Clematis: Just "Knock-Me-Out", 1 by JeanneTX

JeanneTX wrote:
Gail..so glad I could be of service ..you will LOVE your Knockouts..
Rachel..Be very cautious about your Clematis..I don't know if you realized this but Krazy Keith said on his site that they will be shipped as "Bareroot"...Bareroot Clematis are very hard to grow..with any bareroot plant you receive you must soak in warm water for AT LEAST 2 hours.. if you are getting your Roses as Bareroots do the same..and dig your hole...make a mound in the hole and place the bareroot on top and spread the roots over the mound..I see that you are in NC..so if its a grafted Rose make sure the grafted part is above the soil..put some nice bonemeal in the hole prior to planting and move the dirt back in and press down firmly with your hands..fill the dirt all in and take your hands and make a "well" around the rose..fill with water..it will seep down ..keep filling with water till it seems like it is just slower seeping in and stop...the success of your Rose will mean that you water it well everyday for the first couple of weeks..once the leaves have appeared then you can make a trench around the rose about 5 inches circle from the rose center..put in Rose Pellets fertilizer ..cover the soil back up and water...NOW , with your bareroot clematis..you will want to soak as I said earlier...it CAN NOT GO DIRECTLY into the ground...you must pot that baby up in a one gallon or half gallon pot ....put bonemeal in there ..cover the root up..leaving just a tad bit sticking out and keep moist all summer..you CAN NOT plant it into your garden till that pot fills up with roots...I wished I had known you were going to buy bareroot..I would have turned you onto my clematis grower Debbie...she has awesome Clematis and only sells them for $12.00 bucks + shipping to my online friends..make sure you keep the soil moist ..clematis like to have their roots kept cool but their heads up in the sun..they are the "Sleep","Creep" and "Leap" plants that is why so many people get discouraged with them..but I cheat and buy 3 yr old Clematis from Debbie...Here is a pic of one I got from her..Check out these roots..that is what you want when purchasing a Clematis to make sure they flourish in your garden and give you years of enjoyment..Hope this has helped...Jeanne