I used to have a lovely Alberic Barbier rose at our old house. It didn't repeat much but was disease free and the leaves were virtually evergreen. It got to a really good size and needed no pruning other than a little tidying, giving us a good structure to use as a base to grow various clematis with different flowering months. The problem with just using clematis on their own is that many of them do need pruning in a variety of different ways - if they get tangled up you can't prune any of them properly. If you don't prune them some get very leggy and only flower at the top, others (such as Montana varieties) develop into a real birds' nest of scrappy branches. Using a nice semi-evergreen rose as a base means that you still have some greenery even if you need to prune the clematis. Personally I'd steer clear of Clematis Montana, preferring to use four or five smaller different clematis in the space that you have. We've always found clematis alpina works well (flowering from April), as do the viticella ones that flower reliably later in the summer. There are a wide variety of mid season flowerers too. I think that they'd all grow better in the ground as clematis like cool roots which they would not have in a pot.
What about several plants? I love my Virginia creeper which will give fab autumn colour. If you wanted one evergreen go for an ivy, in a pot it could be controllable
Weeds are flowers, too, once you get to know them.” A A Milne
Virginia is lovely - but deciduous and only turns red if you get lots of sun with many hours of it.
The Taylors website is so great, partly because it has an excellent filter system that really works to find exactly what you are looking for. I had no idea there was a red flowering, evergreen clem. (I've just ordered three!)
Could you put a big, deep planter or even raised bed instead of a pot? Your options would open up. Esp if you want something to cover the whole wall. Climbing hydrangea like shadier spots but can take many years to establish and get growing. It could be a good long term solution, perhaps.
Thanks for all the replies! I’d pretty much decided to save up for a huge deep pot for a suitable clematis and was also going to incorporate a rose in another container for different bloom-time and fragrance (and because I love them). Never thought about using a rose as the main structure but will certainly look at the one you mention CC7.
I’d love an ivy but husband says no (same for the hydrangea) in case it damages the house! Think he’s worried about it creeping into windows etc and spoiling the surface...
Fire I wondered about the raised bed idea too but think I prefer the look of ceramic containers-it seems the answer is ‘the more the merrier’, better get saving 🙈.
I agree about not growing different group clems together. I planted loads of mixed types together and it's a royal PINA to prune them. Group threes look terrible when they die back. Being a lazy gardener, I tend now to plant herbaceous types or group ones - which have various flowering times from December to June. I have a small garden so everything gets mixed in with each other. For me, how a plant died back is a key question. It sounds odd, but I like an elegant death.
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The problem with just using clematis on their own is that many of them do need pruning in a variety of different ways - if they get tangled up you can't prune any of them properly. If you don't prune them some get very leggy and only flower at the top, others (such as Montana varieties) develop into a real birds' nest of scrappy branches.
Using a nice semi-evergreen rose as a base means that you still have some greenery even if you need to prune the clematis. Personally I'd steer clear of Clematis Montana, preferring to use four or five smaller different clematis in the space that you have. We've always found clematis alpina works well (flowering from April), as do the viticella ones that flower reliably later in the summer. There are a wide variety of mid season flowerers too.
I think that they'd all grow better in the ground as clematis like cool roots which they would not have in a pot.
A A Milne
The Taylors website is so great, partly because it has an excellent filter system that really works to find exactly what you are looking for. I had no idea there was a red flowering, evergreen clem. (I've just ordered three!)
I’d love an ivy but husband says no (same for the hydrangea) in case it damages the house! Think he’s worried about it creeping into windows etc and spoiling the surface...
Fire I wondered about the raised bed idea too but think I prefer the look of ceramic containers-it seems the answer is ‘the more the merrier’, better get saving 🙈.
Thanks for the ideas!