Macky, I have attempted to research the potting mix issue both online and in the many clematis books that I have but I keep running into the fact that most of the books that contain any information about this are written by British or European authors and they keep mentioning things like John Innes potting mix number so and so or a potting compost. Being here in the states, I have no idea exactly what those mixes are and what they contain. There is a poster who frequents this forum named gardengal and she has worked in a nursery for quite a few years so perchance she will see this post and chime in here and can shed some light on the best potting mix to use for your cuttings. I have contacted a friend in England who grows many plants by seed and have asked him his opinion of what to pot up your cuttings in and to see what he thinks about keeping them growing over the winter in your basement with grow lights. I will let you know when I hear back from him. I do know that most info about taking cuttings say that it is best to use bottom heat to get them started. The same is true when growing most plants from seed but once the seeds have germinated, most commercial growers will move the new seedlings to a cooler environment to encourage root growth since it mimics the cooler soil temps. in the fall. That is often the reason that in my gardening zone anyway, fall planting is best for most plants--the roots have a great chance getting established before winter arrives and they can continue root development until the ground temps. reach some critical temp. and the root growth in essence stops or comes to a very slow crawl. I would strongly advise against using regular garden soil since it will be brimming with microorganisms that could cause your cuttings to die and or damp off. I know that I have seen quite a few references talking about spraying young cuttings with fungicides to help prevent damping off. I would think that what you would want for the young cuttings is more or less a mixture that you would use for seed starting perhaps with grit or sand mixed in to help with the drainage. You might be able to use a commercially available potting mix as long as it was not chocked full of fertilizers, although I am unsure what exactly you need to use to fertilize them. I know in my area they sell something call seedling fertilizer which is higher in phosphorus since it helps with root development. I will copy and paste what information my friend offers when I hear back from him. That Jackmanii plant that your grandfather had must have gotten huge in all those years. I would bet a dollar to a doughnut that it has probably layered itself in the area around where the stems exit the ground and that when the plant was dug up (or if it is as I couldn't really ascertain this when reading the post) that there were probably many different crowns present that could have been separated. Clematis can take a good amount of abuse when they are dug up and still survive. I have moved several of mine after them being in the ground for a few years and although I broke a bunch of roots, they have still managed to survive. I do understand your hesitation about loosing the plant however due to sentimental value. As far as buring the nodes that sprout, this is sound advice. In fact when I plant any clematis that I purchase, I always plant it several inches deeper in the ground as it was in its original pot. This buries dormant nodes that can help the plant resurrect itself should it be cut back by wilt, animals, weedeaters, etc and can give rise to more vines. This is something that you can do to your cuttings but I would wait until they got further along to do so. Perhaps in their subsequent potting up while they are being grown out. Hope this has helped somewhat and I will be back in touch when I get any info to pass along to you! :0)

Oh! That is AWESOME! *I don't care if no one uses that word any more...sometimes it's appropriate.* You cracked the whip and tamed that wild beast! Congratulations. Sadly, in cleaning up the dining room with a deadline today, I brought some clutter back into my home office closet that I previously removed. At least I know I can deal with it without taking too much time in the very near future. I know exactly what you mean about deep cleaning too. I just hate to dust, but it's not so bad when the clutter is gone. My dining room has been reclaimed, for which I am grateful. Celtic, I wish you had a scanner too. Tell us about the picture. Was the wraparound desk piled high?

Went out and bought ladders today. Everything else is repurposed from the house. The “blocky desk” is a filing cabinet and it stays. I also got some cute vintage farm art for the walls, but will paint the room before hanging them. But thanks for the tips everyone!

Adding to my comment above with 2 desks facing each other ..... I'm thinking if you place the desks as a grouping ... at an angle with the corner as in the pic, (creating a triangle) desks and walls corner ...between both windows, but moved toward center of the room, the space might work for you. You will have your backs to the other walls and not any windows. Kinda catty-corner to the room corner.