She is the uncrowned queen of climbing plants. When Clematis montana 'Rubens' presents its blooms from May to June, nobody can escape its magic. Just wondering how to cut the flower beauty? We have the answer.
Choose the timing of the pruning carefully
Clematis montana 'Rubens' flowers from May to June on the previous year's wood. Thus, a pruning of this clematis in late winter is out of the question, since by this time it has long since created all the buds for flowering. How to cut the mountain clematis with expertise:
- Always cut back Clematis montana after flowering
- An overcast, dry day in June is ideal, or in July at the latest
- Do not cut all the shoots at the same time, only a few per year
- Start each cut just above a leaf knot in a slight slanting position
- Prune out all deadwood, including stunted and diseased vines
In the first two years you can easily let the mountain clematis grow uncut so that it can fulfill its task of greening facades, fences and trellises. Only when the climbing plant threatens to bare from below in later years should pruning be considered. A rejuvenation cut is preferably carried out in stages over several years.
Withered flowers are cleaned immediately so that no seeds develop. These unnecessarily drain the strength of a clematis, which is at the expense of growth and flowering. In the process, cut off the withered flower, including the next pair of leaves.
Growth pruning promotes growth
In order for the Clematis montana 'Rubens' to live up to its reputation as the ultimate climbing plant, it is pruned in the first year. If you plant the young mountain 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 a particularly vital branching next spring.
tips and tricks
Creative hobby gardeners compensate for the comparatively short flowering time of a Clematis montana 'Rubens' by combining species and varieties with different flowering times. 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.