As a colorful climbing plant, the clematis embellishes many a house wall or pergola. The hybrid varieties, which are available in numerous colors, show the largest flowers. With a clever selection of varieties, you can enjoy the flowering period for many months. Not every clematis is hardy. Many varieties can also be cultivated in tubs, thereby expanding the areas in which the "queen of climbing plants" can be used.
Clematis in the bucket
The right vessel
In order for your clematis to grow well, the roots need enough space. Therefore, do not choose a planter that is too small. It should at least 30 liters capacity, but larger planters are even better. If your container holds 50 liters or more, then you can plant two or three plants of different colors and/or with different flowering times in it together. Compact growing varieties are particularly suitable. Also think of a trellis. It should be about as tall as the mature plant.
Tips for the right plants
Make sure your planter has a drainage hole in the bottom, because clematis do not tolerate waterlogging. If it's missing, then carefully drill one in yourself. To keep this hole permanently free, place some potsherds over it or fill a layer of coarse gravel in the bucket. Use humus-rich potting soil, the clematis does not thrive well in heavy soil.
maintenance
Water and fertilize
Clematis are considered right thirsty, especially during the flowering period, so they should be watered regularly. From March, add standard liquid fertilizer to the irrigation water about every two to four weeks. In late summer or autumn, when your clematis have finished flowering, you can stop fertilizing.
Pruning clematis properly
Pruning is essential for lush flowering. However, the time varies with the individual varieties, but is largely dependent on the flowering time. It is best to cut back early-flowering varieties immediately after flowering, i.e. in June or July. Clematis, which bloom twice a year, are only trimmed (withered flowers removed) after the first blooms and only cut back in November or December. If you have chosen a variety that only flowers in summer, then wait until just before the first frost or until early spring before pruning.
hibernate
In a pot or tub, the plant is far more exposed to frost than in a bed, because the cold reaches the root ball from all sides. Choosing a hardy variety and good winter protection are therefore important for overwintering in the garden.
tip: If you do not know which clematis variety you bought, then winter the plant frost-free to be on the safe side.
Hardy vines:
- True or common clematis (bot. Clematis vitalba), hardy to approx. - 37 °C
- Mountain clematis (bot. Cl. montana), hardy to approx. - 20 ° C
- Alpine clematis (bot. Cl. alpina), flowers in April, often reblooms or second flowers in August, hardy to approx. - 25 °C
- Italian clematis (bot. Cl. viticella), flowers in summer, hardy to about - 25 °C
- Perennial clematis (bot. Cl. integrifolia, Cl. recta), hardy to approx. - 25 °C
- Japanese clematis (Cl. Florida), hardy to approx. - 12 °C
- Chinese clematis (Cl. armandii), conditionally hardy to approx. - 6 °C
winter protection
Be sure to protect tub and potted plants from frost on all sides, including from below. It is therefore best to place your vine on a thick wooden board, several layers of cardboard or on styrofoam. Then wrap the entire pot with an old blanket, some disused jute bags or bubble wrap. All parts of the plant that are above ground, if they are present, are best protected with special plant fleece, which you wrap loosely around the clematis and fasten well so that it cannot accidentally slip off.
The choice of location over the winter is also important. A wind-protected place on the wall of the house or next to a wall makes sense, because icy wind penetrates even woven materials that you have wrapped around the plant. Only bubble wrap provides effective protection against this wind, but it impedes the exchange of air and promotes mold growth. Also position your clematis in a way that it does not get too much sun. Because here the ground thaws and freezes quite often in a relatively short time and this constant change damages the cell structure of plants.
winter quarters
Clematis that are not hardy are best overwintered frost-free. Ideally, temperatures between +5 °C and +15 °C prevail in the winter quarters, and it should also be light there if your clematis belongs to the evergreen varieties. A cool conservatory or a greenhouse that is only slightly heated are well suited. Bring your clematis into the roost in good time before the first night frosts, i.e. when the night-time temperatures are around + 5°C.
care in winter
Your clematis no longer need fertilizer from September. In winter, it can do more harm than good. Don't start fertilizing again until March. Winter care is therefore limited to watering. Some clematis species shed their foliage, others are evergreen. All require little liquid in winter, but evergreen varieties are slightly thirstier than deciduous ones. However, if you give too much water, the roots can easily rot and/or the soil starts to get moldy. Therefore, check the moisture in the soil regularly. Outdoor clematis should only be watered on frost-free days.
