There is a member of this group who has multiple Clematis growing on such a hedge. She cut the bottoms out of five gallon buckets and placed them into the ground as root barriers to allow the Clematis to compete with the hedge.

I planted a couple before I read her advice without root barriers and they have NOT been successful.

Thanks for the information "buyorsell888". I tried to do a search on "clematis" and "root barriers" but w/o success and I would love to know more details re setting up a root barrier as I am unfamiliar with this procedure. Can you point me in the right direction?

Can one use the type of thin plastic bucket one would find at a nursery which would have originally contained garden stock?

And I am thinking ahead that it might be difficult to dig a hole big enough (due to cedar roots) to contain the pot? I wouldnt want to sever too many tree roots.

Google to the rescue! BorS, is this link to what you were thinking of? Flowerfan2 is still active here, isn't she? I don't mean to be rude and not let her speak for herself, but I found her post about cutting out buckets (Nov 25, 05) in the thread, Growing clematis on arborvite hedge. I also googled into a related thread about Clematis in tree with Flowerfan2's photo of "Tangutica growing through a cedar hedge" and the link to her photobucket. I'm blown away by the beauty of her garden! Flowerfan2, I hope this is an appropriate post & that you'll chime in! BorS, thanks again for helping me with my baby clems.

Yes, Flowerfan!

What I should have done back when I read her thread in 2005 was to dig up all of my Clematis that had tree root competition and replant them with buckets because none of them has ever done well. They are all struggling and scraggly.

Thanks so much river_crossroads. That is exactly what I was considering. My only concern is that I am sure it will be impossible to dig a large enough hole to accommodate a root barrier bucket w/o cutting and this very much disturbing major roots from the cedar hedge. It is more important to me to maintain the health of the hedge than to risk adding the clematis. I have the winter to consider the scenario.

Hi everyone, I guess I don't post much anymore. I can't believe that post is 5 years old already. Thanks for the nice comments on my garden river crossroads. The clematis on my hedges are all doing very well still. We had a very wet cool spring and they are all blooming like crazy. I must have 40 or 50 blooming now. It really looks nice and I have been getting a lot of nice comments from the neighbors. Karen

Thanks Karen & BorS! Rouge, you're very welcome & I'd like to share some of these ideas with you. Did you see the post where flowerfan/Karen grows the clem up a fence in the sun, then guides it onto a large tree? She says the clem would die from lack of sun & lack of moisture if planted near the tree's root. Leslie197 plants the clem 3 ft away and wires small trellises together to form a "ramp" to the shrub or tree. Then she simultaneously hides the rigging & shades the roots with hostas & the like.

Rouge, if you have any interest, click on "Clematis in tree" link above & see flowerfan2 on Mon, Jun 18, 07 at 0:30 & leslie197 on Wed, Jun 20, 07 at 23:36. I'm thinking of where to plant my baby clems someday & I'm fascinated by all this. Best wishes.

Here is my hedge but I would bet lots of plants ;) that there is no way I would be able to dig hole(s) anywhere at the base of this hedge to accommodate a root barrier such as a 5 gallon pail w/o seriously disturbing the roots.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:596029}}

Rouge, nice hedge & beautiful lawn! I can see why you donÂt want to disturb them. IÂm grateful to you for this thread because in the fall I was planning to plant my baby clems in a certain place where I now realize IÂll have root competition & no space for 5 gal buckets. IÂm planning to grow mine in containers for the nonce. Thanks!!

You could buy big pots and grow them in the pots instead of digging holes though I have dug plenty of holes in the root zones of my neighbor's hedge over the last fifteen years with no problems.

I moved to a home that has 2 mature clematis growing up 2 sides of a cedar hedge at a gate opening. Last fall it was very thick. Once I pulled the dead vines away, the hedge underneath had large dead areas. Will the cedar grow back? The clematis is budding again and will be trained onto an arbor instead. (Ontario)

That is the other problem with growing clematis on an evergreen hedge. On some of them I know the evergreen does not grow back when the clematis is removed.

Katie