Categories: Viticella group, pink clematis, 3 pruning group, winter-hardy
‘Abundance’ is an old late-flowering variety of clematis from the Viticella group. It was obtained by the French florist Francisco Morel in 1900 and probably given to William Robertson, from whom it came to Jackman Nursery. There it was introduced in 1939.
Characteristics
Group | Viticella |
Pruning Group | 3 (hard pruning) |
Height | 8.…13 ft (250…400 cm) |
Blossoms | medium-sized, with 4-6 sepals |
Blossom Color | purple-red |
Blooming Period | from July to September |
Hardiness Zones | 3-9 |
Description
Clematis ‘Abundance’ can form very long (according to some reports, up to 6 meters) shoots, but more often they grow 2-3 meters long. Flowering is abundant, starts in July and can last until September. Flowers are medium-sized, 5…7.5 cm across with 4-6 sepals. Sepals are curved with a wavy edge. The color of sepals is purplish-pink or wine-red. The stamens are light yellow.
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Clematis viticella ‘Abundance’ planting and care
Clematis ‘Abundance’ belongs to the Viticella group and, like almost all clematis in this group, it is winter hardy and fairly unpretentious. It will grow well in most of northern Europe and in US states with cold winters, including Michigan, South Dakota and perhaps even some places in Alaska. It is an extremely easy to care for clematis that I can recommend including to novice gardeners. Basically, if you just plant it and do nothing else with it except fall pruning, it will grow and bloom quite well. However, if you put a little more effort into it, you’ll get some really impressive blooms very soon.
When is the best time to plant clematis’Abundance’ ?
I find it best to plant clematis in late summer or early fall when the soil is a little cooler. Clematis form a good root system under these conditions. However, in some colder regions, gardeners recommend planting clematis, on the contrary, in spring, when the soil is still cold, but is beginning to warm up. In this case, the clematis first forms some green leaves in the warm air and then, with their help, when the soil warms up to 68 degrees Fahrenheit, forms a root system and eventually develops better. Surely both options have their advantages.
A bad option is to plant clematis in late spring or summer when they are actively growing. When planting late, you can easily damage the green shoots or fast-growing roots, so at this time of year you can only transplant clematis with a clump of earth
Choosing a planting location
If you are in a northern state with cold winters, it is best to plant your clematis near a west, east or south wall where it will be protected from winter winds. If you are in a southern state where winters are not harsh but summers are hot, the best place to plant is near a north wall where the clematis will be protected from the midday sun.
In general, this is a very hardy variety; its winter hardiness zone is from 4 to 9. Some authors say even 3 to 9, so you are unlikely to have problems with overwintering. Soil for planting clematis.
Clematis ‘Abundance’ grows well in light, fertile soil, with a pH of about 7. In principle, it will grow well in slightly alkaline soil and in slightly acidic soil, but soil fungi that cause clematis wilt grow better in slightly acidic soil, and clematis wilt is the most dangerous disease of clematis.
How to prepare the planting hole?
The planting hole for clematis should be large enough. I recommend that it be at least 1.5 feet deep, and about 1.5 feet wide as well. The hole is filled with the same soil you removed from it. You should never put less dense soil in there, especially when planting in clay soil. Filling the hole with loose soil will create a “bowl” where rainwater will collect. This will lead to rapid root rot.
Take the soil removed from the pit and mix it with compost or humus in a 1:1 ratio. Add about one ounce of superphosphate and one ounce of potassium sulfate. This will give you a soil mixture that is ideal for clematis growth in the first few years.
Planting clematis
If you plant your clematis in the fall or spring, be sure to take it out of the pot, pull the clump apart, spread it out and inspect the roots. Rotten or damaged roots should be cut off, and the cuts should be covered with crushed coal or ash. I also advise you to cover all the roots and the lower part, along with the underground part of the stems, with a mixture of sand and ash to protect the plants from wilt, at least for a while.
After that, carefully plant it in the hole, spreading the roots, and fill it with the prepared soil. Tamp the soil thoroughly and water liberally.
Can clematis ‘Abundance’ be buried when planting?
If you have purchased a clematis whose lower part of the stems is woody, you can burrow it down one or two pairs of buds to get the best tillering from the start. If you have a young green clematis, you cannot do this. You need to plant it at the same depth it was growing in the pot.
