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starchild2008

Has anyone had success with growing Clematis Montana in a large pot?

7 years ago

I'm considering growing Clematis Montana in a large pot. I can bury the pot halfway in the ground as far as protecting its warmth in winter grows - I just wonder about its general ability to handle being stunted so to speak. I know you can do it with trees - stunt their growth - but before I waste a plant, has anyone tried this? There's a wonderful nursery in England that has a great selection of clematis that you can choose by height, by color, by species, it makes it so much easier to find my plants. I cannot find any jackmanni white flowers that can endure light shade but they have many that can endure shade, some can only live in shade and get huge. So question is, how about pots? I know I can wrangle the vines once it goes up the chimney and it doesn't bother me if it covers the house - the less of a square box I have to see the better. I saw on another chatroom a woman is growing a montana in a pot, but she put daylilies in it - that didn't work - so someone told her to take the daylilies out and that it needs 2 gallons of water a week - she said that helped. That's one forum. What does this forum think? I need at least 20 feet, and white or palish pink. So many places sold out already in the U.S. Thank you for ideas from people who actually are doing this. I tried this before with 3 clematis but I forgot to water them, and the heat killed them. I forgot the pots are black and they get really hot. That didn't work. So on my roses in pots, I spray painted the pots a light green shimmery color which actually cuts the heat way back on the pots. Also remembered compost and fertilizer. Learned from that mistake.

Comments (11)

  • 7 years ago

    Is there not a spot in the ground that will work for this plant?

  • 7 years ago

    Unless a very large container, the growth will be severely restricted and it may not achieve the size or height you want or intend. The other issue is that plants grown in a container long term will need periodic attention to prune the roots and replace depleted potting medium. This is much easier to accomplish with a clematis that should be cut back annually rather than one that needs no pruning and wants to grow to a massive size.

  • 7 years ago

    I posted this last year. This is a C. montana growing nearby. As you can see, it grows up and completely covers some sort of tree as well as traveling along about 35' of fence. It is hard to imagine trying to contain this beast to a pot...........


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  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Good grief that's ginormous. Is that in a pot? That is why I can't plant a montana near a doorway, gateway, pathway, or any place anybody has to walk near or under because they actually could disappear and never be seen again. Or near pets. That's almost as large as a wisteria. Are all C. Montanas that big? What kind is it - I wonder if it grows up in zone 6? I could think of an area in this yard I'd like to hide so I don't have to look at it. Great idea, way way back in the corner. Wonder if it crawl over my neighbor's fence or under it and go into his yard. The tree is about 20 ft from the fence - and it's about 70 years old. It's huge. I was going to put a white rambling rose up it because it faces North and white I thought would be beautiful in the moonlight. We're in an urban area with pasture land and horses, so the stars and moon really shine at night. White or light colors would be beautiful. Hmm, Montana vs. Wisteria vs Roses. Or Wisteria on the Pergola, and roses on the elm tree which is 100 ft tall. White would go with any color. I wonder if Wisteria's are fragrant. There's one back there that I keep pointing toward the pergola that isn't built yet bc it will be big, and it keeps growing toward the small house back there. They must know where the structures are. anyway, Thank you, beautiful pictures

  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    You haven't said where you are, and if you put the info in the right place in your profile, it will post automatically next to your name for every posting and can make any advice you are given more helpful. For instance, zone 8 in WA is quite different than zone 8 on the US SE coast vs zone 8 in TX. Here's how: Go to Your Houzz in the upper right of every page, click Edit Profile, and on the left side click advanced settings. Well down the advanced settings page is a blank labeled Climate Zone for Garden Forums along with a link to find your zone.

    Since zone only relates to average coldest winter temperatures, if you add info on your state or the nearest large city either here or on the profile page under the name posted, you will get even better information.

    Then return to the top of the page and click Done Editing.

    In many parts of the country, the Asian wisterias are invasive, spreading by seed and also spreading within something like 50 feet via underground roots. It also requires regular pruning to keep the structure nice. So before planning to plant wisteria, investigate how much of a problem it is in your area.

  • 7 years ago

    we are in zone 6b in eastern Washington/Idaho near the border so we have lots of trees, and a Mediterranean climate. It's super hot in summer (100 and above) and very cold in winter. This winter was surprisingly mild, it never dipped below zero - it was holding my breath it wouldn't and it didn't. Our weather has changed a lot since I moved here. Our zone has changed, its now mild all the way through November, we used to have snow by the equinox, now even in December my Calendula was still in bloom.

