Clematis: plant out in March or grow on

neilbradburn

Hi all,
I've purchased a few clematis in roughly 3inch pots from Wilko. There is a montana, The President and another whose name current eludes me. I gather they can be planted out in March (?), but I'm wondering whether I should pot them on and grow them on a bit before planting in order to garner their reserves and thus to be able to cope better with slugs - which I gather are a problem - and any environmental stress. I guess I would put them in long toms. I

Any guidance would be most appreciated!

Kind regards.

Mr. Vine Eye

Hi Neil, last year I bought several small clematis varieties from Aldi and Morrison’s.

I potted them all into deeper 3L pots (type roses come in) and let them grow on in those through summer. Then I planted the keepers in the ground in autumn.



I did this to make it hopefully make it easier to care for them and because I wasn’t sure where I’d want their final positions to be at that point. Or which I’d definitely be keeping. I just bought all the ones I liked the look of as they were so cheap (£1.40 - £1.79) but I’ve only got a very small garden!

I did plant a couple that I bought later straight in the ground but I think they’ve died!

AnniD

I agree, l would pot them on into larger pots to get a good root system established. Those little pots of clematis are very tempting, especially at that price ! 

Fairygirl

Agree - take your time with them and leave the planting out for another year.
At this  stage, they're the equivalent of cuttings taken from a perennial, and even then, perennials would mature and grow away readily 

madpenguin

I have always put these 'cheap' Clematis (Morrisons) straight in the ground and they have always established and grown really well.
My reasoning for their success is that they can establish their roots more naturally.
The few times I have bought and planted well grown (expensive) potted plants they have always failed.I can never dig a hole deep enough in my clay soil but the small ones I can tuck in right next to established shrubs which is how I have grown all mine.
They are also so cheap that if you have a failure it doesn't break the bank!!
This one 'Polish Spirit' is now 8 years old and was one of the tiddlers.

Joyce Goldenlily

I hope you have a very big garden for the montana if it survives. It should be renamed "Rampant Thug". It can look spectacular in a large garden scrambling through large trees and draping itself everywhere.  Just because it has small flowers does not mean it grows into a diddy little plant when mature. I would also pot them on and plant them out next year

newbie77

@madpenguin, beautiful clematis!!! Are there any trellis for that clematis or is it just climbing on fence?

madpenguin

newbie77 said:

@madpenguin, beautiful clematis!!! Are there any trellis for that clematis or is it just climbing on fence?

There is a wooden trellis on the top half of the fence panel and some training wires from a couple of hooks at the bottom.
Once it hits the trellis it overflows the fence to next doors garden (they love it!) and also into the shrubs and bay tree along the fence.
It has already reached the trellis this year,I had to cut it back in November as it was so rampant! 
Has a cool root run on my side which it likes.
Good luck with your Clematis.

Fairygirl

It does rather depend on conditions though @madpenguin

newbie77

Thanks @madpenguin

BobTheGardener

'Polish Spirit' is very versatile.  It's usually listed as a Group 3 for pruning so cut back to near ground in Feb.  However, as I've posted before, if you don't prune all of the stems back so hard it grows as a Group 2 and has larger early flowers on the unpruned stems.  Before the last of the early flowers fade, it usually starts producing the main display on this years growth which goes on until the first frost.  All of the new shoots from the ground (which are encouraged by cutting back many of the stems in Feb) still covers an 8 x 8ft trellis and needs to be kept in check after that.  Many clematis classed in pruning groups 2 and 3 can be pruned and grown either way.