Care of clematis viticella ‘Abundance’
Watering
Clematis viticella are undemanding and tolerate short droughts well, but in long droughts they need to be watered. Watering should be infrequent but plentiful: adult plants should be given about 3 gallons of water at a time, young plants about a gallon and a half of water.
After watering, you can gently loosen the top layer of soil to break up the soil crust. Try not to damage the surface roots. Clematis respond very well to soil mulching because the mulch protects the roots from overheating, prevents excessive water evaporation and suppresses weeds. In addition, organic mulch becomes an additional source of nutrients.
Use straw, hay or freshly cut grass for mulching. Do not press them close to the clematis stems, because you can burn the stems if the bacteria in the mulch is active.
Fertilizing clematis ‘Abundance’
In the first year after planting, clematis ‘Abundance’ will receive mineral nutrition from the prepared mixture with which you filled the planting hole. It has everything it needs to grow, but in early spring you can also add about 5g of nitrogen to the soil in the form of any mineral fertilizer. This will allow the clematis to grow green mass faster, and therefore better rooting.
From the 2nd year of cultivation, feed clematis ‘Abundance’ according to the following scheme:
- In early spring, apply organic fertilizers in the form of compost or humus, as well as mineral fertilizers in the form of a solution of 10 g of nitrogen, 5 g of potassium and 5 g of phosphorus for each adult liana. If you have a young clematis, reduce the dose of mineral fertilizers by 2 times.
- At the time of budding, carry out the second feeding with mineral fertilizers, put into the soil in the form of a solution of 5 g of nitrogen, 5 g of phosphorus and 5 g of potassium, as well as a full complex of macro- and microelements. This will make the flowering more powerful and the coloring of the flowers more vivid.
- About 3-4 weeks after the second feeding, repeat it exactly in the same composition.
- At the end of the growing season, usually the end of August, put 5 g of phosphorus and 5 g of potassium into the soil for better maturation of the plant and preparation for winter.
Pruning and preparing ‘Abundance’ clematis for winter
Like all clematis, ‘Abundance’ flowers on the current year’s shoots. This means that it belongs to pruning group 3. In the fall, cut back the stems, keeping only a small part with 1-2 pairs of buds. In some cases, you can cut at all under the root.
After pruning, the remaining stems should be covered. If you are growing clematis in the UK or another European country with mild winters, you can do without covering at all. In regions with harsh winters, you can pour a bucket of dry peat over the bush node or erect a complete dry shelter, protected from precipitation from above.
This shelter should be removed in the spring when the threat of temperatures dropping to 19 degrees Fahrenheit has passed.
Disease Control
The greatest threat to clematis ‘Abundance’ is wilt, which is caused by parasitic soil fungi. These fungi penetrate the plant and fill the vessels with mycelium, after which the supply of water and minerals is cut off and the shoot wilts. To protect against wilt, it is recommended to maintain a slightly alkaline soil environment by applying ash and watering with so-called lime milk, i.e. a mixture of water and lime. In addition, watering clematis with a solution of fungicides, both biological and chemical, can be effective.
Among other diseases it should be noted powdery mildew, as well as some leaf spots. They do not pose a great danger to clematis, but slightly spoil the appearance. Use pre-treatments with copper-based fungicides.
Reviews of Clematis ‘Abundance’
- Near Birmingham, UK: Clematis ‘Abundance’ has been growing on my property for many years since I bought a cottage garden. I found out it was ‘Abundance’ quite by accident. It is over 5m tall, falls over the other side of the fence and requires absolutely no maintenance. In the fall I simply cut its wilted stems almost under the root and never feed it. I do, however, get a wall of flowers every year.
- California, near Redding: Clematis ‘Abundance’ was bought at the store 3 years ago and is not yet in the same condition as the magazine photos, but it blooms every year. There are no problems with it, it is disease free, but it has been fed annually.
- Toronto, Canada: Clematis ‘Abundance’ has been growing for about 6 years, has never been sick, overwinters well under the simplest cover of non-woven fabric.
- France, around Laval: a good clematis, never had any problems with it, but it grows very fast and therefore needs shaping pruning in mid-summer.
- Vermont, USA: Clematis ‘Abundance’ is an excellent grower, one of the easiest to grow clematis in the collection, requiring only pruning and fertilizing. Compared to large-flowered clematis, it is very easy to grow, but the flowers will not appeal to everyone, only to those who like natural design.
If you too have grown clematis ‘Abundance’, please leave your feedback in the comments to the article.
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