Clematis not blooming

by Sue
(Oregon)

One of my 4 clematis is not producing blooms. All have been fertilized with Miracle Grow approximately 3 times since April. I recall that the same plant did not produce blooms last year either. The folage is abundant and healthy. Is there something that can be done to spur this plant into producing blooms.

Doug says to start using compost instead of miracle grow. And feeding three times already sounds like a bit of overkill to me in any case.

It sounds as if you have a different variety there - perhaps the buds are getting winter-killed or perhaps you're pruning off the buds from this plant.

I hear this problem as one of the most commonly asked questions. Clematis only a few feet apart bloom in totally different ways - usually one completely outblooms the other every year.

My answer is that there is something "different" going on in the soil or micro-climate in that particular spot. Yes, it can only be a few feet away but that few feet can make a huge difference in urban soils or conditions.

We can't control the micro-climate - that extra hour of light or lack of wind or winter frost in that specific zone. But we can control the soil. And here's where I'd be using compost on that plant to try to get the biologicals in the soil properly balanced and increase the overall health of the plant. Feeding MiracleGrow is like feeding a kid nothing but sugar. Lots of energy but no real nutrition for balanced growth. Try tossing two or threes shovels of compost around the base of the plant (don't work it in - let the worms take it down) and see if this makes any difference. In many case, it solves the trick.

If it's a minor variation in winter cold or pruning, you're going to have to sort that out without my help from here. :-)

Good luck with it. Let me know if the compost feeding helps next year. And do try to sort out if it gets a bit more sun, a bit less, less shade and more heat around the roots (mulch those roots).