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FEEDING

Clematis are very hungry plants, for water and food, but it's sometimes difficult to know when and what to use.

I feed all my clematis in spring and one of the most natural products you can use is well-rotted manure, as this will release nutrients slowly through the growing season, and also help retain moisture around the plant. Remove a layer of soil from around the plant, and mix this soil in with the manure before placing around the base of the plant. This can also be done in the autumn to provide nutrients through the winter. You can also use your home-made compost or leaf mould, but don't use anything too acidic.

Liquid fertilizers are also good especially for a "quick fix" - tomato or rose fertilizer are both good as they are high in potash, and another good more natural feed to use is liquid seaweed. Don't apply this type of feed late in the summer as it will stimulate new and therefore soft growth which will get damaged in winter.

Powdered fertilizer like Blood, Fish & Bone is also recommended but remember to water it into the soil if you don't dig it in.

Container grown clematis require more regular feeding because there is a limited supply of nutrients within the soil and they can't send roots beyond the confines of the container. You can feed them once a fortnight with a diluted dose of liquid feed, or once a month with a full-strength dose. Begin feeding just before the growing season starts and continue until mid-summer. It is also a good idea to try and remove some of the top soil around the plant, and replace it with fresh compost, or even mix some well-rotted manure into the soil prior to replacing it, as mentioned above.

Clematis should be watered regularly, particularly through a dry summer, and it's better to water them a little every day rather than a lot once a week. A good mulch around the base of the plant will also help to retain moisture.