There's a clematis for every season and every colour scheme, and plenty of options for displaying the beautiful flowers. Whether you train your plant to climb over a pergola or trellis, through a tree or up a freestanding gazebo, here's how to get the best results.
What to do
- Dig a planting hole 45cm (18in) away from your trellis, fence, wall or host plant.
- Make the hole twice the diameter of the container and deep enough for the plant to sit 5cm (2in) beneath the level of the soil.
- Put plant in centre of hole, add soil and firm with your heel when full.
- Direct plant onto trellis or wall supports by separating shoots and tying to five canes with twine. These should be pushed into the soil near the plant and splayed out like a fan towards the trellis.
- To train into trees or shrubs, plant clematis, still attached to cane, at a 45 degree angle and tie in new growth to branches.
- If growing up an arch or pergola, tie in growth regularly to cover all bare areas.
- Encourage bushy growth by pinching out shoot tips with your fingers early in the growing season.
