Marianne's Response
Transplanting clematis
I have several clematis (Mr. President variety) that are climbing trellises that have been knocked down by the winter winds and are too rusty to keep using. How the heck do I transplant them? Can I cut them most of the way back? Do I just untwist the vines from the trellises (I forgot to prune them last fall)? Or do I need to wait until after the growing season? Thanks for your help!
Posted by aepage on March 23, 2015
Marianne's Response
You can cut your summer flowering clematis back in early spring almost to the ground. Give them the \"pony tail cut\" but gathering all the vines in one hand about one foot above ground - like making a pony tail from long hair. Then snip the vines so that they are all just one foot tall. Remove the old trellis and old cut vines and the clematis will bloom later than usual but still flower this summer. Clematis do not like to be moved once they have been in the ground a few years so if possible leave them in place but just add a new support structure for the new growth. Keep growing, Marianne Binetti
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