Hi Lucy, many of my clematis were in pots for a few years until the flower bed was ready, I also have a jackmanii, I never brought them indoors, and they did just fine. Hope this helps.

Thanks That is great (reassuring) . I will just keep the soil in the pot slightly damp and plant it out in the Spring .

Through the winter I doubt you'd need to do any watering but it would be as well just to keep an eye on it. I don't water any of my container plants in the winter. Some are permanent shrubs, although none are Clematis.

On the other hand, is there a reason you can't plant it now?

If there is enough compost around the roots they should not be drying out at all. The morning dew should mist your plant nicely.

@floral_uk I would hesitate planting it out now because I fear the cold and wet in the ground might damage the roots(terminally)

It has taken me so long to get this plant established that I am taking as few chances as possible.

I have tried cuttings( and layering) and,over the years none have ever taken. This is one of a couple of plants I found that had fortuitously layered themselves at the base of an existing plant.

Now ,2 years after potting it up I am preparing to "release it into the wild"

Previously , I have had terrible trouble with what I assumed was "clematis wilt" but I have now determined that it was simply a case of slugs attacking the stems and so am confident that I can succeed with this plant -and also with the few clematis plants that remain (because I am using slug pellets now)

Lucy, can I asked how you tried to layer the Jackmanii?

I layered mine this year, I used loosened hairgrips to get good contact between the stem and the ground, when I brushed away the soil after about 8 months roots had formed. I had read somewhere that it can take up to 12 months for this to happen.

I have also had gastropod trouble with Clematis but no problems planting them out in the Autumn as long as they have snail protection. And I am afraid that the only sure fire cure is pellets. None of the other suggestions such as beer traps, coffee or egg shells work effectively in true slug/snail country.

I feel even pellets may not be "sure fire" . I try to use every shot in the locker even though pellets are now for me the first port of call.

This year I used pellets (admittedly "only"ferric phosphate ) on my runner beans . That was working well until I took my eye off the ball (didn't inspect rigorously each day for damage or presence) and this ,combined with poor weather and weed overgrowth means that it turned out to be actually the very worst year I have had for runner beans ever.

You are right ,I feel to make the distinction between true slug country and the rest of the world. People often come up with suggestions but I always try to read between the lines.

If they have dry conditions for the most part perhaps things can seem to work when there is actually not much of a problem in the first place.

@Mairead I can't specifically remember trying to layer a clematis but I am sure I must have done it as I am always confident about that method it working (even when it doesn't).

My technique is basically the same as what I do with the strawberries -I just peg down a low lying branch (or I can simply find a stone and hope for the best) as close to a "node" as possible.

I never know what is the right time of the year of what ripeness of the stem is best - I tend to count on the fact that eventually one of my attempts will work.

I have had partial success with cuttings too following the same haphazard procedure.

I gather up a few stems and stick them in the soil hoping one of them will take. I don't normally bother with hormone powder as this has never helped me.

On one occasion I could see a root began to form but it died off....

This is how I do all my cuttings (for different plants such as broom,etc) really -If one out of 20 works I am pleased

I pegged down the stems/nodes in early Spring as I was pruning back, as soon as I saw growth starting.

I ran out of rooting hormone a few years ago and read that honey makes a good replacement, I now use honey on all cuttings. The antiseptic and anti-fungal properties of honey help to protect the cuttings as they root.

I offered to mix two different coloured clematis in one pot for my sister, I had 9 cuttings and all but 2 of them have rooted. The wet/humid summer this year must have helped.