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And the plot in front of the house, and a small courtyard, and even a balcony with a terrace can be unrecognizably transformed if you decorate them with a blooming liana. Clematis is the best way to do this. This article will focus on the clematis of the Piilu variety, its description, photos and reviews of gardeners growing it in various parts of our country will be given.
Description and characteristics of the variety
Piilu Clematis was created by Estonian breeder Uno Kivistik in 1984. After several years of testing, the variety got its real name, which means “little duckling” in Estonian.
This variety of clematis is compact, therefore, unlike many of its counterparts, it can be grown not only in the garden, but also on the terrace, and even on the balcony, if planted in a fairly spacious container.
Individual shoots grow in length no more than 1,6-2 meters. And, according to gardeners who grow clematis Piilu in rather harsh climatic conditions, the length of its shoots may not exceed 90 cm at all.
The flowers are of medium size, can reach a diameter of 10-12 cm. The flowers themselves, or rather, the sepals, have a very beautiful pink-purple color. A dark pink stripe stands out from the base of the petals in their center. And the anthers at the same time have a bright yellow color. This combination makes Piilu clematis flowers very attractive for any lover of these wonderful plants.
Each simple flower contains 4-6 petals with a wavy edge, while double flowers can have 3-4 times more petals.
But on the shoots of the current year, only simple, non-double single flowers appear.
Bushes of this variety are distinguished by moderate growth and grow upwards, clinging to supports with petioles from leaves. Flowering usually begins in June, but under favorable conditions, an adult bush that has survived the winter well can bloom very early in the middle or even early May. Flowering is very plentiful – the whole bush is completely covered with wide-open flowers. In August – September, Clematis Piilu gives out the second wave of flowering, already on the shoots of the current year.
Gardeners have many questions about which pruning group Clematis Piilu belongs to. Of course, according to the official classification, this clematis belongs to the second pruning group, if only because it can bloom both on the shoots of the past and the current year.
But many flower growers living in areas with severe winters, trying to grow clematis in their plots, noticed that many of them belong, as it were, to the transitional 2-3 group. That is, there are clearly defined representatives of the 2nd group, mainly Japanese hybrids and terry beauties, who are able to bloom early and abundantly only on last year’s shoots. And on young shoots they bloom too late, rather reluctantly, and under adverse weather conditions during the summer they may not bloom at all.
The same clematis that belong to the transitional group 2-3 bloom equally abundantly and well both on young and last year’s shoots. It is to this transitional group that the Piilu clematis variety belongs. The only difference is that, as mentioned earlier, during the second wave of flowering, double flowers are not formed on the plant.
Features of landing
The place for planting clematis must be chosen with great care – after all, the main feature of these perennial vines is that they absolutely cannot stand spring flooding. True, Clematis Piilu is able to grow even in containers, in which case care must be taken to put a good layer of drainage into the growing container.
If you decide to plant Piilu clematis in the garden, then it is advisable to choose a sunny place for it, protected from drafts, but, most importantly, on a small hill so that the roots do not have moisture stagnation.
Clematis can be planted in a permanent place both in spring and autumn, but for the middle lane and more northern regions, the spring period is preferable, because it allows plants to take root well during the warm season. Since Clematis Piilu, like many other varieties, is able to grow in one place up to 20 years, its planting must be taken very responsibly. It is best to dig a planting hole or trench (if you want to plant several plants) at least 2 cm deep and wide in advance, about 60 weeks before planting.
Lay drainage at the bottom in the form of small stones or rubble, with a layer of about 5 cm, then a layer of cut branches and various organic waste mixed with sand is twice as thick. Clematis does not tolerate acidic soils, so lime can be added to the same layer.
From above, everything is carefully covered with garden soil with the addition of humus, compost, complex mineral fertilizer and sand – the main thing is that the soil is loose, light, air and water permeable. Then the landing site is abundantly shed and kept moist until planting.
The depth of planting a clematis seedling depends on the region where you are going to grow it. In the northern regions, seedlings should never be buried – it is better to plant them at the same level at which they grew in the container. It is better to subsequently pour humus to the roots every year and mulch the planting site. But in the southern regions, the seedling of clematis Piilu must be deepened into the ground by 8-12 cm.
The distance between Piilu clematis seedlings can be left about 80-100 cm so that they do not interfere with each other when they grow.
Care and pruning
In the care of the Piilu clematis variety, it is important to observe the following basic requirements:
- Watering should be regular and fairly plentiful, especially in hot and dry southern areas, where the vine can be watered almost every day. In more northern regions, watering 2-3 times a week will be enough.
- For the first year after planting, clematis may have enough fertilizer laid in the pit during planting. But from the second year of life, clematis must be regularly fed, at least 4 times per season. You can use complex mineral fertilizers, such as Kristallon, or you can use any organic matter: humus, compost, humates.
- Clematis Piilu does not tolerate the neighborhood of weeds. In order not to suffer much with weeding, every spring it is advisable to mulch the entire root zone of clematis bushes well.
- At some distance from the clematis root zone, low annuals can be planted, which will protect the roots well from heat or excessive dryness.
Pruning Clematis Piilu is not as difficult as it might seem. In the autumn, before the onset of the first frost, last year’s shoots, on which the most powerful flowering occurred, should be cut off almost to the base (leave about 10 cm). Recommendations for pruning young shoots vary in different sources – they can be cut, leaving from 80 cm to 150 cm. You yourself will choose the appropriate length for your region by experience. In the northern regions with severe winters, all shoots of Piilu clematis are cut to 3-4 buds for the winter. Thus, care for him in these regions is carried out according to the 3rd pruning group, which can only affect the presence of double flowers.
Reviews of gardeners
Gardeners who grow Piilu clematis on their plots leave only positive feedback about this decorative vine.
Conclusion
The Piilu clematis variety is relatively unpretentious to growing conditions, can show itself in all its glory even in not very experienced hands, and can be used to decorate various parts of the garden and the local area.
