How to Grow a Clematis Around the Door

Planting

• 1

  Fit some form of trellis work to the wall around the doorway, making sure to leave a two to three inch space behind the lattice. This space is needed so that the vines can be looped around the trellis. Trellis work can be a decorative wooden lattice for thinner vines or a simple wire frame for fuller, bushier clematis plants.

• 2

  Dig a hole 18 inches from the trellis that is twice as wide and two inches deeper than the plant's root ball. Mix an organic fertilizer in with the backfill soil at this point to help establish the plant.

• 3

  Loosen the roots at the bottom of the root ball using a small garden fork. Do this carefully; the object is to free some of the roots from the dirt but not break or damage them.

• 4

  Water the root ball well before placing it into the middle of the planting hole. Backfill with the fertilized soil, making sure to cover the top of the root ball with about two inches of soil. Pack down the soil firmly and water well.

• 5

  Mulch around the base of the plant once it is planted. This will help to maintain moisture in the soil and protect against harsh frosts and cold weather.

Training

• 6

  Insert four thin wooden canes into the soil from the plant leading to the trellis. Use garden twine to tie these canes to the trellis. The plant's vines will grow along these canes to the trellis.

• 7

  Wrap the main vines of the clematis plant around the canes, securing them loosely in place with plastic twist ties. Keeping the twist ties loose gives the vines chance to become thicker as they grow.

• 8

  Loop the main vines around the vertical struts of the trellis as they grow. This keeps the main body of the plant growing vertically alongside the doorway. Use twist ties as needed to secure thicker vines to the lattice. As the vines reach the top of the door frame, train the main vines horizontally over the door.

• 9

  Wrap the vines that grow from the main vines around the horizontal struts of the trellis. This helps to establish a thick mass of flowering vines as the plant grows.

• 10

  Trim the vines as needed to keep the doorway looking neat and not overgrown.