Why Isn’t My Clematis Flowering?

Clematis is a vine that produces masses of colorful blooms from early spring until early fall if it’s happy and healthy. Several things can hinder the bloom production and to discover why isn’t my clematis flowering may need a little observation.

The problem is usually easy to fix and the vine will resume flower production again. Check out these common causes and fixes so you can get your clematis flowering again.

1. Sunlight

There is an easy rule to remember when growing clematis – head in the sun and feet in the shade. The vine needs the soil to be kept cool while the entire top portion of the vine is in full sun. The soil is easy to keep cool with a thick layer of organic mulch or by planting low-growing perennials at the base of the vine.

Prune the nearby plants or transplant the clematis to a sunnier location.

2. Fertilize

Too much fertilizer or a high nitrogen fertilizer will stop flower production. Even if the vine is not directly fertilized, if it’s located near a lawn that is regularly fed with a high nitrogen lawn food it will hinder your clematis from flowering.

Feed the clematis a small amount of low-nitrogen plant food (like 5-10-10) once in the early spring.

3. Age  

Clematis won’t bloom until it’s 2-3 years old and an old vine may have reached the end of its lifespan. A happy, healthy vine will live up to 50-years, so old age is rarely the cause of no flowers. Give a young vine time to become established and replace an old, non-blooming vine.

4. Improper Pruning

It’s important to know which variety of clematis you have before pruning. Some varieties bloom on the previous year’s vines, so heavy pruning in spring will prevent new blooms from developing. Other varieties bloom on the current year’s vine, so it’s ok to cut them down to the ground every spring. 

When in doubt, don’t prune until late spring. Then you will be able to determine what is old growth and can prune accordingly.

5. Transplanting

If the vine is being shaded and needs to be transplanted, try to do it in early spring.

Select a full sun location and dig a very large hole. The root system will be as big around as the vine is wide and will be 2-feet (60 cm) down in the soil. Fill the hole with water (all the way to the top) and let it drain while you dig up the vine.

Dig deep and wide to get all of the roots. Place the root end in a wheelbarrow and move to a shady location. Fill the wheelbarrow with water and allow the roots to soak for 1-hour.

Place root system into the freshly dug hole. Gently fill the hole with soil, patting it down as you fill to drive out all air pockets.

Mulch around the vine and keep the clematis vine well-watered for the first year after transplanting. Do not fertilize. The vine won’t grow much or bloom the first year but that’s normal. By the second spring, the vine should be ready to produce an abundance of flowers.