Hi all!

New to here - just registered - and a novice gardener.

Last year I planted two clematis (both group 3 - Fond Memories and Polish Spirit) in a pot outside the front of my cottage. The Polish Spirit did very well indeed reaching about 5ft and loads of flowers. Just reached the first beam on the front wall of the house! The Fond Memories did not fare so well and managed one flower before wilting. I cut it right back and it sent up nice new vines which got to about 3ft and then failed again.

I think the problem was that the pot I had them in is too small (about 40 deep and 50cm across) or got too warm in the sun (terracotta), so I have just picked up a bargainous old oak barrel from a yard which I have cut the top off, giving me a big planter which measures about 65cm deep and 60cm across which I hope will be much more successful. The other issue may have been that the potting compost I used in the original pot was not of the best quality.

My question is- what shall I fill the barrel with? I have a never ending supply of well rotted horse manure (one of the only financial bonuses of having two hungry horses!) which I would like to use as much of as poss to save some money as the barrel is so big!

My thoughts were broken pots in bottom to aid drainage, followed by a shallow layer of just manure, then manure mixed with potting compost and then just potting compost on the top. I have several bags of Levington Multi Purpose potting compost with added John Innes in the shed, will this be OK?

I have just cut the clematis' back and they both have very healthy looking shoots ready to go.

Thanks all, your help will be much appreciated.

Tom

"hampshiretom" tombellchambers<at>hotmail<dot>com wrote in
message ...

Hi all!

New to here - just registered - and a novice gardener.

Last year I planted two clematis (both group 3 - Fond Memories and
Polish Spirit) in a pot outside the front of my cottage. The Polish
Spirit did very well indeed reaching about 5ft and loads of flowers.
Just reached the first beam on the front wall of the house! The Fond
Memories did not fare so well and managed one flower before wilting. I
cut it right back and it sent up nice new vines which got to about 3ft
and then failed again.

I think the problem was that the pot I had them in is too small (about
40 deep and 50cm across) or got too warm in the sun (terracotta), so I
have just picked up a bargainous old oak barrel from a yard which I have
cut the top off, giving me a big planter which measures about 65cm deep
and 60cm across which I hope will be much more successful. The other
issue may have been that the potting compost I used in the original pot
was not of the best quality.

My question is- what shall I fill the barrel with? I have a never ending
supply of well rotted horse manure (one of the only financial bonuses of
having two hungry horses!) which I would like to use as much of as poss
to save some money as the barrel is so big!

My thoughts were broken pots in bottom to aid drainage, followed by a
shallow layer of just manure, then manure mixed with potting compost and
then just potting compost on the top. I have several bags of Levington
Multi Purpose potting compost with added John Innes in the shed, will
this be OK?

I have just cut the clematis' back and they both have very healthy
looking shoots ready to go.

Thanks all, your help will be much appreciated.

Tom


Tom,
Polish Spirit is always easy and grows anywhere, I have no experience of
fond memories but if its a group 3 I am sure it will settle.

You original pot size was ok if you are able to maintain an even water
supply but if you are a forgetful person then a bigger pot is always better.

A mixture of John Innes and a soilless compost at around 50/50 is what we
use because it helps with the watering, keeps food in longer and doesn't set
like concrete which I find JI to do if used neat.

You may find a watering tube down into the pot makes watering more certain
and less time consuming.

Do not bury large quantities of horse manure whether rotted or not, we have
found all sorts of strange things happen when we have done this, some well
rotted well mixed in is OK and so is a surface dressing kept away from the
stems although you will discover horses have useless digestion and you will
have allsorts appearing in the pot! I am afraid I have stopped using it, you
need to be 100% sure that any hay or grass the horse has eaten has come from
pasture that has not been treated with any herbicides as that can cause
major problems.


--
Charlie, Gardening in Cornwall
Holders of National Collections of Clematis viticella
and Lapageria rosea cvs
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk