Okay, so it’s getting cold outside, and I started thinking about my clematis vines. I’ve got a few different types, and honestly, I wasn’t always the best at taking care of them in the winter. I’ve killed a couple… oops. But I’ve learned a few things over the years, so here’s my simple routine of clematis winter care.
Figuring Out What Kind of Clematis You Have
First things first, I figured out what kind of clematis I had. This is super important, because it dictates how you prune them, and pruning is, like, 80% of winter care (at least in my experience). I had to go back and look at the tags – thank goodness I kept some of them! You’ve got your early bloomers, your mid-season ones, and your late-season bloomers. That all matters.
The Actual “Care” Part
- Watering: I pretty much stopped watering them regularly once the leaves started to turn brown and fall off. They’re going dormant, so they don’t need much. If it’s a REALLY dry winter, I might give them a little drink, but mostly I just leave them alone.
- Mulching: This is the big one! I piled on a good layer of mulch around the base of the plants. I used shredded leaves and some compost. The goal is to protect the crown of the plant (where the stems meet the roots) from freezing and thawing too much. That’s what really messes them up. I made sure the mulch was like, 3-4 inches thick.
- Cutting the Vines: For late bloomer(Type 3),I cut off all vines to about 12 inches in late * early bloomer(Type 1),I did not prune it at * mid-season bloomer(Type 2), I just did a simple clean and cut off any dead or weak vines.
Waiting It Out…
And that’s pretty much it! Honestly, the hardest part is just waiting. It feels weird to not be doing much, but they really do need to rest. Then, come spring, I start to see new growth, and I know I did okay. I clear away some of the mulch, start watering a bit more, and get ready for another year of pretty flowers.
It’s not rocket science, really. Just protect the roots, don’t overwater, and know your clematis type. That’s my experience, hope it helps!
