The USDA Hardiness Zone 8 runs like a laurel wreath around the U.S. seacoast . good example of urban center in this zone let in Austin , Texas , Gainesville , Florida , Sacramento , California and Tifton , Georgia . The winter are usually warm , but the summers range from raging and humid to mild and dry . Clematis is a woody , deciduous vine , and most of its cultivars will arise in this zone . An quondam saying about clematis growth is , " The first twelvemonth they catch some Z’s , the second year they sneak and the third yr they spring . " While it may take awhile for your clematis to get launch , once it does it will wow you with its maturation and beauty .
Step 1
Choose a smirch for your clematis that gets at least six hours of full Sunday . The ideal location is an easterly photograph , which will have some specter in the good afternoon . cultivar with reddish , blue or bi - bleached flowers fade if they get too much Dominicus .
Step 2
remedy the soil in the planting area to a deepness of two foundation in an sphere about three feet blanket . you’re able to contribute compost or well - rotted manure , mixing it with the original soil .
Step 3
compass a hole that is slightly extensive and slenderly deeper than your plant life ’s container . polish off the flora from the mass , softly tease aside the out roots and place in the yap . Place your plant life so that the crown is one to two inches below the surface .
Step 4
Backfill with soil , tamp down down firmly to bump off aura pocket and water thoroughly . Press down once more after watering .
Step 5
reduce the stem back to 12 inch in altitude to help oneself the plant arm as it set about to grow .
Step 6
Place a two - inch level of mulch over the plant ’s ascendent area . Clematis like " nerveless foot . " Another pick is to shade the stain with a abject ground cover , such as wooly thyme or ajuga .
Step 7
Give your vine backing with latticework , treillage or fencing . Supports must be thin , since clematis twines its leaves around a financial support and can not compass thick branch or sonorous trellising .
Step 8
Water deeply once a week in ironic seasons – clematis needs at least one column inch of water a calendar week . Fertilize in the spring with a general fertilizer for flower plants , but do not fertilize when the plant is bloom .
Tip
Most clematis do not compete well with large tree roots , with the exception of Anemone Clematis ( C. montana ) and Sweet Autumn Clematis ( C. terniflora ) .