They like to go very deep so tall, medium width pots are better than short, wide ones. My clematis supplier sells his in pots 2.5 to 3 times as deep as they are wide.
Sometimes you just have to use common sense when potting on clems and roses which like deep root runs.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
obelixx - the big root wheelbarrow clem is Polish Spirit - late season flowerer if I remember. It was a purple beauty before I neglected it.
wakeshine - you asked to see how it was doing now. The wheelbarrow removing from pot I think was 27th May. So today 22nd June - I've just dashed out to take a couple of photos. One pic of the base to let you see how the shoots are sprouting after having planted it with the top a couple of inches below the soil. The second pic (sorry it's poor, it's in a shaded bit) - shows how three of the shoots have already grown up about 3 foot.
I've planted it a tiny distance away from the base of a Ceanothus 'Concha' which is about 12 foot high. The blue stuff on the soil around it are petals from the Concha flowers which are going over rapidly now. In a month or so the Concha will just be green leaves and I'm hoping that the stems will reach for the light up in the branches of the Concha and perhaps flower this year around Aug/Sept. Then again, it may not at all. There is just enough light for it to reach up as it seems to be doing. I'll have to maybe get some canes in to direct the shoots as more come up. So I'm hoping it might be tough enough to produce a flower or two in the autumn - but I'd be pleased even if it doesn't this year but puts on a show next year - IF it continues to thrive. I think I put some slow-release granules around the planting hole when I transplanted it as they were all I had at the time. I haven't given it anything since 27th May because I wanted to see if it would tough it out on its own. I'm not sure if I should give it something now at all. All I have left is some granular rose feed and liquid tomato feed so not sure if I should apply something now or just leave it be.
Polish Spirit is a group 3 so should flower this year on this year's growth. I would give it a tonic of liquid tomato food now to help it along and a few wildlife friendly slug pellets as it looks very juicy so a slug magnet.
Every spring, in March, cut it back to the ground and give it a generous handful of specialist clematis food or slow release rose or tomato food. It will regrow and flower again on the new stems, especially if you can train them horizontally or diagonally to increase flowering vigour..
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
obelixx - many thanks for the advice response - especially the reminder re the slug pellets and to give it a tonic now. Another mistake I made with it in the past, I think, was just to leave the foliage, which was considerable, as it wound itself along a fence instead of giving it a spring chop down. I had let it get into a real tangled mess along the fence.
Thanks for the link Obelixx - I have looked up my Freckles - it is from seed collected in Mallorca for Raymond Evison, I will have to look up the other 2 clematis when I have their names which are in our conservatory tomorrow. As for root protection wakeshine - I was going to use an old slate to deflect the hot sunshine and place slug pellets underneath the slate as I hate using them with all the birds around here. We don't have Asda over here or any gardening chains stores, not lucky with choice here.
The only root protection I use is an inverted terracotta plant pot with the bottom knocked out. Stops OH hoeing and decapitating my treasured clems.
Other than that, I have plants at their feet so no need for slates and so on. The ones I have growing on in pots are kept out of full sun and have a mulch of chipped bark to help keep the roots cool.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
I will be having a bit of a move around tomorrow - all three of my plug clematis are in full sun in the conservatory and realizing that they are getting far too warm I will move them into some semi shade - thanks for all the helpful tips obelixx.
I think that's a really good point obelixx - and not just for young clematis. People tend to think that if it's a sun lover, they should always BE in the sun and heat, not realising that young plants can't cope with that and drying out so quickly as well. All my small plants in pots, for bringing on, are given protection by other plants or shrubs, or a house wall etc. until they're ready to plant out.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Posts
Do clematis roots go very deep? Or just across? Or both. ? Trying to decide on pots.
They like to go very deep so tall, medium width pots are better than short, wide ones. My clematis supplier sells his in pots 2.5 to 3 times as deep as they are wide.
Sometimes you just have to use common sense when potting on clems and roses which like deep root runs.
obelixx - the big root wheelbarrow clem is Polish Spirit - late season flowerer if I remember. It was a purple beauty before I neglected it.
wakeshine - you asked to see how it was doing now. The wheelbarrow removing from pot I think was 27th May. So today 22nd June - I've just dashed out to take a couple of photos. One pic of the base to let you see how the shoots are sprouting after having planted it with the top a couple of inches below the soil. The second pic (sorry it's poor, it's in a shaded bit) - shows how three of the shoots have already grown up about 3 foot.
I've planted it a tiny distance away from the base of a Ceanothus 'Concha' which is about 12 foot high. The blue stuff on the soil around it are petals from the Concha flowers which are going over rapidly now. In a month or so the Concha will just be green leaves and I'm hoping that the stems will reach for the light up in the branches of the Concha and perhaps flower this year around Aug/Sept. Then again, it may not at all. There is just enough light for it to reach up as it seems to be doing. I'll have to maybe get some canes in to direct the shoots as more come up. So I'm hoping it might be tough enough to produce a flower or two in the autumn - but I'd be pleased even if it doesn't this year but puts on a show next year - IF it continues to thrive. I think I put some slow-release granules around the planting hole when I transplanted it as they were all I had at the time. I haven't given it anything since 27th May because I wanted to see if it would tough it out on its own. I'm not sure if I should give it something now at all. All I have left is some granular rose feed and liquid tomato feed so not sure if I should apply something now or just leave it be.
Polish Spirit is a group 3 so should flower this year on this year's growth. I would give it a tonic of liquid tomato food now to help it along and a few wildlife friendly slug pellets as it looks very juicy so a slug magnet.
Every spring, in March, cut it back to the ground and give it a generous handful of specialist clematis food or slow release rose or tomato food. It will regrow and flower again on the new stems, especially if you can train them horizontally or diagonally to increase flowering vigour..
obelixx - many thanks for the advice response - especially the reminder re the slug pellets and to give it a tonic now. Another mistake I made with it in the past, I think, was just to leave the foliage, which was considerable, as it wound itself along a fence instead of giving it a spring chop down. I had let it get into a real tangled mess along the fence.
Many thanks for this. Appreciate it.
Last edited: 22 June 2016 17:28:25
Thanks for the link Obelixx - I have looked up my Freckles - it is from seed collected in Mallorca for Raymond Evison, I will have to look up the other 2 clematis when I have their names which are in our conservatory tomorrow. As for root protection wakeshine - I was going to use an old slate to deflect the hot sunshine and place slug pellets underneath the slate as I hate using them with all the birds around here. We don't have Asda over here or any gardening chains stores, not lucky with choice here.
The only root protection I use is an inverted terracotta plant pot with the bottom knocked out. Stops OH hoeing and decapitating my treasured clems.
Other than that, I have plants at their feet so no need for slates and so on. The ones I have growing on in pots are kept out of full sun and have a mulch of chipped bark to help keep the roots cool.
I will be having a bit of a move around tomorrow - all three of my plug clematis are in full sun in the conservatory and realizing that they are getting far too warm I will move them into some semi shade - thanks for all the helpful tips obelixx.
Glad to help. I love clems. Bought seed of 4 new (to me) ones at Chelsea and will be collecting seed from tmy own clems to see what I get.
I think that's a really good point obelixx - and not just for young clematis. People tend to think that if it's a sun lover, they should always BE in the sun and heat, not realising that young plants can't cope with that and drying out so quickly as well. All my small plants in pots, for bringing on, are given protection by other plants or shrubs, or a house wall etc. until they're ready to plant out.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...