Greetings to the Clematis Forum!
I live in a third-floor apartment in northern Virginia, with a balcony that looks out onto a wooded area, but with a 5-foot depth that is open to the side, and therefore my neighbors' balconies. I want to plant some windowboxes in order to grow a "green screen" for privacy, and have found a 3-foot box and a 2-foot version of the same, which go together nicely to fill the open space. My mother, having had lots of success with her Sweet Autumn Clematis (tons of small white flowers) at home, provided me with a large plastic bag full of seeds, indicating that they should happily grow right up anything I could provide. We figured that some netting hung over the inside of my balcony's open side should make a decent makeshift trellis for them. My balcony receives afternoon sun on the face that I'm trying to screen with the Clematis, as well as having a sodium light on the corner of the building about 15 feet away, to maybe provide a bit of supplemental light at night. (I'm also hoping to shade some of the sun and sodium light glare with the plants)
Aside from that, and memories of having to continually trim our rather enthusiastic Clematis from my antenna wires on our house in Florida, I really know very little about growing things. I have somehow managed to keep from killing a handful of "low maintenance" houseplants in the past, but that's about it. I've recently been able to sprout some tomato seeds in a makeshift greenhouse in my spare bathroom, so I've got a (very) basic setup with a lamp for warmth and some hanging fluorescent lights for...well...light, but not a lot of knowledge of exactly what I'm doing at this point.
Is there anything really important that I should know about clematis, growing habits, care and feeding, etc. before I begin, or should I just "go for it" and hope that what I lack in knowledge and experience can be made up for by luck and numbers? (It's a large bag of seeds - probably a lot more than is necessary for 5 feet of windowbox)
Thanks for any help and advice that you can provide!
-- Seamus
Germinating & Growing Sweet Autumn Clematis
Hi Colderwild:
Welcome to the Clematis Forum. In an apartment, I would try to select ones that grow well in containers (4-6ft. tall), so that you can enjoy their beauty up close. For example, Clematis breeder Ray Evison has a 'patio collection' that emphasizes growing these shorter varieties.
Sweet Autumn Clematis should NOT be grown in window boxes, on balconies, or any where it can drop its seeds and grow wild. It is very invasive in your growing area and in zones further South!!! It grows approximately 20-30ft. tall. Please read about it in the PlantFiles http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/683/index.html as well as, in threads discussed in the Clematis Forum too. You'll need to do a search & it will provide you with lots more information. Please don't 'go for it', but rather make a well informed decision.