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Clematis plants in containers
CharleyD
Posts: 440
Hi everyone
I'm having difficulty buying a reasonably priced container that is big enough to plant a clematis plant in it. I wanted to plant 2 clematis in an L shape i.e. corner in two big troughs but I can't find any that are reasonably priced (£20 or under) and also sized so that I can fit both in the L shape. Is there a recycled item that I haven't thought of that would be good?
What are the consequences of a clematis not having enough room for its roots? Will it stunt the climbing height or will it affect the flowers?
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Depends what clematis your going to put in but really if you can I would use deep pots or they just wont do very well and it wont be worthwhile. Can you not make your own up out of old decking or something like that. I would use patio clematis also.
You'll probably need to protect it in winter as well I would have thought unless it's in a very sheltered location, probably by wrapping the container in bubble wrap. I had one in a large plastic pot once and the first winter killed it. Wood or terracotta would be a better insulator.
Thanks! Mike - are the containers you got from B &Q about 13" deep and 17" wide? I got some of those today but thought maybe they weren't deep enough. Do you think they would be?
The clematis that I've chosen are suitable for containers. Mrs G, that's a good point. I do have plenty of colourful blue and pink bubblewrap!
A friend where I live (on the Isle of Man) has just found a couple of Belfast sinks for sale. What do you reckon? (If I can lift them that is
)
I think the containers shouldn't really be less than 15" deep, mine are about 18", but I'm afraid they cost over £40. When I grew one in a smaller pot it died after 2 years. So making one would probably be your best bet. Clematis are quite greedy feeders.
I have patio clematis in containers that seem quite happy 4 years on. I put slow release fertiliser pellets in every year, and the insides of the pots were lined with bubble wrap to stop the roots getting too hot/cold. I think the varieties are Abilene, Ernest Markham and some type of Countess (Nemours?)
Ok, thanks for your help everyone. Looks like I'm sorted. Mike - what sort of climbing roses do you have in your containers?
Charley I bought some large resin pots from B&Q last year which were £15 each - they had an offer on at the time so it was 3 for the price of 2. They look like terracotta and I have apple trees planted in two of them at the moment. I also bought a big terracotta pot - a plain one - from Homebase for about a tenner. It's about 18" diameter. I'll find a couple of pix to give you an idea of size.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Pix as stated of the resin pot - you can get an idea of size from the other things around it. In the 1st pic it's the one with the Ligularia in it (large purple foliage) The 2nd one has emerging crocus in it but has primulas and robins in front of it.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Sadly, my clematis in pots have always been rubbish despite large pots, good compost and gravel on top to protect the roots!
They need a lot of attention in pots Steve as they're hungry plants. They're far better in the ground but if there's no alternative, you can grow them reasonably well in a decent sized pot, and there are varieties specifically meant for container growing. I grew one last year up the railings on my back steps as I'd just moved and there were no places to plant anything really. It wasn't a huge pot - about 12" and there were sweet peas in it as well. It'll be going into a permanent border this year though!
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...