Wondering what you should be doing with your clematis plants this fall?
Although most clematis plants bloom in late spring to early summer, believe it or not, it is the fall care the plant receives that plays a huge role in not just well the plant can survive the upcoming winter, but also how bright and plentiful its blooms will be the following season. Or – if there will be any flowers at all!
Unfortunately, when clematis fails to bloom or flowers poorly, the issue can often be traced back to fall care. And not just from a lack of care – but sometimes from too much. In fact, even though there are a few critical chores you always want to perform on clematis before winter arrives, there are also a couple you want to avoid.
The good news is that caring for your clematis in the fall isn’t difficult. Nor does it have to be time consuming. Proper care really comes down to first knowing what type of clematis you have – and then giving it just the right care before winter to set the stage for big success.
What To Do With Clematis In The Fall
Before doing anything to your clematis in the fall, you first need to know what variety of the plant you have. There are actually 3 main categories of clematis plants – spring flowering clematis, multi-flowering, and late summer/early fall flowering clematis. Of course, to know what type you have, you simply have to line up when or how often your plant blooms.
By far, the majority of clematis that grow in home gardens and landscapes are spring and multi flowering clematis. These types often bloom early in the season and sometimes will even have a second flowering mid summer. And if you are among the many that grow these two types – the one thing you don’t want to do in the fall is prune them!
When To Prune Clematis & When Not To – What To Do With Clematis In The Fall
Both spring and multi flowering clematis bloom on what is referred to as old wood. Old wood is the growth that occurs on the plant after it blooms until the end of the year.
But that old wood does more than just grow – it also holds the blooms for next year too. And if you prune that wood back in the fall, you prune off next year’s blooms as well. Unfortunately, when clematis fails to bloom, it is usually because the old wood was either pruned off in late fall, winter or early spring.
For spring and multi-blooming clematis, the only time you want to prune is right after they complete their blooming cycle in mid summer. This allows plenty of time for new wood (and next year’s blooms) to grow before the end of the season.
And what if you grow a late summer / early fall blooming clematis? Although you can successfully prune late bloomers in the fall or winter, it’s actually best to wait until very early spring for pruning. This allows the plant to have more protection from the upcoming winter.
One final note on pruning, all three types will often grow seed heads in the fall. These are actually good to remove if possible by simply clipping off the seed head stem. By removing these, you allow the plant to not waste energy on developing seeds – and instead, store that power for blooming.
Mulching Clematis Before Winter – What To Do With Clematis In The Fall
Although pruning is a no-no, mulching clematis is a must. A thick layer of mulch does so much more than just prevent competing weeds from taking nutrients and moisture from clematis – it also helps regulate the soil temperature over the winter. And for clematis – that is a huge factor in keeping them from freezing out.
Clematis are very prone to winter damage. Especially in locations that get cold and bitter winter weather. But contrary to popular belief, it’s not the cold that will freeze them out – it is when the soil around their roots constantly thaws and re-freezes.
By putting down a four to six inch layer of mulch, you can slow the freezing and thawing of the soil. This will keep the plant’s roots safe from winter worries.
As a side note, when mulching, fall is the perfect time to add a few inches of compost. Do this to the top layer of soil before mulching. The compost will break down slowly over winter. And next spring, it will provide the perfect low and slow dose of nutrients. This will help to power quick growth and big blooms!
Watering Clematis – What To Do With Clematis In The Fall
Clematis will suffer more from overwatering in the fall than underwatering. In fact, in most cases, they simply do not need to be watered at all. The only time to water is if you have been experiencing a very dry summer and fall season.
Fertilizing Clematis – What To Do With Clematis In The Fall
Last but not least, whatever you do, don’t fertilize your clematis in the fall! Giving your clematis energy late in the season is asking for all kinds of trouble. Especially when it comes to having a better chance of your plant freezing out.
Late fertilizing will delay the plant from going into dormancy. This is because a burst of power will have it trying to grow more foliage late in the year. Not only does that burn precious power from the plant’s roots, it also leaves a lot of tender foliage in place that can easily freeze out during winter.
Clematis should only be fertilized in the early spring just as the plant comes out of dormancy. This allows the nutrients to help provide a big push for flowering.
Here is to getting your clematis ready for winter – and for bigger blooms than ever next spring and summer! Happy Gardening, Jim & Mary.
Old World Garden Farms
Jim and Mary Competti have been writing gardening, DIY and recipe articles and books for over 15 years from their 46 acre Ohio farm. The two are frequent speakers on all things gardening and love to travel in their spare time.
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