Bypass shears and hand pruners are great for this task, but if there are some branches higher up that you can’t reach safely using a ladder, then loppers can come in handy. To cut through these quickly and effectively, you’ll need a brawny set of plant shears meant for trimming branches and brush. Being a rather woody plant, Sweet autumn clematis stems are particularly thick and tough. Tools A few basic tools are all you need to get started. However, with proper pruning, your Sweet autumn clematis will continue to bloom well year after year. You may not see an abundance of flowers for several growing seasons. Pruning without a plan by cutting back key branches can set back the Sweet autumn clematis for a few years, and even stunt its growth permanently. Most of the oak leaves have fallen and because it is usually the last tree to drop leaves, I may only have to rake a few times until Spring just to keep things clean and neat.Before you go clipping away at your Sweet autumn clematis, there are a few things you should know about how to do it properly. The soil here has a high clay content and the organic matter will improve drainage, too. The mulch helps the soil to maintain a more even temperature.ĭuring the hot, dry Summers, the mulch helps the soil retain moisture and prevent weeds. Moisture in the ground freezes and expands, pushing the plant up and out of the soil. Heaving can be a problem where the ground freezes at night but the daytime temperatures are well above freezing like they are here in the Piedmont region on North Carolina. Mulching not only keeps the grown moist during the Winter to prevent the roots from drying but also prevents the plants from heaving out of the ground during the freezing and thawing cycles. In the Spring I will pull the leaves back away from the hydrangea, perennials, and other plants in this bed to allow the new growth in Spring more exposure to the sun. These leaves will decompose over the Winter. The seedlings have an unusual silver streak over the center vein of each leaflet.Īfter raking the leaves from the oaks and sweet gums, I mulched the front beds. This is a seedling which came up near the porch over the Summer. The vines have no tendrils but use their three lobed leaves to twist around and hold on to structures while climbing. Once the vines grow a few feet of new growth I will begin to train them around the post and each other. I left a few stems to become the main vines for the coming season.Īfter the month or so of flowering in August and September, these fluffy, white seeds form. It was so heavy and thick it had warped the top of the plastic lamp and no light was comming through. They begin blooming in late August with very sweet-scented small white flowers.īelow, I had removed the huge mass off the top of the lamp. The one below I have posted several pictures in bloom before. They have an unusual growth habit in that they grow throughout the Winter and by Spring can nearly cover structures such as the lamp-post. I have several around the garden thanks to the habit of reseeding. Otherwise, they grow into a tangled mess and reseed throughout the garden. Sweet Autumn clematis is one of those that is best when severely pruned each Fall. There are a few plants which require a hard annual pruning to be at their best.
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