Clematis plants have been on a bit of a rollercoaster when it get along to their repute . And these vine do n’t love being transplant .

In the Victorian era , they were associated with cleverness because they could twine themselves up any old surface with proportional informality .

later on , they were seen as volatile , disease - ridden , and unmanageable to raise . Or , on the other end of the spectrum , invasive enough to warrant uttermost control measure .

A close up horizontal image of pink clematis flowers growing in the garden pictured on a soft focus background.

Today , they ’re pop all over again because there are so many marvelous improved hybrids and cultivar .

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But they can still be tricky to like for without the necessary knowhow .

A close up vertical image of purple clematis flowers growing on a fence. To the center and bottom of the frame is green and white printed text.

The first few metre I attempted to move one of these to a newfangled location many years ago , my vine took age to re - establish themselves .

I know considerably now , and hopefully , you may learn from my error so you wo n’t regain yourself take a conversation with your scrawny vines , begging them to explain what you may do to help them along .

The reason for their hesitation to move is that these plant take a unspoilt long meter to set up their solution .

A close up vertical image of purple clematis flowers growing in the garden pictured on a soft focus background.

That ’s why your vine often wo n’t part showing off with abundant flowers for several years after planting . It puts all its energy underground first .

When you move them , they wo n’t flower as well as they once did for several years . That ’s just the price of transplantation .

But there ’s no reason why they ca n’t be as big and beautiful as they ever were . Here are the pace you involve to make the big move :

A close up vertical image of a clematis vine growing up a wooden trellis in the garden.

What You’ll Learn

If you have a vine that you really adore and you ca n’t move it , or you really do n’t want to risk lose it , try propagate it via cuttings .

That way , if the vine give out after a move , or if it ’s you that ’s moved by , you still have a fashion to keep it .

When my grandmother pass , I want to keep the clematis she had planted over a treillage that arched across the walkway entrance to her house .

I did n’t want to risk losing it when we move it , so I took cuttings to be secure . Turns out , I did n’t postulate to , but it was courteous make the peace of thinker .

So , how can you move your plant the right way of life with minimal danger ? lease ’s talk transplant :

When to Move Your Plant

Technically , you could move your clematis at any clip of year . But if you desire to deoxidise the chances of transplant shock , do it in the former wintertime or early spring before the bud start to come forth .

Second best is in the fall after the vine goes sleeping , when the ground is still viable .

If you move the plant while it ’s actively growing , cut it back by about one-half . This reduces the number of leaves and stem that the crazy roots need to support .

Your clematis will belike be stunt for the rest of that time of year , but if you get enough of the root , it should recover the following twelvemonth .

Prep the Area

Before you even think about get the picture up your vine , you should prepare the new orbit first . This reduces the probability of transplant shock .

prod as big of a hole as you’re able to . Depending on how matured the works is , the roots can be several feet deep and at least as wide as the dripline of the plant , but probably several inches wider .

So dig a mess that is at least as large as you estimate the roots you ’re prod up will be .

If you want to go the superfluous statute mile , dig a little routine deeper and wider , and figure out somewell - rot compostinto the native soil .

you’re able to never go wrong with a lilliputian compost since it adds pee keeping to sandy filth and improves drain in clay . It also adds nutrients . What ’s not to love ?

Dig Up the Plant

Now it ’s fourth dimension to do the literal work . Do this on a 24-hour interval when the temperatures are cool . An overcast day that ’s a bit chilly and not too windy is just ripe .

As much as I need to keep my fellow gardener well-heeled , it ’s really for the plant . Wind and sun dry the roots out speedily .

Make certain you may plant it right away . Do n’t start dig on a day when you might be interrupted , and the plant will pose around . Oh , how many meter have I made that error ? It never turns out well .

If you did n’t crop back your clematis in the fall , dress it back a bit now . If you are n’t certain how toprune your exceptional type of clematis , check out our guidefor some tips .

Now , comprehend a gob all the mode around the drip strain , or even a few inches out from the drip line , around the entire circumference of the plant . dig out down at least two feet , assuming that your vine is more than a year old .

You ca n’t dig too large of a gross profit margin , so err on the side of too mysterious and wide rather than the other means around . If you encounter roots larger than a pencil in diameter as you ’re digging , you ask to move several in out and try again .

Once you ’ve done the initial digging , shove that shovel under the base and gently tilt the shovel back to rear and wedge the ascendant out of the soil . You might need to slay the shovel and re - tuck it in a few different areas to really get it out .

sample not to be too belligerent . If you hear a crew of beginning ripping and pop , stop pulling and toil a spot wider and deeply , then examine again . I hump it ’s annoying , but the more of the tooth root social system you get , the happy your works will be .

Eventually , the whole thing will pop out of the flat coat . grade it in a barrow or wagon or on a tarpaulin and move it to the young location . store your back for this next step .

Replanting

Before you graft , take a look at the root . You do n’t need to knock away all the shite and do a thorough check . But just give them a once over and see if they look okay .

If you see mushy or black root , it means your works probably has a piffling theme rot going on . off as many of these base as you may , and then labour the unexampled yap even deeper to see to it proficient drainage , backfilling it with a mixture of compost and native soil .

Put the plant in the ground and situate it so that it ride slightly lower than it did in its previous location . Fill in around the etymon with grunge . water system well and permit the grease settle .

You ’ll in all likelihood need to add a snatch more territory to top it off . sum up some mulch on top to protect the root . leafage or hardwood mulch work best .

Care

Throughout the following year , you do n’t need to provide any spare care , but be extremely diligent to dumbfound to the urge fear routine .

If you are n’t intimate with that , ourguide to growing clematishas you cut across .

Your vine wo n’t perform with its usual resplendence in the year or two follow its self-aggrandizing move . Do n’t worry , it just needs some sentence . You did n’t do anything wrong .

retrieve , clematis wants to establish a levelheaded root system before it goes about flowering abundantly .

Move Your Clematis to the Perfect Home

There ’s no grounds for you to have to distribute with a plant that ’s growing in the amiss location . Or , if your friend has a vine they need to get rid of , you’re able to always give it a new place .

Clematis has a repute for being a challenge to transplant , but do n’t permit that hold you back . It will retrovert to its former glory in a snap , so long as you follow the step outlined above .

Did this pathfinder help you visualize out how to move your plant ? I hope so . need tolearn even more about clematis vines ? Great ! We have several guides that might catch your heart :

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Kristine Lofgren