Clematis

Jasper2017

Hi there

I repotted a group 3 clematis Polish Sporit into an extremely large pot and would like to know if it's possible to plant any shallow rooted ground cover plants in the pot at the same time? I currently have Mexican fleabane, aubretia and tumbling ted plants that have self seeded into tiny cracks in the concrete in our front garden, so I'm wondering if they'd be suitable. I don't want to risk killing the clematis by overcrowding it but there's now a vast expanse of soil in the new pot that will soon be vulnerable to self seeding anyway.

The pot is 65cm diameter at its widest at the top. Its plastic which I know isn't recommended for clematis containers but I couldn't afford a big enough pot in other materials. Having something that could grow down over the edges of the pot would also be great. 

Thanks for any advice!

Deb

Obelixx

Rather than provide competition for water and nutrients I would mulch the top of your pot with some chipped bark or slate chippings.  To do well, your Polish Spirit will need regular watering and also feeding which will not be what is liked by the kind of plant that thrives in low nutrient, dry soil or cracks between stones or in concrete.

Richard Hodson

We use trailing white bacopa and other annuals for big pots with clematis in, some of them have primroses in at present which we will replace in May with Summer flowerings. The surface plants will tell you when they need watering and that waters the clematis also.

Obelixx

There's a very poor range of such trailing plants here @Richard Hodson - too hot and dry for hanging baskets I think - but I imagine the bacopa look great in your pots.

Busy-Lizzie

I do as Richard, plant with violas in winter and annuals in summer, have used bacopa, calibrachoa, trailing petunias etc. If the annuals are happy then the clematis usually is too and it likes the shade at it's feet. I live in SW France so it all needs a good watering every other day, sometimes every day. I have a mixture of pots your size, some in plastic.

Jasper2017

Thanks for the helpful comments so far. Would the annual plants mentioned have an advantage over perennials, such as aubretia in this situation and in terms of being less competitive, for example? I nearly always garden with perennials so don't have that much experience of the pros and cons of annuals.

Obelixx

Annuals have a longer flowering season, especially if you keep them dead-headed.