Clematis Montana in pot...panicking

joeyvicks

With regards it getting out of hand size wise, would i not be ok letting it continue growing this year (i'd like it to totally cover the trellis anyway) and letting it flower next spring then cutting it right back to the ground?

HariboJunkie

valk_scot wrote: »

Have to say that since it's entirely the wrong plant for an arch and it's in entirely the wrong place I'd either kill it or drag it out of the planter bodily and give it away. Then I'd buy myself a nice dainty hybrid or species Clematis and start again with fresh soil.

We have a montana growing over an arch and it's fine. As long as the arch is sturdy I think there is nothing nicer than a montana laden arch. There is plenty of room for the OP to let it scramble up the trellis and the wall to the right.

OP we have had climbers in pots which needed potting on and although it requires 2 pairs of hands it's perfectly doable to remove the pot. We then built a mini raised bed around the base. Don't forget to keep the roots cool. I cover the base of the plant with slates.

a1cat

That's the best advice on this thread IMHO

joeyvicks

HariboJunkie wrote: »

We have a montana growing over an arch and it's fine. As long as the arch is sturdy I think there is nothing nicer than a montana laden arch. There is plenty of room for the OP to let it scramble up the trellis and the wall to the right.

OP we have had climbers in pots which needed potting on and although it requires 2 pairs of hands it's perfectly doable to remove the pot. We then built a mini raised bed around the base. Don't forget to keep the roots cool. I cover the base of the plant with slates.

thanks very much for the advice and the re-assurance. Is there any chance you can post a photo of what you have done with yours?

valk_scot

a1cat wrote: »

Not sure why you say that, the clematis is doing great where it is

Last Clematis montana I had grew right up the side of our house by hanging onto the drain pipes. We have an old 3-story house and the gable end measures about 55 feet high. It looked fantastic but the weight of it was a serious problem for the pipes so when we had the gable end reharled and there was scaffolding up I got the workmen to strip the clematis down and I killed the roots. I did take a few cuttings first and now it's happily running amok in the allotment hedge. They are extremely vigorous plants and will grow huge without proper control. If you want to keep it that size you'll have to cut it down severely every year and it will never reach full flower potential. Whereas a hybrid or species type clematis will cover the trellis nicely but no more and then settle down and flower well year after year.