a clematis in a pot

14 years ago

I have a Clematis ( maybe a Jackmanii) that I have been nursing along in a pot for a couple of years now as a precursor to planting it out when it gains strength .

As the Summer heat and light is now gone I am wondering what to do with it over the Winter.

I know there are some plants (Geraniums?) where it is permissable to allow them to more or less dry out over the Winter-I don't suppose that might also apply to Clematises?

Otherwise I imagine it would me a case of keeping the soil in the pot barely damp until the Spring.

(I don't want to plant it out just yet until I feel confident that it will produce new shoots from somewhere very close to the base -and it is still a little to leggy for my liking)

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Comments (3)

sandyl
14 years ago
What size pot is he in? I have 23 plus clematis's and I have many in pots and my winters here in TN can get down to -05 wind chills and mine set right out on the open front porch and the dirt in the pots freezes solid and they always come back in the spring and I haven't lost a single one over the years due to the winters and them in pots. If mine seem dry I water them in the winter also just a bit. I have a 6 year old jack in a 30 gal container and it has close to 15 shoots anually that it blooms from and reaches close to 12 feet tall. I'm hoping to get a hole dug for mine here in the near future but I just can't seem to bring myself to dig the hole that's its going to require for the root ball. Over the weekend I dug a hole for a 4 year old polish spirt that I had in a large 20 gal pot and the root ball on that one was MASSIVE, the hole had to be 3' x 3'. It had 10 shoots currently on it and I cut those down to right above the 2nd leaf node and buried the hole thing 5 to 6" blow the ground surface. Prunning is the key to multiple shoots. A lot of mine that have multiple shoots coming from the ground is becauce I have given them a buzz cut over the years, usually after their first bloom flush is over and before the hot summer sets in. My Romona has bloomed all summer and currently has 6 blooms on her now. Barbara Harrington has also bloomed all summer and has 5 blooms on her. I just can't stess the importance of prunning, they love the attention of prunning. If I have a weak clematis the main thing to do for it is prun it, keep it watered well during dry spells and pinch every stem and keep pinch until your tired of pinching. Its well worth it in the future of a clematis to prun and prun offten. It will reward you for years to come with multiple vines.
buyorsell888
14 years ago
No, don't put it in the dark or keep it inside and let it dry out.

Personally, I'd prune it down to less than a foot tall and plant in outside in full sun about 4" deeper than it is in the pot. Now is a great time to plant out and pruning HELPS Clematis as does planting deep.

It is too leggy because it needs pruning. Hard pruning.
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flora_uk
14 years ago
Lucy - where you live I really think I'd get that Clematis in the ground asap. It will not suffer at all in an Irish winter and in fact should already be showing next year's buds. You can cut it down to a foot now or wait until the early spring, but get it in the ground NOW.