Hello all. I accidentally purchased an alpina when first getting started in clems this spring. At the time I ordered, I didn't realize alpinas would not tolerate our climate in the deep south. I had planned on transferring it to another DG'er at our Mid-South roundup, but then the swine flu swooped in and our roundup was cancelled. Flash forward to today. The poor alpina is struggling in a pot. I have it in the shade in a futile attempt to keep it cool enough until our rescheduled roundup in fall. 'Frankie' simply won't make it until then. It's looking very sad indeed. The clem was purchased from SSV this spring and has a fabulous root system. If anybody would like to try to revive it (it's down to very little green at this point, but trimmed back, it will probably come back fine), then please respond here. I would like to receive a reimbursement for postage, if that's okay.
C. alpina 'Frankie' looking for a new home...
blissful, i love frankie. i put one from ssv in this spring too. if no one else wants it i will take it and plant it near it's sister. if someone else doesn't have one, put them ahead of me to spread the gene pool better. it does need a hard winter so you are great to move it along to where it can flourish instead of try and make it work in your climate.
frankie is a beauty!
OMG! How super! If you still have this, I would love this! Just starting my yard, and only have 1 clem, a Jackmanii, that was purchased last week! Got it cheap, as it was pretty sickly looking and not doing well at all. I think it was an embarrassement for the nursery, so they wanted it gone! LOL! Cold winters I can do, and I have a perfect spot for it! If you still have this, let me know!
Sandi
Sandi, you are very welcome to it! I'm sure in zone 3b you will have a hard winter, as CG stated is needed for 'Frankie' to flourish. Have you looked over the care instructions for clems at Silver Star Vinery? Here is a link:
http://www.silverstarvinery.com/care.asp
Between those beginning instructions and the information you receive from the "pro" clem ladies here, you should do fine with this one. The root system is outstanding. I will cut 'Frankie' back to the same size it was when I received it from SSV this spring (basically tiny twigs above the roots). I'll also pack the same way to ship to you (barerooted, wrapped in damp newspaper. You'll want to have your hole ready for when it arrives (18" x 18"... see instructions in ClematisGuru's advice thread). Please send me a dmail with your address if you aren't listed in the DG address exchange. Evey =)
sandi, you can put me down as a godmother if you want, (blissful, you would be granny, right?)
and we can both be on call for questions and of course those photos noting important passages such as growing and sprouting!
Oh, CG, you can count on it! Thanks for the offer. I love it when someone offers to let me pick their brain! I just hope you know what you're getting yourself into. Yippee!
Sandi, it's on the way to you via Priority Mail. It should be there on Friday or Saturday at the latest, so check your box! Remember, I hard pruned it to mail, so it's a big root ball with a stem. Just plant it out and pretend it's got top growth. LOL! Follow the watering (not overwatering) and care instructions on the Silver Star website and you should have a lovely plant sprouting well before first freeze. =)
Super! Just finished digging the hole for the new baby! I will check the PO every day! Love the SSV website! So many beautiful clems I want! Please let me know how to get you some postage money, and how much I owe you! This is so great and generous of you! God Bless!
Sandi
Not to worry about postage... it's my gift to you. As a WONDERFUL DG'er once said to me, "You have to be a friend to make a friend" (cough cough CG!).
I think that I am going to cry! Seriously, that is so great! And the best part, this clem comes with 2 new friends that are family, too! A built in Godmother and Granny! Woohoo! I am so very blessed today, and thank you again, so very much, both of you!
Now, to the planting stuff. How fast should the hole drain? I want to make sure that I have good drainage. My hole is about 22 inches deep and about 18 inches across. I filled the entire hole with water and it was all drained in about an hour, without any gravel or anything in the bottom. Is that about right? Our ground is pretty rocky, so I guess I just assumed that it would have good drainage, but I haven't done any perc tests in years, so really can't say anymore what is good or not.
I am really enjoying this thread. I can certainly relate to the excitement you feel, skellogg. I've also been the recipient of an act of kindness lately. Isn't DG a great place? These "clem buddies" are great to have. I'm also envious that you were able to dig such a large hole and sound as if it were no big deal! It would take me a LONG time to dig one of those in clay.
Enjoy!
what a love fest! love it!
skellog, sounds like a good hole and that is decent drainage, esp if you have been having rain and the surrounding area is not bone dry.
you will need to make sure your re-planting soil is friable and has sharp grit for texture, drainage and easy for the roots to move and grow.
mix your own soil , if is decent with composted manure, composted vegetation, handful of bone meal and chipped gravel or similar subsitute. replant my goddaughter with a mixture like that if you can.
CG, that kind of soil mixture will be no problem! You know, the story goes that the Indians way back when used to put a dead fish in every hole when they planted things, and my Mom owns a trout farm. Maybe I'll use an old indian trick and stick a dead rotten fish in the bottom, too! Teehee!
