Vine in a container

will.calderwood

We've recently moved house - going from almost no garden to a large garden that's been immaculately maintained for the last 25 years.

The previous owner has a grapevine, but it's in a pot on top of the flower bed. Why would he have chosen to plant it in a pot instead of in the flowerbed itself? It obviously needs much more care in a pot as it dries out very quickly.

Is there a reason I shouldn't remove the vine from the pot into the flowerbed?

treehugger80

the pots probably got no bottom and the vine has rooted thru, my guess is that the ground is very wet in winter and they've raised the vine up so it doesn't rot.

will.calderwood

treehugger80 said:

the pots probably got no bottom and the vine has rooted thru, my guess is that the ground is very wet in winter and they've raised the vine up so it doesn't rot.

The pot does have a bottom. It's also got small legs and is sitting on a ceramic tile as if it's intentionally held above the flowerbed allowing airflow underneath. We're in Oxfordshire, so not a massively wet part of the country, although we've not had a winter in the house yet, and the soil does have a high clay content, so soggy soil could be an issue.

steephill

It will be much happier in the ground. You will need some sort of structure to support it though depending on your intended use - either typical post and wire like a vinyard, a pergola or wind it up a wigwam of poles.

treehugger80

in that case it's best to get it in the ground