to pot or not to pot? jasmine

Houston, TX

bought some climbing pink jasmine (Jasminum polyanthum i'm fairly certain http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/1639/ ) for a friend's mother who is blind. i wanted her to be able to enjoy the scent since she cannot enjoy the cute little clusters of blooms.

anyway, i live in houston - 8B or 9ish - and i'm wondering if i should pot this in a large pot or just put it in the ground. i'm really worried about the crazy weather we get here from time to time and although freezes aren't bad and are usually short lived i'm worried about it dying during winter. since it's a climber i can't very well cover it easily! it shows hardy to 20F in zone 9a but i'm still a bit worried about it.

i read that it can be moved indoors as a houseplant and i think that's the part that worried me concerning cold weather... plus read somewhere that this particular plant grows better when it's slightly rootbound. it sounded crazy to me, and i wasn't sure if it was true or not.

so... should i be on the safe side and pot it up or will it be alright staying put outside? i would feel horrible if it died on her.

thanks to everyone in advance! everyone here is super helpful and we all appreciate it.

Thumbnail by _Mai_
Dublin, CA(Zone 9a)

This can be a pretty big vine, so I think it'll do better in the ground vs in a pot. Around here people grow it all the time and it's never had trouble with any of our winters, and I think on average Houston has a little bit warmer winters than we do here so it should be fine outdoors.

Toronto, Canada

I've come across some really interesting 'bonsai' Jasmine plants. if you keep pruning them to a certain size and shape the trunk will get thicker and almost tree-like. One that comes to mind was a Gardenia jasminoides, Cape Jasmine -- a fairly old, 1-1.5' spread, potted jasmine. It grew upwards and then trailed down one side of the pot.
When a Jasmine plant is potted, it is recommended to keep it indoors at all times. It flourishes at a constant temperature of 54-59F. It should also stay out of strong direct sunlight.
when it flowers, make sure the soil stays constantly wet. mist the plant with water only when it's not flowering. you should fertilize every two weeks or so, just a weak dilution, not too strong. Don't fertilize it in the winter.

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