growing clematis montana up a tree

do you think its a good idea? i've been trying to decide what to do with our Clematis Montana for ages now, it was an impulse buy quite a few years ago as i do love the look of them in full flower but we've not really anywhere to put something that vigorous it's been living in a large-ish pot growing up a wigwam of bamboo canes ever since & i'd really like to get it in the ground...but where? we have a lovely Whitebeam Mountain Ash Tree so was kinda thinking of letting it grow up that but i know how vigorous Montana's can be & wouldn't want the tree to get swamped or look unsightly hmmm i dunno what to do do you guys think growing Montanas up tree's is a good idea at all? where do you grow yours?

 

My mother has a Montana that has been growing up a 30foot conifer for many years and also has an ivy growing up it. The conifer doesn't look bothered by it all.

 

hmm i hate being so undecided like this im just afraid of the Whitebeam being ruined and/or it looking a mess after a couple of years of the Montana growing wild up there...it'd be extremely difficult to prune im sure! it'd be different if the tree where an eye-sore but its not it beautiful

 

Those were my thoughts too reading your initial post.

Shed / garage it can rampage over? I think that (or a dead / useless / disliked tree) would be preferable.

 

your right its not worth the risk of potentially ruining the tree.

i don't think there is anywhere else that's be suitable tbh...well we do have a shed but nowhere to put it in the ground around there so it'd have to be a pot again...may have to resort to just a larger pot then after all.
i don't know how im gonna break it to the Montana

 

we actually have two Clematis growing up/through two decent sized Cotoneaster's on either side of the garden (a miss Bateman & im sure the other ones is "Royal" 'something or other') but they're not tall tree's! both are easily reachable & are pruned regularly & anyway they're not crazy vigorous like Montana. i love how they look growing through the Cotoneasters, the way you almost wouldn't know they were there other than the few leaves peeping out here & there..until they flower then as if from nowhere the flowers push themselves out to the forefront ideally i'd love the Montana to behave the same way clambering unobtrusively through the Whitebeam only really showing itself when it's flowering but the more i think about it the more i don't think that'll happen, knowing my luck it'll zoom up/through the tree & in a couple of years time it'll have taken over completely, smothered my beloved tree & hang down in big messy clump....my goodness im getting palpitations at the thought!

oh well back to the drawing board for Miss Montana

 

perhaps your right Armandii, i really should take more risks...i've always been terrible for doubting myself, i have a good idea...then promptly talk myself out of said good idea but i do sometimes manage to talk myself back around again, eventually, its just that i can be quite stubborn at times & never more so than when im arguing with myself

 

Sounds like you Montana is going to get chucked if you don't find a home for it - so it might as well have a go up the tree. Worst that can happen is that it then gets the chop.

 

ok, ok, i'll do it alright! i'll plant the bloomin' thing to grow up the tree, ok, jeez!

but just so's you know i'll be expecting you two to be on the first boat over to sort it out for me if it all goes pear shaped lol

oh & i'd never have chucked it out though, no way, never