Clematis Cutting Tutorial

We've had a very long winter here in Kentucky. 

Endless weeks of cold, snow, and ice with very few glimmer days*. 

But on the first day of February, the sun came out, and during my backyard wander, 

I was surprised to find Jackmanii clematis already hard at work.

The dynamism contained in a newly-awakened 

clematis branch is electric.

So I cut a handful of the woody branches (1), including more than one

 woody knuckle on each stem.

Sporting the most hopeful shade of green, these pioneer leaves are impossibly soft. 

Spend some time appreciating them, because the next step is 

to snap off each leaf bud (2).

I know it seems brutal, but that unique spring-renewal energy has to be firmly 

directed to earn those free clematis vines. If the greedy leaf buds are 

allowed to use the vigor for themselves, roots will never form. 

By removing the leaf buds, you're sending all that growth-power south. 

Obviously, I haven't done a thorough job of clearing the buds--I'm too soft. 

Place the cut vine sections in a jar of room temperature water 

in a brightly lit window (3).

Then it's a waiting game. 

You'll probably spend most of the summer changing water and 

keeping the stems free of algae and slime (4) while you wait to see roots.

But it's worth the work.

Explore other methods to propagate clematis here and here. 

* Glimmer days are unseasonably warm, typically sprinkled throughout the first three months of the calendar year.