How to Save a Broken Piece of Clematis

There’s nothing like a brightly colored vertical flowering plant like clematis to add variety to a garden. Known for their long blooming season, these hardy climbing plants can quickly cover an arbor or trellis and can even be encouraged to wrap around shrubs and bushes. Clematis is a hardy plant that will grow almost anywhere under a variety of conditions, although most varieties prefer several hours of sunlight during the day. Although they are easy to care for, clematis plants are susceptible to stem damage if they are not securely fastened.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

things you’ll need:

• Pruning shears
• Narrow cloth strips

1. Locate new buds below and closest to the break. If the break occurs just after blooming or when the plant is dormant, look for the beginnings of new growth.
2. Cut off the portion of the plant above the new growth buds. Since clematis plants need regular pruning to bloom their best, use this as an opportunity to shorten the plant to a desired height or to do some shaping. If the break occurs while the plant is blooming, make sure the break is a clean cut. Do not leave ragged edges.
3. Attach the plant to a trellis, arbor, tree or shrub. Since most breaks occur because of poor attachment, it may be helpful to tie the plant using narrow cloth strips until the plant has begun to wrap around the desired object on its own.

Tips & Warnings

• Saving the actual broken clematis piece is not really possible. New growth on a blooming plant is usually rapid although the plant may not reach its usual height for the year. Since older woody stems seem to make the plant more susceptible to breaking, be sure to remove old growth annually. If the break occurs during the summer or during a dry period, be sure the plant is adequately watered to promote new growth.