She is the uncrowned queen of climbing plants. When the Clematis montana 'Rubens' presents its flowers from May to June, no one can escape its magic. Just wondering how to cut the flower beauty? We have the answer.
When and how should you prune Clematis montana 'Rubens'?
To prune Clematis montana 'Rubens' properly, prune after flowering in June or July. Cut a few shoots just above a leaf node and remove dead wood. In the first year, we recommend pruning in November/December.
Choose the time for pruning carefully
The Clematis montana 'Rubens' blooms from May to June on the previous year's wood. This means that pruning this clematis in late winter is self-explanatory, as by this point it has long since laid out all the buds for flowering. How to cut the mountain clematis with expertise:
- Prune Clematis montana after flowering
- An overcast, dry day in June is ideal, or in July at the latest
- Don't cut all the shoots at the same time, but only a few per year
- Make each cut just above a leaf node in a slight slant position
- Clear out all dead wood, including stunted and diseased vines
In the first two years you can easily let the mountain clematis grow uncut so that it fulfills its task of greening facades, fences and trellises. Only when the climbing plant threatens to become 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 out immediately so that no seeds develop. These unnecessarily drain the strength of a clematis, at the expense of growth and flowering. Cut off the withered flower including the next pair of leaves.
Cutting promotes growth
So that the Clematis montana 'Rubens' lives up to its reputation as the ultimate climbing plant, it receives a pruning 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 branch next spring.
Tips & 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. For example, if you add a Clematis viticella, the color spectacle will continue unabated from June to September. The same applies to Clematis orientalis or Clematis chinensis.
