I have a first year sweet autumn clematis growing around a column that has a downspout on it.

I can take a picture to give you some perspective but I don’t think that’s what’s you’re after?

No downspout trellis, just fishing line.

Thank you, JC! Yes, I would love to see a pic, that's greatly helpful... as I want to see as many options as possible that people are actually using. Thanks you again and looking forward to seeing it!

I’m not sure how some people do it, but you can get more main growth “canes” out of the ground somehow. This is just a single one.

Jc, most recommendations are to cut back down to just a few buds per stem in spring on all new clematis for the first year or two, though you will want to do that each year as well as trimming it in fall to prevent seed formation since yours is quite weedy in your area. Planting a couple of inches deeper than in the pot helpsincrease stem counts. And beyond that, it is just time. My oldest clems have many stems, while the younger ones have fewer.

Thanks, Babs!

Sorry for the amateur questions, but I have 2 for you.

1. What's the difference between trimming and cutting back down? I'm not certain, but it doesn't seem like this one will get to unyieldy this first summer.

2. If I want to increase stem counts now that it's already been planted and settled, should I just cover the base with more potting soil and mulch?

Thanks for all your advice, you are one of those who helped me get this thing started in the first place!

Thank you so much for taking the time to take and post those photos, JC. I've been image-searching with keywords like trellis downspout etc for quite some time, but have never run across that idea. Thank you for the inspiration.

As for the questions, Babs is an expert here so she'll give you better answers, but here's what I understand.....

1. I've never used the word "trimming" to be honest... either pinching or pruning. And you can pinch or prune pretty much anytime throughout the growing season. It's just that you will sacrifice some blooms if you pinch/prune when flower buds are already formed. Also you are better off hard-pruning Type 3s late winter/early spring and then pinching early in the season to encourage branching (sometimes clems benefit from hard pruning regardless of types).

2. It would be ideal if you could add more soil so the base is effectively buried.

Also, I learned this on this forum... alfalfa meal (or pellets, either way) can help encourage new shoots to emerge from the base. Just make sure to pick alfalfa without added salt.

Thanks, I’ll try that on roses too.

I use chicken wire wrapped around mine for it to cling to. Doesn't look pretty but it does get mostly hidden eventually. Before this, I also looked everywhere for something like this and didn't find anything.

Emily, I have a "trellis net" type thing from Lowe's that I could probably wrap around the column if I wanted to.

I just chose the fishing line because it's easy to do in parts.

Basic galvanized wire grid fencing can be used also. It is stiffer than chicken wire, so IME easier to remove the dead vines at season’s end if it’s s a hard prune/ type 3 clematis. I prefer a hard prune plant in this situation so you don’t have to look at dead vines all winter, and I cut back the vines in late fall or early winter when it’s cold enough that new growth won’t be triggered. I would make sure that you aren’t using the downspout as the item that provides the support for the trellis since a well grown clematis can achieve some size and weight, and you don’t want to have the downspout dislodged in a storm. Use brackets to fasten to the building or posts (such as electrical conduit) planted a couple of feet in the ground.

I prune to 2-3 buds pairs per stem over winter as this encourages more flowering for type 3 plants and that is all I do. My garden is too big and I am too low key to pinch anything. Trimming would be taking a pair of manual hedge trimmers and whacking off all the old spent flowers (basically cutting back the whole outside of the plant) so that it doesn’t have a chance to set seed. Do this religiously for your sweet autumn clematis every year or you and your neighbors and the surrounding woodlands will be overwhelmed with this nuisance plant. In some states in the southeast this is a listed invasive that overtakes native plants in wild areas as it spreads by seed. It is very pretty, and this far north doesn’t ypically have a chance for seed to ripen before frost, but in zone 7, it can be a real problem.

Babs, you are much too patient!

I will be bumping one of these threads this winter to ask everyone if I'm trimming correctly!

• Jc, I am not trimming individual flowers or using pruners, and anyone who knows me would laugh heartily at the notion that I am patient. These are my weapon of choice for cutting back clematis, both removal of flowers I wouldn’t want to set seed and for cutting back the plants for the winter. https://www.truevalue.com/hedge-shears-8-25-in?ctplacement=834903-44622122499&cid=gooshop