Hello all Gardeners, I want to plant a couple of clematis on my back fence. Is July a good time to plant them. Are there any special thing I have to do to ensure a healthy flowering vine for next year?

July is not a great time for plaNTING ANYTHING - TENDS TO BE TOO HOT AND DRY. hAVING SAID THAT, i MUST SAY THAT IT'S NEVER STOPPED ME FROM PLANTING THINGS! i'VE ONLY EVER PLANTED CLEMATIS IN THE SPING BUT i'VE PLANTED ALL SORTS OF PERENNIALS AND SHRUBS IN MID-SUMMER AND HAD THEM SURVIVE JUST FINE. i DIG A FAIRLY BIG HOLE FOR THEM, FILL IT WITH WATER AND LET IT SOAK IN. iF THE SOIL IS VERY DRY, i DO THAT SEVERAL TIMES. (OOPs - just noticed I hit Caps Lock back there...) Then I put the plant in the hole and back-fill with soil around it, making sure there is lots of organic matter (e.g. compost) mixed in with the soil from the hole. Water well to settle everything in. Then make sure you water the new plants well at least every other day and daily if there is a dry spell. (I have soaker hoses running through all my beds and they help keep the soil at a good moisture level without too much work or water wasteage; new summer transplants get supplemental direct watering for the first couple of weeks though.) This approach works well for me. In fact I just came back from an end-of-season sale at a local nursery and just finished planting a bunch of things, including a hibiscus, so I've got my fingers crossed for everything. Some shrubs and perennials I planted last weekend are looking good so far, so I hope my past luck with mid-season planting holds true for this year too. I just can't resist those sale prices! So, as long as they're not outrageously expensive valuable plants that you don't want to have any risk of losing, I'd say 'go for it'!

Remember to add bonemeal to the bottom of the hole...also...clematis vines climb funny... the leaf stems grab and wrap around whatever they're supposed to be climbing...therefore they cannot grasp and wrap around anything bigger that a few millimeters...like chicken wire or netting. I have a few climbing up other shrubs in my yard but have never been able to get one to twine like other vines. Good Luck.

I planted 4 clematis plants last July and they are all doing really well. At first I thought 2 of them were dead because they didn't grow. This year they are taking over my deck. Just remember to keep their feet cool. we planted a ground cover underneath so it would protect the roots. I think that mulching them well should help too.

good luck!

I just purchased a clematis from the nursery a few weeks ago to replace a clematis (Nelly Moser)which I might add was a complete disaster. I emailed Brian Minter and along with his help to my clematis problem, his favourite seemed to be the Montana series with lots of foiliage and blooms (Went out and bought one). This series you do not have to cut back however there are some you do cut to the ground level. They like sun but roots need to be cool as Karol Ann stated. All the books I have ever read say to plant them 2 or 3 inches deeper than that of a nursery boughten vine to prevent Clematis wilt. Always best to pick up a book. Your best wealth of info or visit your nearest garden centre. It's already growing well. There are no blooms yet but patience plays into it, Oh and of course my fingers are crossed as well.