Sharkey, I use a breaking bar, hand post hole diggers, shovel, and excitement! That usually works! Fortunately, our rocks aren't too bad, as they are kind of a shale type, so they break into little pieces when you hit them with the breaking bar! I am quite certain that my neighbors all wonder about my sanity, but at least they have something to talk about. LOL! And I most certainly agree that the DG family is the greatest! I am looking forward to when I will be able to pass the kindness forward! I am going to go mix some dirt now in anticipation of my new adopted baby's arrival.
skellogg, you have rocks; I have clay. They both sound challenging. If you can use post hole diggers, you're stronger than I am. CG, you may have earned a new title here, "Godmother of clems!" LOL
I have found there are many great people on this forum who are willing to share there expertise, plants and answer dmails (usually design related :-) all to help each other out. Nice of you Bliss and lucky you kellogg! Sharkey, I learned from pirl to "just pass it on"! Right pirl??? ANYWAY, back to drainage..
What is a "good" hole drainage time? I dug a few holes last week and we had a couple days of torrential rain. Seemed like it took forever for 2 of the holes to drain.
love the godmother title for sure!
all, when the ground is soaked from the heavy rains you are referring to, not a fair test. and "forever" needs time associated to it. wait till conditions are moderate, "normal", not drought and not rain soaked. hole should drain with in a 30 minutes or less in my estimate. faster when surrounding ground is very dry, slower when the area is soaked. some of mine drain with in 6 or 8 minutes.
does this make sense? after a while, and some experience doing this on your land, you will be able to see which of you holes pre planting have better drainage than others. i have had some so slow i came understand why some clems in the area planted before i tested hole drainage had not done well. in one case i actually refilled the hole and decided not to plant a clem in it.
Frankie has arrived! and appears no worse for wear. The newspaper wrapping was still moist and damp, and Frankie is now in the ground! Now we will all anxiously wait for new shoots to appear and for new growth! Thanks so much for everything, including the advice, CG, and special thanks to you Evey! I will of course keep everyone posted on the progress!
aaaah, glad the baby is safely home in her new nursery! yeah!
her sister frankie sends love and wants to know if they can be pen pals next spring?
how cool of you to do this evey and let the clem be in the climate it needs to flourish! happy ending for sure!
Yep, yep! I'll be glad to see photos of her lovely blooms in the spring. I'm sure she's much happier up there in a cooler climate!
And, after planting Frankie, I pruned "Jack" way back as well. I did not prune him any when I planted him, and he is getting kinda tired looking, so I figured, since he has only been in the ground for a couple of weeks, it would be much more beneficial to him to prune him as well. As sad looking as he was starting to look, I figured that he needed to concentrate on root growth rather than vine growth, anyway. And since he was pretty sick looking when I got him, it sure can't hurt! They can both put on new growth together now. I am really tempted to dig him up and plant him at an angle, but think that I may wait until he goes dormant, or maybe spring time when he is still dormant. What do you think would be best for him?
Hey girls,
I have been a nurse for 34 years and much of my work involves dying. You on this forum have showed me so much about living and nurturing, growing and the importance of simple beauty. Yes, I am now a clematis addict. ClemGuru is my idol! My clematis have given me such inspiration. What else can you cut down to the ground, nourish and then have come back to give beauty to the world, We can all take a lesson from our beautiful clems. I am so sorry to be sappy. I just love the positive energy that comes from this forum. Thank you.
Mary, those are beautiful thoughts and I couldn't agree more with everything you said. It's hard for non-gardeners to understand how we can get such pleasure from seeing a bloom open and enjoy the fruits of our labor. And as far as Guru, our new "Godmother of clems," I probably wouldn't have this addiction if it weren't for her gorgeous photos and all of her advice. There are many wonderful people on this forum who have helped me.
My hubbie keeps telling me that my grandgirls will grow up remembering my flowers and that alone makes it worth it to me.
wow, i am humbled by your feedback. gardening is a journey and for us, the forum is part of that too. i hope we all strive to keep it positive, warm, welcoming and info sharing.
i love seeing folks get into clems and helping make it more successful for them. my first years were so horrible, i kept going , but if we can help someone avoid all the plants that perish and other learning curves, that is satisfying.
clems are so rewarding. in their beauty, the patience they require and the way they grow and develop. amazing genus and family of plants.
Ah shucks Mary, you're pretty awesome yourself!
Folks, I'm gonna tell ya that CG is even better in person. I've been blessed to have her only 2 hours away from me. She is as real in person as she is here on the forum.
I am also stuck on Clems thanks to CG. Her garden is like a botanical garden. She is warm, inviting and so giving of her time, knowledge and her clems. She has such a natural knack for designing her garden, just breath taking and so relaxing. Also so much to look at. I was just back there last weekend and she was talking up how the garden didn't look like much, but she has such wonderful backbone to the garden that even when all of her beautiful clems aren't in full bloom there are so many woody plants, trees and shrubs to look at. She loves these plants and know how to combine them to the best advantage for both the clem and shrub/tree.
I'm so serious if you are coming through Columbus then her garden is the one to make the stop for. You won't be sorry, it is worth the delay to see her heaven on earth...
Janet
This is one of the many inviting take a seat spots in her garden.
