Clematis for Containers


Early flowering plants (called Pruning Group 2 in clematis lingo) should be pruned lightly in late winter or early spring, once the danger of severe frost has passed. Remove dead and weak stems. Start at the top of each stem and work down to an outward pointing, healthy pair of buds and prune the shoots just above. If there is a tangled mass at the top, prune just below it.

Late flowering plants (called Pruning Group 3) should be pruned hard in late winter or early spring. Start at the bottom of the plant, work up each stem about 12-18 inches until you find 1-2 strong pairs of buds. Cut above the buds.

Newly planted clematis in Groups 2 and 3 should be hard pruned the first and second years after planting to encourage prolific growth and a lush plant.

If you don’t know whether your clematis belongs in Group 2 or 3, check with your nursery or any good reference book on clematis, such as ‘The Gardener’s Guide to Growing Clematis’ by Raymond J. Evison.

And a final few words of comfort --- if you make a mistake, don’t worry. If you prune the early flowering clematis too severely, they will just take longer to flower. If you don’t prune the late flowering clematis enough, they just won’t produce as much lush growth.

Try These Clematis
Every clematis is a breathtaking work of art, but with that as a given, you may have color or form preferences. Here are a few recommendations especially suited to containers. Do, however, talk to your nursery professional to see if there are particular ones that are ideal in your area.

Early Flowering

  • C. ‘Fireworks’ - blue-mauve tepals with a deep petunia-red bar and dark red anthers
  • C. ‘Bees’ Jubilee’ - mauve-pink tepals with a deeper pink bar and light brownish anthers
  • C. ‘Lasurstern’ - deep lavender-blue tepals with yellow anthers
  • C. ‘The President’ - rich purple tepals with dark red anthers and attractive seedheads
  • C. ARCTIC QUEEN™ ‘Evitwo’ - an outstanding double flower with creamy-white tepals and yellow anthers

Late Flowering

  • C. ‘Perrin’s Pride’ - bronze-purple tepals with greenish-bronze anthers
  • C. ‘Ascotiensis’ - bright mid-blue tepals with darker blue veins and greenish-chocolate anthers
  • C. ‘Pink Fantasy’ - pink tepals with peach pink highlights and dusky red anthers

Two websites worth visiting for more information are: http://www.clematis.org the American Clematis Society site and http://www.chalkhillclematis.com.

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The copyright of the article Clematis for Containers in Container Gardening is owned by Kathy Reiffenstein. Permission to republish Clematis for Containers in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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