Clematis Special Occasion

Showing off a free flowering growth habit, Clematis Special Occasion features large flowers of dusky pink, shading through with lilac and white tonings. Special Occasion is a Group 2 type for pruning meaning a light prune in Winter will initiate flowers for Spring and another pruning as the flowers are fading will encourage a second flush in Summer/ Autumn.

Clematis are charming usually deciduous climbers that are fast growing and once established, will profusely bear flowers in Spring or Summer. Thriving in moist well drained soils, Clematis are said to love to have their heads in the sun and their feet in the shade- therefore protection for the roots during the heat of the day is essential for good results. Grow them beside a pole, fence, pergola or trellis or let them climb up a shrub or tree for a delightful cottagy intertwined effect.

Clematis are broken up into three broad groups for pruning depending on how they flower.

Group One: These Clematis only flower on the previous season's growth. That means whatever growth is made before Winter will be the growth that has the flowers. DON'T prune this group in Winter because you will be cutting off all your flowers!

Group Two: These Clematis flower on both previous seasons growth and new growth. Prune lightly in Winter to big buds making sure to cut out all weak, cluttered and dead growth. After the Spring flowering, prune again to remove all the spent flowers to encourage a fresh set of flowers in Summer. If the plant is sparse, prune harder to encourage branching. Feed after each pruning to encourage new growth. (This group includes most of the Large Flowered Hybrid Clematis. )

Group Three: These Clematis only flower on new growth and require hard pruning in Winter to encourage new growth. Some will naturally die down to the ground. They tend to flower later in the season, around November onwards and are terrific during Summer and Autumn. This group includes the viticellas, texensis and herbaceous varieties.

Please Note: These plants are coming out of their Winter dormancy and as such will have a small amount of foliage on them. Simply plant it out into the planned position and as the warmer weather of Spring arrives new shoots and foliage will begin to appear.