Clematis Multi Blue

Blooming, bright vines are considered the most popular and favorite plant among landscape designers, which is actively used as a transformation not only of the garden, but also of fences, unsightly walls of structures. Even the inhabitants of ordinary apartments fell in love with the unusual view of this lush-flowering clematis, since this variety can be grown indoors, for example, on a balcony. Clematis variety Multi Blue is a representative of the Patens group. Clematis Multi Blue itself has a rather compact size, its stems grow up to two meters in length. Young branches are very flexible, but at the same time they are quite fragile. Therefore, remember this fact when you manually lay the vines on the trellis. The stems become strong and durable at the end of the season.

Clematis Multi Blue: variety description

Clematis Multi Blue: photo of the multi blue variety

Before you learn about the rules for growing and caring for Multi Blue clematis, you should first get acquainted with its characteristics and features:

• Most varieties of clematis have their roots deep. A distinctive feature of this variety is that its root system is located almost superficially, moreover, so close to the surface of the earth that it is absolutely impossible to loosen the soil with a hoe near the bush, so as not to damage the roots of the plant. Otherwise, this clematis may even die, depending on the degree of damage. Based on this, we advise you to avoid and remove the formed crust on the surface of the soil after the irrigation procedure using mulching.
• The growing season for Clematis Multi Blue begins quite early in time. The buds begin to wake up with the arrival of warm days, and this vine begins to lower its shoots at a fairly fast pace. Clematis leaves are elongated and rather narrow, with a pointed tip. The length of one sheet is about 10 centimeters.
• The flowering period of the Multi Blue large-flowered clematis continues throughout the summer season. During the growing season, new buds are regularly formed on the liana. The flowers have a double structure and a blue color with a purple tint. Refined pink stamens (sometimes reddening) form a voluminous and lush core. Such branches grow up to 18 centimeters in diameter. A fluff forms on the outside of the petals of this flower.

According to its characteristics, Clematis Multi Blue is intended for growing in open space. Although many amateur flower growers have long been growing this clematis on their balcony. For this, you just need a large container, in the form of a barrel, with soil. But keep in mind that the container with soil for growing this plant is quite voluminous and heavy, the balcony should be designed for such loads.
For those who decided to plant this beautiful plant in their garden, of course, they are worried about the peculiarities of its planting and care. Let us consider in detail all the nuances of growing this clematis.

Clematis Multi Blue: planting varieties

Clematis Multi Blue: photo of the variety

The best period for planting Clematis Multi Blue is the spring season, but only no later than the middle of the month of May. In the fall, disembarkation is possible, but only in the month of September. Sometimes this plant is planted even in summer, but then, the roots of clematis should be closed. This means that Clematis Multi Blue grows in a container, after which it, together with an earthen lump, is carefully removed from there.If at this moment the soil crumbled from the roots and the root system was exposed, then the seedling is unlikely to take root. When purchasing a seedling of this variety, make sure that its age is two years, since at this point in time it has already formed up to 6 pieces of full-fledged roots, which are about 15 centimeters long. It will be best to purchase seedlings in Russian specialized nurseries, and located in the region where Clematis Multi Blue will grow. The seedlings brought from Poland and Holland take root rather poorly in our climate. The plant may not have growth for a long time, or even die altogether. Clematis with an open root system can enter the markets from the nursery, then the choice is made on the seedling that has many dormant buds. Just before buying, be sure to carefully examine the root system of this plant. The roots should be sufficiently moist and free from rot or damage. A good option would be to buy fathoms of this variety in a separate container. But before planting, it should be placed in a warm liquid for about 15 minutes. This time should be enough to soak the substrate and the seedling can be easily removed from the container along with the earthen clod.

Before planting Clematis Multi Blue, you should choose the right place to grow it in advance. An area with the most sun during the day is a great option. Light shade at the drop-off site is also acceptable. Only those areas where there is a fairly open space and gusty and through winds are raging, since strong air currents can quite easily and quickly break young stems of clematis. Also, the choice of planting this plant near a metal fence will be unsuccessful, since on hot days, heated metal can harm clematis quite strongly, leaving serious burns on its foliage. In this case, you need to leave a space between the vine and the fence at least one meter. This subspecies of clematis is a rather undemanding plant to the composition of the soil. Although lowlands with regular stagnation of liquid are contraindicated for the bush, the vine can simply die. The ideal solution would be to grow in soil with a slightly alkaline reaction.

Before planting clematis Multi Blue, a hole is prepared in advance for landing. It should be about 60 centimeters deep. At the bottom of the fossa, a drainage layer of approximately 15 centimeters is laid out. A small pebble can serve as drainage. After that, the hole is filled with a mixture of compost and fertile soil. You can also add dolomite flour to this mixture, about 400 grams. The soil is not poured into the hole completely, but only most of it is filled. A small mound is formed from this soil in the hole and compacted a little by hand. A seedling is placed on this small hill and covered with earth. Further, fine river sand is poured into the hole, and in such a way that the root collar deepens by 7-8 centimeters. On top of these layers, thin black earth is laid out. And after all these actions, the newly planted plant is watered pretty well with warm water.

Deepening the root collar is required to achieve tillering of the plant. New stems will form from the layer of sand under which the buds are located. And after a while a strong and healthy bush of this variety will grow. It should be noted that this type of clematis looks great on gazebos, summer verandas and hedges. But for a group planting of a young plant, a distance between plantings of half a meter should be left, so that the bush has good development and growth.

