Growing Climbing Plants in Containers

Many compact climbers, such as jasmine and some clematis, are well suited to living in pots. All they need is a good-sized container, suitable support and regular watering and feeding.

Excerpted from How to Grow Practically Everything
Filed under: Vines, Container Gardening, Flowers

Water Well

Water the plant well and place a layer of gravel or pebbles on top of the compost to minimize evaporation from the surface. This will also keep the roots cool and improve the appearance of the pot.

Top Tip: Choosing Clematis for Pots

Many clematis are naturally compact and flower when still small, but take care to choose the right type. To keep clematis compact, cut back the stems of summer-flowering plants, such as Clematis florida, in late winter. Leave unpruned those that flower before late spring, such as C. alpina and C. macropetala, because they bloom on the previous year's growth. You can combine complementary colored cultivars in the same pot (Image 1), or opt for just one flower-smothered plant (Image 2).

Compact Cultivars
'Arabella'
'Barbara Jackman'
'Bees' Jubilee'
'Comtesse de Bouchaud'
'Daniel Deronda'
florida var. flore-pleno
florida var. sieboldiana
'H.F. Young'
'Ice Blue'
'Kingfisher'
'Miss Bateman'
'Niobe'
'Ooh La La'
'Perle d'Azur'
'Prince Charles'
'Royalty'

Enlarge Photo+Shrink Photo-DK - How to Grow Practically Everything © 2010 Dorling Kindersley Limited
Enlarge Photo+Shrink Photo-DK - How to Grow Practically Everything © 2010 Dorling Kindersley Limited