Clematis: Clematis 2014, 1 by pirl

pirl wrote:
What a trip! Going 900 miles in two days would be enough to have me sleeping for two more days.

Nice big pots (not the heavy ones that get heavier with each passing year) would be ideal.

Since the tree is gone you could dig as much as you want to, but a big, strong person would be worth his wages for an hour or two to get the job done. There is no harm in adding soil to the root area only because the tree is gone, even though the stump remains, but it would mean a lot of compost, manure, good soil (new), and a huge amount of time. I'd opt to go for a pot within a pot so you'd always be free to change your mind. Cold weather won't hurt it. I have three in nursery pots and they made it through our rough winter without a problem.

If you do decide to plant them in the ground 18" would be fine, more would be much better. Here's the roots on Rooguchi just to give you an idea of how massive they can become.