For reasons I won't bore you with, I was unable to plant at least a dozen clematis. Those that I purchased locally are buried in nursery pots in a raised bed. We started off winter with a great snow cover that is mostly still on the garden. For those of you who don't live in the north, good drainage and an early cover of snow gives your garden plants the best chance for surviving the long cold winter. I topped off the area with compost, some bark fines, and enclosed the bed with wire mesh to keep the dogs off the bed. I think I cut out the bottoms of the pots as well.

Five of the clematis I got through mail order are in the garage, plus a patio clem that has been in a large pot. I controlled the water in the pots hoping get that right balance of "just enough" moisture that they could survive winter in the unheated garage.

I'm sure the clematis in the raised bed will be fine. I am worried about the clematis in the garage. Others had successes and failures with potted plants in the garage, including clematis. Winter is far from over, so the clematis will probably need to stay put for another 6 weeks. After that, I will put them in a shady spot so they start thawing slowly and at the same time as the rest of the garden.

So, this is like an experiment, I suppose. Not intentional, but I will learn from it, I'm sure. Maybe I'll even learn to not buy so many clematis if I ever find myself in a similar situation that I was in last year.

I can't imagine it will be easy NOT to find yourself in this position again. Clematis are so addictive. I hope you experimenting works out for you.

How are you surviving winter? Are you making plans to add more this year?

Hello! I have had success overwintering a jackmanii in my garage. I put the pot on some 2x4s so it wasn't on the concrete, came through great.
I'm putting up a photo of a white spring bloomer. Anyone know it's name? :wink:

Chickadee, how tall does your plant get, and how long has it been planted? I have a few ideas what it might be. My first guess would be Henryi... a very popular clematis that's been around a very long time.

Well, its on the trellis and kind of grows up and over that, so I'd guess it gets about 10 feet... I planted it in the spring of 2008, and this photo is from spring 2009.
Thanks

My guess would be Henryi also. If the bars have a green cast to them, it might be Miss Bateman. Very pretty clem, Kay!

BTW, JuliaJayne, I didn't mean to ignore your original question. Being in the South, I haven't had much experience with harsh winters... until this one. I actually have quite a few clematis of my own that didn't make it into the garden before the hard freezes hit us, so you and I are in this experiment together, to so to speak! Mine greened up during the interluding warm weather and one even set buds. Tough little guys, these clematis. I think you are on the right track... providing just enough moisture to keep them viable without rotting the roots.

Perhaps Louise (Venu209) or Arlene (Pirl) can offer better feedback on this topic. They both garden in cold winter environments.

First off chickadee your photo is just so pretty!

Julia so far our winter has been pretty mild. Can't complain...our weather has been above average.

I don't plan on planting too many more. I did start some from seed this year so I will be sure to add one new addition. The others I will give to friends.

I think that they should be fine in the garage. Most clematis are hardy to zone 4 and I can't imagine it would get colder than that in the garage.

Spring is just around the corner!

Hey Evey, I didn't have a question. I was just worrying out loud ;)

I like that, worrying out loud! What gardener hasn't done that ?
Thanks for the comments, fellow clematis fans! I think I may get a taller trellis and add a summer bloomer to keep the color all season.

I put a small clematis in a pot when it arrived this fall and planted ice plant in the same pot. The ice plant is doing very well, but the clematis grows a leaf or 2, then the leaves dry out and drop off, then another leaf appears and the same thing happens. Should it be in the garage dormant, or can I keep trying to get it going inside? It's a Kiri Te Kanawa.

Well, I'm right there worrying with you all. I started some 100 or so clems from seed a year ago and planted the seedlings along the fence. 1 of them bloomed last year and it was wonderful.. I was out in the garden today . There were some patches where the snow had melted away . There was only one seedling visible....The rest may be under the mulch , or they may be dead. I doubt that they have established enough roots to survive under ground. So i wait and I hope.

John, some will make it, I'm sure. If clematis didn't have the will to survive, then none of the varieties would self-propagate in nature!

Teri, do you have a photo of what your leaves are doing? How long is the clematis vine and does it seem healthy? Also, what type of lighting and humidity conditions do you have? Is your plant directly under a vent by any chance? I've started some clones indoors that did well, but they were just experimental while I got the hang of my nifty new cloner! I didn't keep them inside longterm under growing lights but moved them outdoors in liners. All of my frozen babies seem to be putting out tiny sprouts now that the weather is warmer (though it will get cold again soon). It would really help to see a photo and/or get a better description your plant as a whole and it's environment.

Evey,

The baby delosperma and the baby clematis were put in this pot on a sunny windowsill at the same time.

The clematis leaves die back almost as soon as they grow a little.

Evey would you picture your cloner.

John, I can do better than just a picture for you! Here's a link to the video I used to make the cloner. Sure To Grow gave me permission to repost their video on my site. =)

http://simplyclems.com/cloning...

I tried a more expensive cloner too, but I found that this homemade one with the STG clippers was superior in performance. Sometimes the more expensive choice really is not the best one!

Teri, your clem definitely looks like it is sick... and not just a lighting issue. The tip dieback below the leaves has me worried. I'm researching a little more for you before I give my "diagnosis" and suggested treatment. When you've cut back the affected areas, does the clem send up a new shoot or does it continue to grow on the affected one?

I will cut off the affected area again and let you know.

I am happy to report that all the potted clematis in the garage survived winter. I should add that all the clematis in pots that were plunked into the vegetable beds survived as well. Actually, I think every clematis in the garden survived again this year.