Clematis advice

[Rupster]

I'm looking for advice on a couple of clemetis plants I have (see photo).

I understand they need something to cling on to in order to grow upwards.

If I buy a trellis, what's the best way of attaching it to my fence? I'm concerned that any nails/screws would poke out the other side of the fence.

Or could I attach several pieces of string/cord to the fence instead?

Thanks.

Sorry I have no advice about the trellis, but I think one plant would struggle in that pot let alone 2. For the same area you could buy two long tom pots. Clematis have very long roots.

I agree about the pot. If you want them in containers they need depth, something like a long tom terracotta pot. but if you have anywhere to plant them in the ground they will do better. Is there any ground space to the left of your fence? You could then train the long tendrils sideways to cover the fence.

Sorry, can't help with the trellis, although I don't think you would need very long screws to attach it to the fence so they shouldn't come through the other side.

Thanks for the foodback about the pot. I've bought a couple of deep pots now.

I ended up buying a couple of expanding trellises from Wilkos and painting then with Cuprinol Muted Clay.

I used four stainless steel screws to attach each trellis to the fence behind, taking care not to screw in more than the thickness of the fence.

I bought the deep pots from B&M Bargains.

I'm very pleased with the result :-)

That looks great!

I've got a clematis in a pot which does pretty well, but it does need watering quite a lot. I'm thinking of putting some gravel on top of the compost to help retain moisture and keep the roots cooler - does that sound like a good idea?

Gravel will discourage the slugs too!

Some clematis are happy in containers, others not so much. As long as they have room to wriggle their toes mine seem to do ok. And I top with gravel too.

That's going to look gorgeous, @Rupster!

That is perfect. I am saying that because they are they same pots that I have and I bought my trellis from Wilko.

Just give them an occasional weak seaweed feed in the growing season the. Stop feeding once the flowers are n bud.

Have you removed the green transit ties from the canes? I thought I could see them in your first pic. These will damage the main stem. Apologies if you have. As the clematis grows you may have to encourage it up the trellis by carefully poking the growing shoots behind the cross sections, at the same time you can encourage it to grow to the sides (rather than straight up) by doing this. I grew a Montana in a large pot on a balcony once. It was amazing how big it got considering the limited space it's roots had. Clematis don't like their roots getting hot (head in the sun, feet in the shade), so if that's a sunny spot you may have to consider putting some more potted plants in front to shade the base.

One more thing, if the containers are plastic the clematis might not do so well over winter. Not enough insulation for them. So it might be wise, once you've cut them back at the end of their flowering season, to store them in a shed through the coldest weather. But you've a long way to go till then. Here's hoping for a fantastic display through the summer.

Thanks for all the advice. I've now removed the green ties!