressing lower and lower and at last the blanket of the winter is raised and we can peek under and see a glimpse of the new season to come. Gardeners seem to yearn for Spring even more than others.
But in addition to that, I've been listening to this as I spin, and it makes me just itch to get outside and play in the dirt. I want to move plants that didn't do so great last year to a spot they might enjoy more. I want to try all kinds of new plants. I want to tear up one whole flower bed and start over from scratch. I want, I want, I want. I want Spring and it's bigger cousin, Summer. I agree with Hardy "The most beautiful words in the English language are 'a summer afternoon'."
But, like all gardeners, I am patient. Gardeners must be good at that; waiting for the tiny little hopes they plant to develop into the stuff of their dreams--if they're lucky. So I'll delay the digging and moving and planting for just a little longer. But meanwhile, I can wander outside and check the little tips of new green coming up, and prune the clematis.
If you've grown clematis, you know their particular traits. They can tax even a gardener's patience, teasing for at least a season or two before they decide to really get blooming. They like cool feet and warm heads, and they want really good roots before they get too showy. For that reason, you have to grit your teeth, pretend you don't care, and keep your clematis trimmed back to 18" or so the whole first year. You'll be glad later, but that first year's hard.
Clematis demand that you know them intimately and prune them according to their preferences. Usually these preferences fall into one of three categories, but some references divide them into as many as twelve. Being a lazy gardener, three sounds good to me.
My clematis are delighted with the spot I chose for them. They sit against a fence that faces east northeast, with a pool house that provides shade for their little bottoms but lets their faces receive the sun. Usually I put some potted plants at their feet (they're in a raised bed) just to make sure the roots stay cool. I have three in a row at the far end, then a couple more spaced further along the fence.
Early flowering clematis (Group 1 or A) bloom on the previous season's growth, so they only require a light pruning and neatening of the tips. Group 2 or B drives me nuts--it flowers on both old and new wood, so what to do? I just give it a light pruning and cut out the dead growth back to a strong pair of buds. The last group (1 or C) requires ruthlessness. Be bold here and whack the vines back to about 8"-12". Group C plants flower on new growth and your brave pruning will encourage new shoots that will reward you with loads of flowers. The nursery where you get your clematis should be able to tell you what type you are purchasing. If they can't, go to a nursery that knows their stuff. A good basic gardening book also helps, and just trusting your own observation.
So tomorrow, I'm headed out to prune. I'll take the dog, and the cats will all follow along, and even if it's a gray day I'll feel sunny inside while I cut and groom. And soon I'll have this:
