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Polish Spirit too spirited

17 years ago

I grow Polish Spirit on a tripod of bamboo stakes that is about 6 feet tall. It has grown too tall for the support. Two feet of vines are flopping over at the top. THere is no building or shrub it can use for support. Im not keen on a taller tripod because it would be out of scale to the setting. I have a lot of trouble with wilt in my yard and I'm afraid to move this plant and put in a shorter variety when it is my most successful one.

How can I make it shorter? It dies back to the ground every spring so it is starting as low as it can. Can I prune it before it blooms like I sometimes do perennials to limit their height? Would that decrease the number of blooms a lot?

THanks for any suggestions--Sue

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Comments (5)

outinthegardenallday
17 years ago
I've had Polish Spirit in my yard for about 5 years now. It always grows to about 10 feet, sometimes more. And this is whether I prune it or not. I've never, however, pruned it right before it blooms. My only concern would be that you'll have less blooms.

It is possible for you to put in a small arbor rather than the tripod? Maybe wait until the end of the season when they'll be on sale?

If you want to try a shorter variety, give one of the new Patio types a try. I have Cezanne and I love it...I've got it growing in a pot with a small 4 foot tall bamboo trellis. It's blooming continuously and from what I gather on this board, it should continue to do so all season.

Ciao,
OITGAD
mamoo_z5
17 years ago
Once my clematis reach the top of their supports I just start working them back down the support. It makes for a really full look.
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I grow both and they are both nice plants. Polish spirit in my garden gets very large and blooms for me from June till frost. I had it growing on a 14 x 14 shrub and it completely overwhelmed it. I had to move it this spring. If you grow this one make sure it has lots of room and a heavy support. Jackmanii is very nice also. For me in my garden it blooms for 6 weeks in summer. It has never gotten huge for me and is better for a smaller area. It has never rebloomed for me in my garden. They can take full sun in the PNW. Polish spirit has a little red to the tepals. Performance varies a lot with location.
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Well it wouldn't be the first time I've worried needlessly about a plant. Polish Spirit has really started blooming now. The bottom few leaves did turn yellow and a small vine dried up but the rest of the plant seems fine. How diligent are you all about keeping things from growing up against the bottoms of your clematis? I have a group of Blue Belle and Little Nell growing on another obelisk and several self-sown perennials have popped up right at the base. Little Nell is pretty yellow at the bottom but is blooming well. I was planning to remove the other perennials when they're done blooming but should I even worry about it? Here's a pic of Polish Spirit and Betty Corning. This is only year 2! This photo has more B.C. but I noticed PS is blooming more every day.
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I bought a little bare root Polish Spirit at WalMart last year, planted it directly in my garden, and it produced a few dozen blooms the first year. This year it's covering a 5 x 7 trellis and covered in blooms. It's my first clematis, but it's done so well I added 4 more this spring. This spring I followed advice here on pruning group 3 clematis and I cut it back to about a foot high when the new buds started showing. It immediately sent up several really sturdy new shoots, and was 7 feet high within a few weeks.
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Alina, I have seen the same thing in some of my clematis--ie the lower leaves turn paler and yellow and finally brown out. This has never been due to lack of water and I attribute it to the fact that some clematis just develop this way. Those bare legs are just a hazard with some clematis cultivars. In some plants, the older leaves are covered up by new leaves and the older ones just turn light and fall off. If the clematis in question is growing very vigorously then perhaps it could be a nutritional deficiency where the plant doesn't have access to or the ability to take up nutrients fast enough to keep up with all the new growth.
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buyorsell888
17 years ago
I agree, let it flop back down and it will be fine.
suezn5
Original Author
17 years ago
Thanks everyone. I'll just leave as is for this year and try not to worry. THe top has flopped over and the whole affair is not looking too graceful.
Sue
mary_lu_gw
17 years ago
how about sitting something in front of it to also climb over? I did this with my Marmori as it too gets too big for its trellis. We have a set of wheels in front of the trellis. This way it also shades its own roots! We plan to build a new larger trellis, but didn't get it done this year. So will have to wait until next year.
{{gwi:599034}}
Marylu

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