I need pruning help for 'Nelly Moser'

8 years ago

I live along the CT coast in Z6 and have had this clematis (and a few others) for about 8 years. It's planted in an open area behind a Karl Forster grass and faces west; so it gets great sun. My husband has installed a sprinkler system and so Nelly also gets good water.

I've never pruned it and, frankly, it's a mess. It resembles a rat's nest. Despite this neglect, Nelly has traveled all the way up along the railings and to the deck floor.

I'm including 3 photos to show its base, midpoint, and nearer to the top. The 4th photo shows what it looked like in 2012. I think the fact that I've ignored pruning has caused it to languish and become sparse, less lush.

Here are my questions:

Should I cut it all the way back and leave just a few stems?

Should I prune back to a bud on the strongest looking stems?

Should I only leave stems that have buds?

At the ground, it grows in front of and behind the lattice.

Halfway up the lattice, it's a tangled mess.

Up at the deck surface, Nelly has sprawled in all directions.

The photo, below, shows what she looked like in 2012, behind the grass and next to some hosta plants, which have been reduced.

Thank you for any suggestions.

Molie

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Comments (3)

Sheila z8a Rogue Valley OR
8 years ago
You can just prune it all down to about a foot of length of vines and get a fresh start. It will just bloom a bit later. Water and organic fertilizer will help it regrow.
moliep thanked Sheila z8a Rogue Valley OR
moliep
Original Author
8 years ago
Thanks, Sheila. I think I'll also use this technique with some of my other rampant Group 2 plants.
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How hard did you prune last year? It is generally recommended that any type of clematis get hard pruned (down to the first set of buds/leaf axils) for the first couple of seasons in the ground. That encourages a strong root system, multiple stems emerging form the root crown and a greater resistance to wilt. If it wasn't pruned hard last season, I'd do so this year. Now is typically the time to prune most clematis types - when you would prune roses or when the forsythia is blooming. Many folks also fertilize at this time as well. Nelly is a pruning group 2 clematis. After establishment (a couple of seasons of hard pruning) you want to prune lightly, removing about 16-18" from the top of the vine and cleaning up any dead or tangled stems. After the initial late spring/early summer bloom flush you can prune again lightly to encourage a late summer rebloom. The hard pruning your vine should receive now will not eliminate the early flowering but only delay it a bit. I also would not be overly concerned if your vine doesn't produce as many flowers as you would like - it takes from 3-5 years for them to establish well, mature and start putting on a good show.
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I looked it up on Clematis on the Web, which I recommend to everyone because it's a wonderful resource, and COTW had a link to the International Clematis Society article about this plant. I don't grow it myself, but I guess its color varies a lot, so that's probably what you have. COTW says it's a group 2 for pruning.
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I've had the same problem you've had with my Lincoln Star. Mine is 3-4 years old, with no problems growing & flowering, but the reddish bar color is very pale, during both 1st & 2nd blooms. I don't think fertilizer is the problem, because all my stock get the same regimen & this is the only problem child. Initially I thought it might be due to the very hot weather here (9a), but this should not affect the 1st bloom. I've layered one branch and thereafter plan to severely prune & move this one into another location. If this doesn't work I will probably try Carnaby, which is similar.
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Wait for some green. The safest course would be to cut half to the lowest two green buds and the other half almost to the ground. If you cut the entire thing below green buds, it may kill it. I have not killed any doing this but I've read posts from those who have.
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NHBabs z4b-5a NH
8 years ago
Around here type 2 prune clematis often get killed back to the snow line, so a hard prune certainly won't hurt her, and as Sheila said, will delay bloom to a bit later. I never get a second bloom on any of my type 2's, and don't know if you are likely to this year with a delayed first bloom. It may just be my growing season is too short for a second bloom.

You can cut them all down (I usually cut to an inch or so above a bud pair) or if you leave a few stems you should get some early bloom on the old stems followed by bloom on the new growth from hard-pruned stems. You can prune back the older stems right after bloom.

Thanks for the reminder to get out there and clean up one of my older, twiggier type 2's.
moliep thanked NHBabs z4b-5a NH

I need pruning help for 'Nelly Moser'

Comments (3)

Sheila z8a Rogue Valley OR

moliep
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I need pruning help for 'Nelly Moser'

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Sheila z8a Rogue Valley OR

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