I just bought two pink clematis yesterday myself from Aldi's along with a peony and elephant ear blubs. I was also wondering when I can plant them and what to do with them in the mean time. So hopefully someone can answer the question for both of us. It has been a while since I planted one. I am zone 6, ground is thawed, but still getting below freezing at night. I do know that clematis likes thinner post to grow on. No more than 1/2 inch wide. You might want to put some kind of trellis for them to grow up. They do like their roots shaded. I have clematis in shaded areas and sunny areas.

If they are bare root or in a crowded tiny pot, pot them up and put them in the brightest window you have until the ground thaws and dries out enough for them to be planted. You can put them outside in bright shade on warm days, but since they are new, tiny, and in pots, bring them in if it will be below freezing for any long period of time. They are fully hardy, but you will want your to get a good head start on the growing season, and they may be farther along than your current season is because they have been in warmer conditions. You will gradually want to harden them off by giving them a bit more sun each day so that they don't get sunburnt.

How large are they now? If they are really tiny, just rooted cuttings, you will want to keep them in a pot for a season while they size up or else plant them where there are no established tall plants. If potted, roots will likely fill a gallon pot this year and you can plant them in early fall if they are taller than the hibiscus. If you directly plant small ones now right next to those established hibiscus, they will eventually get totally shaded out by the hibiscus this season, so I wouldn't put them there unless they are large plants in a pot that is two gallons or more. Clematis take a season or three to get established and really start growing vigorously.

As I look at that top photo again, I am wondering how far from the hibiscus roots the clematis will be. It may be that you will have too many plants for the space and the clematis won't be happy, but since I don't know the bed size, it is difficult to judge.

Generally, clematis like even moisture in fertile soil that is well drained, not soggy. Roots don't need to be shaded as long as you have adequate moisture. It sounds like yours aren't labeled as specific varieties (unless spell check took over the variety names), so exactly when they bloom and what the flowers look like exactly will be a bit of a surprise.

That total area is about 9' x 9'. The Clemantis would be about a foot from the rose bush on the right and a foot from the Hibiscus on the left Probably three feet from the Hibiscus in the front. The Hibiscus on the left doesn't get real big because it gets too much shade in that corner and I have been considering taking it out. But, those Hibiscus dont even start to sprout from the root crown until well into May. It wouldn't provide any shade to the spot of where I plan to plant the Clemantis until at least mid June.

Here is a photo of what the plants look like now and some info from the packaging. The little container is about 2" square at the top and about 2.5-3" deep.

I wouldn't plant a clematis that size in that spot because it just won't get big enough soon enough to stay ahead of the hibiscus this year. I don't grow hibiscus, so I don't know how much competition the roots will offer the clematis.

How about if I grow it in a container and then plant it in ground in the fall?

It would certainly have a better chance that way, especially if you move the smaller hibiscus. You will need to give it something to climb since it can't grab anything larger diameter than a half inch at most; they climb by wrapping leaf stems around the support and the balastrades are too thick.

Have you considered creating a bed for them on the other side of the steps?

Yes, I have considered that. It would probably be a suitable spot and the base of the plant would get direct sun for about 3 or 4 hours in the later afternoon. But, for aesthetics, I was hoping for the spot I was already considering. I will have to think about it.

Should I pot them up into small pots for now until I can get them into the ground or a larger summer container. With the current conditions and the ten day weather forecast, I think it will be a good two weeks before the ground frost is gone.

I am thinking about using some chicken wire as the trellis for the plant to climb on.

Thanks NHBabs. I grow peppers from seed starting indoors each year and I know all about hardening off plants. I will probably pot them up later this evening and await time to get them outside.

In the fall do I prune it back to about 2 feet tall?

Wait until any time after hard freeze and then prune some time before they really start leafing out in spring. I usually prune to a couple or three bud pairs per stem, though exactly where isn't crucial. I usually do it in early winter because the ground is frozen so I don't have to worry about soil compaction and I don't have to look at dead vines all winter. If it's a summer bloomer, it should be pruned every year for best display. If it's a spring bloomer, in our zone, it will most likely die back to the snow line, so I often prune both types the same way though in warmer areas many folksmlet it bloom in spring, then lightly prune so it reblooms in fall. IME our season isn't long enough for rebloom on these spring bloomers, especially since being killed back to the snow line usually delays the first bloom cycle a couple of weeks.

Great info, thanks.

I repotted them into 4" pots yesterday and put them in the window and the darn things took off. They grew an inch already. I may have made a mistake by not potting up to much bigger pots.

You can always pot up now. IME, what you see above ground doesn't hold a candle to what is going on below ground in a young clematis. 3 months in a quart pot (usually similar to a 4" pot in diameter but about 2x deeper) will have packed together, doubled back roots based on what I have seen.

I will have them in the ground within a couple months. The 4" pot is only about 5" tall so no where near a quart. In fact, I plan to grow them in a container this first season and transplant them later in the fall to the ground after they go dormant. So, I should be able to get them outside in less than two months. I think it will be imperative that I do so, since they are growing like weeds right now...literally.

I suggest you repot into a gallon pot now as the roots will quickly outgrow your 4”pot. They can stay in the gallon pot until you plant them next fall or you see roots growing out of the holes.

If you are attentive to watering needs you can plant them in the ground yet this spring.

Yah, I was thinking about growing them in a pot this year because they may get shaded out by other plants since they are so small/young. But the other plants are Hardy Hibiscus which are very late to come up and these Clemantis are growing nearly an inch a day. By the end of this month, they will be pushing two feet tall.

The directions say to plant it where the roots get some shade but the top gets more sun and that seems like an idea situation for me. So, I think I will be planting them in ground in a month or so. The Hardy Hybiscus won't even start sprouting until mid may. I think they will be OK in the 4" pots for another few weeks. I hope.