Clematis 'Empress'

Pot up plug into a 9cm pot and grow them on until large enough to plant outside in its final position. Grow clematis in sunny or semi shaded borders in any moist, well drained soil. Clematis plants particularly dislike dry soils so add plenty of well rotted manure or garden compost to improve moisture retention in summer. Plant clematis with the top of the rootball positioned 7.5cm (3") below soil level, to encourage new shoots to form from the base of the plant. Be sure to provide the twining stems with an appropriate support, such as trellis or wires attached to fences and pergolas. Alternatively grow clematis up freestanding plant frames in patio containers. When planting in containers, use a soil based compost such as John Innes No.3.

Feed and water frequently throughout the growing season. In autumn or spring, apply a mulch of well rotted manure or compost to the base of the plant. When pruning Clematis 'Empress', remember that it flowers on new stems which develop from the previous year's growth. In spring, remove any damaged or dead stems entirely. The remaining stems can then be pruned back to a pair of healthy buds.

Seeds and garden supplies will normally be delivered within the time period stated against each product as detailed above. Plants, bulbs, corms, tubers, shrubs, trees, potatoes, etc. are delivered at the appropriate time for planting or potting on. Delivery times will be stated on the product page above, or in your order acknowledgement page and email.

Orders for packets of seed incur a delivery charge of £2.99.

Orders which include any other products will incur a delivery charge of £6.99.

Where an order includes both packets of seeds and other products, a maximum delivery charge of £7.99 will apply - regardless of the number of items ordered.

Large items may incur a higher delivery charge - this will be displayed in your shopping basket.

Please see our Delivery page for further details, and more information on different charges that may apply to certain destinations.

For more information on how we send your plants please visit our Helpful Guide on plant sizes.

Van Meuwen strives to ensure that all its plants are delivered to you in the perfect condition for planting. While the majority of our nursery plants cope well with slight delays in intransit, sadly, the time it takes to deliver to certain locations in the UK means that we can't guarantee this for some of our smaller plug products and tender bedding and vegetable lines, which do not respond well to the extra journey time. So regretfully while we offer the majority of our live plant offering nationwide, we are unable to ship plugs, begging plants and tender vegetable plants to the following areas: HS, IV41-IV49, IV51, IV55-56, KW15-KW17, PA34, PA41-48, PA60-PA78, PA80, PH40-PH44, TR21-TR24, ZE1-ZE3.