Clematis in a pot ?

I have a similar situation, and what I did was form a shallow raised bed from some stone lintels I recycled from demolition material I had after I altered the house.

Before I made the bed, I cracked the concrete bed under it to allow the area to drain away into the hardcore below.
( a bit like a soak away)

That was around thirty years ago

Currently the wall is covered with variegated Ivy (Hedera) plus a climbing rose.

I have a clematis that does very well in a pot (it's a Ville de Lyon I think). It's been in the same pot for years and does very well

Thanks Teegee, however we have a very nice sandstone path running down the side of the garage to the side door, not sure my husband would be chuffed if I got a sledge hammer to it :o)

Thanks Sheilar, is it a big pot ? Do you just feed it regulary ?

In your case there is no need for the sledge hammer!

Surface water would drain away quite naturally from your situation.

In my case I had a concrete path!

Ah thanks Teegee, I forgot the sandstone would be porous, definately something to think about then as I could make a nice raised bed in the corner.

It's in a 10" - 12" pot and I water it with Phostregon occasionally (it's nice and cheap and, I think, has the same results as Miracle Grow)

Hello Rubysmum, I grow several clematis in pots and they do really well. Just be sure to water and feed them well (they are hungry plants!), and shade their roots from the sun by putting a stone, or slate pieces over the surface of the pot.

I keep mine in 'double pots', clematis in one pot buried in a second. This seems to help keep the roots much cooler, especially if they are in a south facing position.

I grow clematis in pots, 2 feet deep x 12 inches wide. They do fine, but they won't make much cover on a large wall because the pots contain their growth. You'll get a much larger plant and more cover on the wall if you plant into the ground.

thanks all, going to try this, now just need to buy a big pot.
Bamboo - Luckily I don't need to cover a huge area and the other side of the side door I have a lovely jasmine so the are is about 10 feet long x garage height.

You'll probably get a height of 6 feet (including the 2 feet deep pot) and a spread of up to 3 feet.

Thanks Bamboo, that would be perfect. I hate to prune stuff back when it is growing well. I get all sentimental :O) I could always plant three along the wall if I wanted full coverage.

Don't forget you'll need clematis mesh for it to climb up, or green coated chicken wire, fixed so there's an inch gap between the wall and the mesh.

Thanks Bamboo, I have not heard of clematis mesh I mounted some trellis to wooden battens for my jasmine. Is clematis mesh a cheaper option. Nice wooden trellis can be quite expensive.

The point is the way the plant climbs or clings on - Jasmine officinale is a twiner, Jasmine nudiflorum doesn't cling, needs tying to a trellis, but clematis is what's known as a petiole climber - it curls the thin stems of some of its leaves round a thin support - any thicker than a pea stick and it won't be able to cling to it, so the lathes on trellis are too wide.