Now-ish is the time to attempt to get out in the garden to start some chores. I know I am chomping at the bit to get cracking out there, and I will begin , as always with my two BFF plants, clematis and roses. About 4 weeks before last frost date (or after) is a good time to get out the pruning shears . If you pruned either plant  in the fall and were lucky to have them survive the winter unscathed, think of that pruning mistake  in the same way you think of the time you stole a stop sign back in high school. No one got hurt, no one got caught, it was reckless and you were young and foolish , and you will never do it again. EVER.

As far as the clematis plants go, I will cut back all my vitacellas, my ternifloras (Sweet autumn) and late blooming large flowered hybrids to about 12 inches from the ground.

Often mother nature has done it for me and the vines are snapped off just where they need to be……. like magic!

Any of the others will get pruned if there are any dead areas, or if they need to be re-trained after having gone on a wayward path. (If only my mother could have done this to me back in my aforementioned high school days, she probably would have more of her sanity left)

As for the roses, there is a lot of literature regarding pruning. I like things to be simple, so here is what I do. Any dead or diseased canes get pruned out (that is a given with any plant). Then if they are bushy types (like the polyanthas) or shrub roses I will prune them back a little , tidy them up, and thin them if air circulation looks impeded. Climbers do not get pruned at all, unless they need serious retraining as you loose all that great height you have gained if you cut them.

If you are pruning hybrid teas or hybrid perpetuals, get out a book because they need pruning that involves angled cuts in specific places and many other directions I find too fussy. I only grow roses that fall in the “pruning 101” category and also require no spraying , extra watering, or winter protection. If you are easy, this is the home for you.

The very best thing about roses and clematis, is growing them together. Like oreos and milk, cheese and crackers, spaghetti and meatballs  they complement each other as well as bring out the best in each other. Some would say like a great marriage, but I will stick with the food analogies, I like food  😉

I have heard complaints of having to disentangle  clematis vines  from thorny climbing roses after cutting them back in the spring , and I agree that is a painful job. The solution is to inter-plant your climbing roses with only clematis that fall into the  group 2 pruning category, or in my system the light prunes  http://www.gardenintheburrow.com/?page_id=608). These clematis never have to be pruned at all ( but can be lightly pruned after first flush of bloom if you want) and once planted with a climbing rose the two can be left to their own devices until the end of time. When picking your rose/clem combination choose a color combination that pleases you and match the final height of the vines. Many of the new introductions of Group 2 clematis are shorter in response to the great demand for smaller vines for container planting, so older varieties may be better suited for growing up a rose.

 I grow many group 3, or hard prunes, with roses and do not mind separating them out in the spring ,as garden chores go it is light work,just a little thorny. But whatever clematis you choose I am certain you will be very pleased with it.

out my kitchen window