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Container Gardening

Can you plant a clematis in a container? How large a container?

Esther-B, Zone 7a

8 years ago

I recently had to emergency-transplant a beloved clematis vine to a friend's house's yard when my nasty vindictive co-op manager threatened to toss it because he did not like the idea of a trellis in front of the building. I hastily dug a hole next to an azalea in my friend's yard, because the rest of his yard was covered in a decorative gravel design. The clematis had been growing for the past5 years in deliciously loamy soil in front of my co-op. Now it will have to contend in 100% non-improved clay junk soil, with an azalea next to it for competition. Should I go over there with a sufficiently large pot and transplant the clematis into it, to give it better soil and eliminate it having to compete with the azalea for nutrients?

Featured Answer

andy_e

8 years ago

FYI my pot is about 14" across.

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Comments (6)

andy_e
8 years ago
I grow one in a container, but it stays outside all year in my zone. It's a good-sized terra cotta pot, probably about 5 gal.
Esther-B, Zone 7a
Original Author
8 years ago
Thanks. About what diameter is a 5 gallon pot? Unfortunately, we are not in an all-year-round zone here in NYC, so the pot would need to be tipped or covered during the winter.
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gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
8 years ago
Yes, it can be grown in a container - I have several clematis in pots growing on my deck. How large a pot depends a good deal on the type of clematis - some clems are bred specifically for this purpose and are quite compact plants. But other clematis can get to be large vines and will develop a root system to match. These need a generously sized container to accommodate their larger root system.

My larger vines are in containers that are about 24" deep and about 18" across at the top with a slight slope to the base - like an oversized flower pot. You want a good textural, fast draining potting mix and add some CRF like Osmocote. In zone 7b, there is no reason to assume this container could not stay outside all winter. The large flowered hybrids are hardy to z4, so quite able to withstand the cold if in a generously sized container and z7 soils seldom freeze to any appreciable degree anyway. It would be more a matter of the durability of the container - if you use a plastic or plastic resin pot or a freeze proof glazed ceramic container, you are good to go!
Esther-B, Zone 7a
Original Author
8 years ago
I purchased today a 15.5" square plastic container rated for the outdoors, which holds 8.6 gallons of soil. I filled it with Fafard Container Soil with extended feeding. So it has some slow-release fertilizer added already to that soil. I then added some deep pink wax begonias around the edges of the container, surrounding the Nelly Moser clematis. It looks nice. It's in dappled sunlight, so Nelly's flowers should not fade. I put at least an inch of mulch over the soil, so the roots should be well shaded. I then gently led Nelly's shoots to the new trellis and loosely cable-tied one of them to the trellis. Nelly will find the trellis with the rest of her shoots, I am sure.
tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
8 years ago
Esther hit on an important point. You should try to make sure you pick a spot where the roots (pot) are/(is) shaded. High soil temps really have a negative impact on vitality, and plants in pots are particularly susceptible.

Al

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