Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Clematis 'Ville de Lyon' bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Ville de Lyon clematis, carmine clematis (Clematis 'Ville de Lyon').

More about clematis 'ville de lyon'

About Clematis 'Ville de Lyon'

Clematis 'Ville de Lyon' · also called Ville de Lyon clematis, carmine clematis · flowering

Clematis 'Ville de Lyon' is a vigorous deciduous climber with glowing carmine-red flowers darker at the edges, set off by yellow anthers from midsummer to autumn. A Pruning Group 3 hybrid, it flowers on new wood, so cut it back hard in late winter. Shade the roots and let the top growth climb into full sun.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Bare lower stems: Like many Group 3 hybrids it tends to flower high up with bare legs below. Hard-prune annually to around 20-30 cm and grow lower plants to hide the base.

The reasons clematis 'ville de lyon' isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming clematis 'ville de lyon' traces back to one of these, roughly in order of how common they are:

Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.
Too much nitrogen feed, driving lush foliage at the expense of flowers (very common with general or lawn feeds).
The plant has not been deadheaded, so it stops flowering once it sets seed.
Irregular watering — drought or waterlogging at the budding stage makes buds abort.
It is still too young or was checked by a transplant and is rebuilding before flowering.

Feeding clematis 'ville de lyon' a high-nitrogen general feed and growing it in too little sun — you get a big leafy plant and almost no flowers.

The fix — how to get clematis 'ville de lyon' to flower

Maximise sun. Give clematis 'ville de lyon' the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers.
Switch the feed. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.
Deadhead regularly. Remove spent flowers often to keep it producing more rather than stopping to set seed.
Water consistently. Keep moisture even through budding and flowering — drought-then-flood swings make buds drop.

Light and feeding do most of the heavy lifting here. Dial in the spot with the light guide for clematis 'ville de lyon' and get the feeding right with the clematis 'ville de lyon' fertilising schedule — the wrong feed (too much nitrogen) is one of the most common silent reasons a healthy plant makes leaves instead of flowers.

Bloom season and what to expect

Clematis 'Ville de Lyon' flowers across its growing season (mostly summer) and, kept fed and deadheaded, can bloom for many weeks or right up to frost.

Post-bloom care so it flowers again

Deadhead, keep feeding lightly, and many will rebloom; collect seed from the best plants at the end of the season if you want to grow them again.

For everything else this plant needs day to day, see the full clematis 'ville de lyon' care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Clematis 'Ville de Lyon' blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my clematis 'ville de lyon' flower?

Clematis 'Ville de Lyon' blooms on the season's growth given enough sun, warmth and the right feed — there is no cold or photoperiod trick, just good growing conditions and a bloom-leaning feed. The most common reason it is not happening: Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.

How do I make clematis 'ville de lyon' bloom?

Give clematis 'ville de lyon' the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.

When does clematis 'ville de lyon' normally bloom?