  • 7 years ago

    Sounds like a beautiful area! Do you get much snow or is it fairly dry in winter? The advantage of adding the info to your profile as per directions above is that it posts automatically next to your name on GW discussions like with GG48 and me, so you don't have to tell us on each new post.

  • 7 years ago

    Very familiar with most of eastern WA - it was my sales territory when I was a wholesale nursery sales rep :-) Really felt an affinity for the Palouse, although I wouldn't want to live there........I'd miss all my water :-(

    Wisteria is not invasive in our climate, however it is a very aggressive grower and spreader so plan accordingly if you go that route. And yes, most varieties are very fragrant......much more so than any clematis I have encountered.

    The photo I posted of the massive pink montana was growing in the ground. It would never get that big in a container but even so, I doubt I would attempt to grow one that way. It would just outgrow even a very large container (half whiskey barrel?) too fast.

    I would also question whether your climate is really very Mediterranean in character. Even my Puget Sound location is only considered a modified Mediterranean climate. You are too far away from the ocean to be truly Mediterranean and your winters are too cold. I doubt many Med. plants would be happy in your climate.

  • 7 years ago

    Montanas wouldn't grow in a pot - it would likely kill them from being root bound. I can grow dwarf fruit trees in a pot, or espalier them, but that's because they're dwarfed already, and they're not wisteria. Plus you could open more holes in the bottom of the container. I'm going to espalier some apple trees down our driveway so i don't have to look at the house next door. It confuses my dogs, they don't understand why people drive in our driveway (in their eyes) and go into another place. So i'm going to do a Belgian espalier. I want them in pots because in the winter the driveways ice up and on slip and my tree is dead. If they're in pots, even a third sunk into the ground, I will paint the pots a light green that has some light shimmer in it to catch the headlights. I just can't let them be run into. Those apples will be give aways to whoever walks by, plus they will look good, and I don't have to look at the house, and I have more privacy. It's a win-win. Diff situation

  • 7 years ago

    There are areas around here that are stunningly beautiful and look like a postcard with rolling farm hills and red barns. It's about 10 minutes from where I am. There are also lots and lots of orchards up higher toward the mountains. You can also go way up to Mt Spokane and ski in winter. The town is divided somehow into 4 places. There's West where the AFB is and its mostly plains areas, the South area is up on a rocky hill and it has great views and horrible driving in winter, the North side is more crowded, smaller lots, poorer area unless you get way out North toward Deer Park and its just really really beautiful. Farms everywhere and red barns and rolling hills and roads that wind up into the hills. So way out of town about half an hour after you break traffic it gets really pretty. We live in the Eastern part of town which is called the Valley. It's huge. There is East Valley, West Valley, Central Valley and Greenacres which is where we are. We are 10 minutes or less from Idaho border. This area, this little strip on one side of Appleway (named for the apple orchards) is like in another dimension. It feels like the 1950's, there's lots of people working on older cars, there's horses around behind my house, the lots are huge. I mean really really huge. And they're uneven, so one house might have an entire acre behind it, and the next one further into town might have 2/3 of an acre so it's split up oddly, but the lots are more like acreage. There's no small lots unless you run into those awful communities that so many people love that I can't stand where all the houses look alike, they tell you the color to paint your house, and you have to get permission to plant stuff. Just not my style. There are locked communities just outside town on all 3 sides for people who live in mansions I suppose, just not my style. I've always loved farmhouses, we've rented lots of them, fixed them up, moved into other farm houses, fixed them up, and then I finally got this one one such a nice lot. It's double fenced because of the horses. Horse people do not like your dogs running back and forth along the fence barking when they're working their horses, so we fenced halfway back where the forest of trees are, and shut out the back pasture, which has only 1 tree and its open. That's the one that really needs development with landscaping and it has to fit into this area. So nothing modern, stuff like grapes along the fencing, it's cattle fencing with old posts back there that are likely 100 years old. I'm growing food gardens back there now, but I want a golden curls willow back there, and somehow a Queen Anne Cherry tree starting growing on the North leftside. I consider myself and our family really lucky even though the houses are small. They were mostly built 1920's or after. Ours was the first one, they're all small 2 bedroom 1 bathroom with mother in law setups out back and then pasture land. The taxes are through the roof, it's the black soil, and the schools. It's really high, and its all worth it to me. Plus the whole street is treed out front over the street, so this street itself is just gorgeous. People walk their dogs and sometimes horses down the street. We are indeed lucky. Lots of people have chickens, everyone has dogs, some have up to 5 dogs, cats are everywhere because of the barns, and horses. Also, apparently there are porcupines and skunks. My neighbor said "they really love your jungle over there". funny