Clematis

Clematis - extremely amazing heat-loving plants that take root well in garden plots and are used by summer residents mainly for landscaping.

Perennial clematis vines rise to a height of 3 meters and even higher. These climbing plants have a picturesque appearance - let's take a closer look at them.

General characteristics and application.

As a rule, clematis is characterized by the fact that they climb on supports with the help of leaf stalks, with which they catch on to them. The length of a plant in bush form rarely exceeds one and a half meters.

Clematis boasts abundant and intense flowering, therefore they are especially suitable for decorative purposes and decoration in compositions.

They grow fast enough, forms well-developed shoots, which, in turn, are covered with equally beautiful leaves.

Flowering is characterized by the formation of flowers of a wide variety of colors - here and pink, and crimson, and yellow tones. In some cases, the flowers reach a diameter of up to 15 centimeters or even more.

They look quite impressive from the side of a combination of clematis of different colors, from which, in fact, original compositions are made.

Curly clematis with small flowers can boast of the earliest flowering periods. They enter the period already from the twentieth of June and also have a wide variety of colors.

Flowering continues until August. Abundant flowering of clematis, characterized by the presence of large flowers, occurs at the end of July and, accordingly, until the end of August. There are cases when flowering ended even at the end of September.

As for the placement of clematis for decorative purposes, then they are ideal for decorating supports, walls, verandas and gazebos.

Clematis are planted in the spaces between bushes of peonies, phloxes and other ornamental plants so that the composition is harmonious.

Only those shrubs are suitable that begin to bloom in the first half of summer, so that the appearance is complete. Clematis look quite presentable against the background of a neatly trimmed lawn, as well as planted in small groups near the walls of buildings, as part of hedges.

Some especially interested gardeners even create arches from clematis, which also looks extremely original and brings its own flavor to each individual site. In a word, it all depends on your imagination.

Growing principles.

One way or another, the process of growing clematis, despite their availability for a summer resident, requires basic knowledge and skills. The process of both planting and transplanting clematis is best planned in the third decade of April until May 15.

Before planting, the soil should be subjected to a digging process in advance, deepening to a distance of 60 centimeters. The overall dimensions of each pit are characterized by values ​​of 60 by 50 and 50 centimeters.

At the bottom of the pit, it is imperative to pour drainage in an even layer, the thickness of which should be at least 10 centimeters. You can purchase a ready-made drainage in a specialized store, or make it yourself from stones or crushed bricks.

Remember that a certain distance between plants should be observed - from 0.8 to 1.2 meters in the case of clematis with large flowers, for small-flowered ones, values ​​from 2 to 3 meters are suitable.

It is necessary to add about 3-4 tablespoons of superphosphate to the planting pit, as well as from 2 to 3 tablespoons of a full-fledged fertilizer of a mineral nature, containing the required amount of trace elements.

You will also need an average of 2 buckets of organic fertilizers - compost or humus. If the soil is highly acidic, it is recommended to add 100 grams of previously slaked lime or wood ash in an amount of half a liter.

All introduced components are thoroughly mixed with the ground and put back into the pit. Before the planting process, the roots of the plant may not be pruned, but it is still recommended to spread them properly. Subsequently, everything should be covered with soil, while adjusting the level of deepening of the root collar.

Remember that for young plants, the values ​​should be in the range of 8 to 10 centimeters, while adult plants can be buried 12 or even 15 centimeters.

In the event that the planting pit is completely filled to the brim, it is allowed to deepen the root collar not immediately, but gradually, in several steps.

New soil should be poured depending on the dynamics of lignification of the shoots. If you follow all the recommendations, such a planting will contribute to an annual increase in the number of new shoots per bush, as well as to protect clematis from freezing during periods of sudden changes and low temperatures.

Leaving and flowering.

In the first 2-3 years after clematis have been planted on your territory, timely care is required for better adaptation to new conditions and maintaining a stable level of vital activity.

The most important parameter is uniform and constant illumination from the sun; choose an open place that is not shaded during the day.

The most favorable option is to plant plants towards the south, preferably near the wall of a residential building, but not less than 60 centimeters from it.

In this case, care should be taken to protect the clematis from the possible fall of water accumulated on the roof. If the place is chosen correctly, then clematis will be able to grow on it for 15 to 25 years, subject to high-quality agricultural technology.

Caring for them is, first of all, in arranging the support, which, in turn, must be sufficiently strong and stable, not be subjected to mechanical damage under the influence of wind currents from the north. It is to this support that the shoots of the plant should be correctly tied for greater reliability.

The watering regime should be verified and planned in advance, since the plants are moisture-loving and should not be depleted. Watering should ideally be abundant and regular. After each watering, do not be lazy to loosen the soil and mulch it with peat, humus or sawdust in an even layer no thicker than 5 centimeters.

As a rule, the overwhelming majority of clematis grows quite quickly and intensively, therefore, the requirements for nutrients, respectively, are noted for them as increased.

Visually, it is quite easy to catch the moment of the most abundant growth - leaves and first buds appear on the stem. The average growth per day is from 5 to 10 centimeters.

Top dressing.

Clematis, due to the high dynamics of consumption and consumption of nutrients, especially need timely feeding. Their number should not be less than 3 times in one season.

For top dressing, both organic and mineral fertilizers are suitable. The very first feeding falls on the period of active growth dynamics and the beginning of the budding process. For her, a solution is prepared from 50 grams of granulated agriculture for flowering plants for 10 liters of water.

Consumption is determined by the value of about 3 liters per plant. The second feeding should be planned for the flowering period.About 2 tablespoons of liquid organic fertilizer are diluted, as well as 2 tablespoons of nitrophoska in 10 liters of water.

This solution should be applied in 3 or 4 liters for each plant. Remember that the second and subsequent dressings are best repeated at intervals of 12 days.

Preparing for winter.

Before frost breaks out, the stems of the plant should be shortened by one third of the entire length. Subsequently, all shoots should be untied from the support along with the twine, rolled up in the form of a ring and laid on a piece of polyethylene or roofing material film.

From above, everything is covered with dry foliage with a layer of at least 15 centimeters, covered with a covering material. In order to prevent strong wind currents from blowing away the equipped shelter and leaves, everything should be pressed down from above with several bricks.

If you have properly arranged the clematis shelter, they will be able to withstand winter temperatures down to -30 degrees.