Contact John Negus by email address below Email: amateurgardening@futurenet.com
Q We have a log store with a tool shed next to it and would like to cover them with a clematis or other climber. We have no soil either side – just gravel or hard standing. Is there any clematis or similar that I would be able to plant in a large pot?
Jenny Clarke (via email)
A The following varieties are ideal for your purpose: Angelique: Silvery lilac-blue, 3-4ft (90-120cm). Cezanne: Mauve-blue with creamy-white stamens, 3-4ft (90-120cm). Picardy: Dusky purple-red, 3-4ft (90-120cm). Sally: Light shell-pink with deep-pink bars, 4-5ft (1.2-1.5m).
If your garden centre doesn’t stock them, order them from Thorncroft Clematis
01593 850 407.
Set them in 18in (45cm) pots filled with a mix of three-quarter parts, by volume, of John Innes potting compost No3 and a quarter part multipurpose compost.
Clematis like cool roots and sun on their flowers, so plant them deeply in their pots – this will also encourage more shoots to appear from the base, giving you more stems and blooms over time.
Boost growth by liquid feeding with a high-potash tomato fertiliser fortnightly from late spring to early autumn.
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