Perhaps you have a couple of naked fence panels you would like to cover with clematis. Here, a bit of lateral thinking will give you the best results. Instead of buying two or three plants, look for one with three or four reasonably long stems. When it comes to planting, put the roots sideways in the hole. You can lay the stems along the ground at the base of the fence and cover them with soil. A few leaves sticking out above soil level at regular intervals is good but not essential.
Before you know it, a new stem will start to grow from every leaf joint, each one with its own roots. This way, your single plant will give you a lush blanket of leaves and flowers to completely cover the fence.
If you try this at home, don’t act too smug when you see your neighbour’s clematis has a few almost bare stems with all the leaves and flowers at the top. This technique can be used with many climbers. Feel free to experiment.
Written By Alistair Ayres
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