Clematis Care Multi Blue

Clematis Multi Blue: photo of the variety

Clematis Multi Blue does not require special care and does not practically differ from other varieties of clematis, although some of its features are still available. Firstly, this plant needs additional support, which can be either natural, for example, an old tree, or specially designed, for example, a wall, mesh, trellis. The stems of this plant are guided along stretched ropes on opposite sides. This type of clematis needs a constant watering procedure. In normal weather, watering is carried out every week, and during periods of extreme heat and drought, these procedures are increased to three to four times a week. To ensure a slight retention of moisture in the soil, the planting site should be covered with compost or tree bark, after finely chopping it up. It is also important to weed so that the weeds do not pick up moisture and nutrients from the roots of the plant. If you follow the European method, then this plant should be grown together with the lawn, since this herb is able to protect the roots of clematis from drought during strong heating by the sun. Although the flower growers of our country completely disagree with this technique, referring to the fact that this herb takes a large amount of nutrients and liquid from the plant. With high-quality and timely watering of this plant, you can do without this lawn grass.

As for the dressing, the large-flowered clematis Mult Blue is excellent for alkaline fertilizer, with a high nitrogen content. The flower growers themselves are engaged in its preparation by hand. To do this, a large container is filled with weeds, filled with water and left in the sun for fermentation. So that the process proceeds much faster and to increase the nutritional value of this mixture, manure is added to this container. After about 1.5 weeks, having felt the characteristic smell of silage, you will understand that the fertilizer is completely ready. This solution is used to water the plant. If it is impossible to manually prepare fertilizer for a given plant, a ready-made fertilizer is purchased in a specialized store, which is based on ammonia. And it will be best if it will additionally contain cobalt and boron. Together with such a fertilizer, ordinary ash is also applied under the Multi Blue clematis root. And when watering, dolomite flour is added.

Top dressing for clematis Multi Blue is carried out three times in one season, and fertilization begins only from the second year of the plant's life. In no case do not use fresh manure as a top dressing for this plant, otherwise the roots of the plant may simply burn out, and this is also fraught with infection with diseases of a fungal nature and attacks by pests. Prolonged rains and humid summer seasons also negatively affect the growth and development of this variety. From excessive moisture, young shoots begin to wither. At such a time, you need to build a structure for the water drain, and sprinkle the bottom of the stems with wood ash. Another reason for the wilting of the vine can be the formation of soil fungus. Often this problem is known in June. To prevent the development of this disease, preventive treatments of the plant with copper sulfate will help, in the spring and autumn periods of the year. And from such a dangerous disease as powdery mildew can be saved by treatment with Topaz, or colloidal sulfur.

If you are going to propagate this plant, then this can be done in three ways:

• In the spring season, several old stems of this plant are laid out on the surface of the soil, while sprinkling them with moist earth a little. From the ground, the top of the stem should be about 20 centimeters long. In the place where the plant was dug in, it will eventually sprout roots. The layers obtained in this way are separated from the main bush and transplanted to another site.
• The next breeding method is the division of the bush.Early enough in the spring, carefully tear the soil around the rhizome. Shoots with their roots are cut off at the bush, using them in the form of seedlings.
• The third method of propagation is cuttings, although this method does not always give a positive effect. Cuttings begin to be harvested at the beginning of the summer season, and they are cut from a lash, which has two knots. One knot is immersed in sufficiently moist soil, and the other is pressed against dry soil.

Until the moment of germination and adaptation, the cuttings are covered with a transparent jar.

The first two breeding methods are considered the best and most productive.
It is also worth noting that the varieties of large-flowered clematis Multi Blue have a very high level of frost resistance. This plant can remarkably withstand winter frosts, but it can also resist in the spring, with a delay in removing the shelter with the arrival of spring. At the very beginning of April, a film or other covering material is removed, and after about 5 days the plant roots adapt to the weather climate, then it will be possible to remove the organic shelter (straw or coniferous branches). When the warm days are already settled, around the end of April, the remaining organic matter is removed. And last year's plant stems are attached to the support.

It is worth noting that when high humidity appears under the shelter in spring, as well as signs of rot and mold, this area is treated with a fungicide, and quite abundantly. And the plant is transplanted to another site.

Pruning large-flowered clematis Multi Blue

Clematis Multi Blue: photo of the variety

The procedure for pruning clematis Multi Blue has its own characteristics. There are three groups of such plants in which the stems remain uncut, cut in half, or shortened entirely to the soil surface. For clematis Multi Blue, the second pruning group is suitable. After the first flowering has passed, old shoots are removed. This is done so that new lashes with flowers can form. For the winter period, the bush of this variety is shortened by half, leaving only branches, the length of which is about one meter above the soil surface.

Clematis Multi Blue: reviews of gardeners

There are a lot of reviews on the Internet about the Multi Blue variety of clematis. Here are some of them:

• I planted this plant near the house. Stunning beauty clematis Multi Blue! Propagated by layering from the mother bush and planted near the gazebo. I don't particularly care about leaving, I just water it constantly, three times during the summer I feed and do pruning.
  Elena, 54 years old
• I grow a variety of clematis Multi Blue (multi blue) on my balcony. The only important requirement for a flower is a large and wide barrel with fertile soil. She pulled on a plastic garden net, along which the liana spins its whips. It looks gorgeous, and you can't take your eyes off the flowers - voluminous, lush and beautiful.
  Tamara, 63 years old

Large-flowered clematis Multi Blue: video about the variety