We need to know where you live to answer that. Mine's 8 feet up the fence but that might not be applicable to your climate.

Regarding the pruning it's a viticella clematis so pruning is not hard and fast. You can cut it back hard if you want to or you can just tidy it up when it needs it. In my climate I tidy it up in early spring. But again that might be different for you.

I'm in northwest Illinois about 40 miles northwest of Chicago city. I am in zone 5a.

Also, are there clematis that I can grow in big pots and leave them outside in winter? I was reading a thread earlier about clematis and freeze/thaw. The person saw that in order for them to make it next year, they shouldn't experience freeze and thaw. How do i do that?

Thanks.

My Etoile Violette is less than a foot tall right now after being cut to six inches as I do to it every year.

You are likely too cold to keep Clematis in pots without winter protection. While many are hardy to zone 3 or 4 when in a pot, figure two zones colder.

I looked at my Etiolle Violette today and I have about 7 shoots coming out at 6-7 inches long.

My Ramona is growing really fast. 1 shoot is about 1 ft long now. I planted it near the Honeylocust so it can cover that tree. :)

I also bought 20 eye bolts today. I'll screw it on my pergola posts then attach a thick metal cable where the vines can wrap around it. If I get home early tomorrow, I will work on it.

You can pinch the tips of those 7 vines and then you'll get 14 vines. The more vines, the more flowers.

Looks like like I have an issue. I'll be putting 2 vertical metal cables on my pergola posts. The diameter of this metal cable is 6-7 millimeters. Is that enough for my clematis?

Google says that is a bit under 1/4 inch. Should be fine. They can wrap around that.

Ok. I got the idea from a wisteria vine on a pergola I saw near our public library. So 2 runs of the metal cables will be fine if let say 14 branches will climb on it?

Thanks.

I think your plants trying to set feeder roots and recover from the shock. My clematis are behind this year compared to last year because of our cold wet spring.

I live about 4 hours north of Chicago and have over-wintered clematis in pots for 2 winters. This winter I had 5 pots, 3 big ones, and 2 smaller ones. The 3 big ones are doing well, but the 2 smaller ones, so far, are no-shows. One reason why over-wintering plants in pots fail is due to excess moisture rotting the roots. I forgot about this remembering only after the soil froze. I put my pots in the garage because the temperature doesn't fluctuate and the sun doesn't shine on the pots.

please tell me how you start over wintering such as when you put it in the garage, do you water it, what type of clematis, etc.

Thanks.

Wisteria is a giant heavy vine that can engulf a house. Wire isn't going to hold it for long. I've seen Wisteria with vines six inches in diameter near the ground. Think long and hard before planting Wisteria. It can bring down structures that aren't heavy enough for it. It grows quickly to thirty feet or so then keeps on going. I've seen it at the top of a tree sixty feet in the air. Pruning to contain it is usually ultimately futile. Especially for the home gardener who isn't being paid to prune....

I will be training it as a tree and not put it on my pergola. I saw a picture of wisteria in Japan and diameter is huge.

There is a 10+ year old Chinese wisteria in Algonquin Public Library(near where I live) and diameter of the branches are only .5 to .75 inches. According to the gardener who planted it before, Wisteria in our area doesn't grow fast.

Check out the link below. It's a thread I started before.

Here is a link that might be useful: Wisteria

Wisteria is a beautiful plant...for a very few weeks a year. It is also extremely invasive with roots (underground and reaching) that can easily reach 20 feet. It is also very hard to get all of it. I have been fighting it for ywo years and doubtlessly have many more years before it is finally eradicated.

I had no idea it had such huge roots!
kay

please tell me how you start over wintering such as when you put it in the garage, do you water it, what type of clematis, etc.

Thanks.

I (try) to control the amount of water the pot receives in fall when it's rainy, but I forget or I'm lazy. If the soil gets too wet, I shove one end of a strip of cotton fabric, (like from an old towel) into a drain hole about 2 inches, and let the rest of the strip of fabric hang out of the drain hole. I keep the pot raised up so the strip can hang down. The fabric wicks excess water out of the pot. Once the temps are reliably below freezing during the day - I put the pots into the garage. I keep a little snow on top of the pots so the surface doesn't dry out during winter. I keep the pot in the garage until the soil thaws and we're getting rain and not hard freezes.

This year I'm going to keep a strip of fabric in all my pots so I don't have to worry about over-watering.

I also overwinter clematis in large pots in the garage for the winter. Once the foliage has died back from a freeze I cut it and remove the trellis. After the soil is frozen the pot is placed in my garage with some leaves on top as a mulch. It receives no water until I take it out in the spring.

I don't know if it matters or not but I was told not to set my pots on the cement floor so they are set on wooden pieces.

and it work for you?

Yes, these pots have been overwintered for three years.

The pots are pushed to the back along an inside wall next to the living space. Then other items such as metal garbage bins with bird food are in front of them.

Great! I will try this. :)

Thanks!

mnwsgal,

I forgot to ask, the pot that you overwinter in the garage, you're using real dirt and not potting mix right?

I use potting mix. Garden soil is generally too compact for container growing excluding air needed for roots and stays too moist causing root rot. After a few years I remove some of the bottom mix and replace with new mix.

Containers also need more fertilizing as watering washes out fertilizer. Watering is variable according to the weather and where pots are located. When very hot the containers may need daily watering.

Awesome!!! :)

Thanks again for the info.

I live in Pa zone 6 and have a vey large Clematis Etoile Violette. I have not pruned it as yet and want to know how far down I can prune it in Spring. It is under snow now.
Anne

I cut my type 3 varieties to 6 inches above ground if they haven't died completely to the ground which they do some winters.