I am just getting in to Clematis and need lots of advice and info. I ordered some live Clematis plants from Wayside Gardens South Carolina and I am bitterly disappointed.They should be ashamed. The Clematis that came were half-dried out and were about 2 inches high. They were 25 dollars or more. The condition they came in was awful. All of the dirt had come out of the plastic planting containers. They were beyond dry...some looked half dead.Is this normal for mail order Clematis? I know when the nursery here has Monrovia Clematis, it is a 4 foot tree for 39$. When I ordered some vines from Zone Tropical in Houston, they were beautiful-packed to perfection, moist, staked, lush green leaves and about 12 inches tall and sourrounded by plastic coating. Unfortuneately they don't sell Clematis. I would appreciate some guidance on this;as well as recs for best mail order sources for Clematis. How many plants do I plant of one kind? Is one plant sufficient? I thought they were going to come in a larger size. I would also appreciate a rec for best book on Clematis. It seems most are written for the UK. I ordered the book from the Clematis society USA, but her book does not include all the different kinds. I am trying to start and stick with Pruning group 3's since I live in San Antonio, Texas and will plant in my west-facing garden. Many Thanks.
Recommend Quality mail order source for Clematis Plants
There are some very good nurseries that deal in clematis. My personal favorites are Brushwood and Joy Creek Nursery. A lot of people on this forum like Silver Star Vinery and you can get some nice deals, although they are smaller plants through Bluestone Perennials. Not sure of the size from Garden Crossings, but they have nice sales.
Sorry to hear of your experience cwg. Please contact Wayside and return the plants and get a refund NOT a credit voucher.
Carolyn and I like the same places. Bluestone's were not the best around so I'd head to the others Carolyn mentioned or Garden Crossings. Here's the plants they sent in August and I was very pleased with them. I believe they were $10.00 each and shipping was very reasonable (unlike Joy Creek).
I took the photo for the names and not for the height of the plants but none were less than a foot tall with lots of leaves. Since then they've put on a lot more growth. This is just four of the eight I received.
Thank you Carolyn and Pirl-especially for the pictures. I really did get gypped. Those 4 plants are 100 times nicer and bigger than the junk Wayside sent. Have you ever ordered any Clematis from Donohue's Clematis Greenhouse? Their website has a huge collection, but I don't know anything about the quality. Any recs for best books on Clematis? Thanks. Cwg
I have bought Donahue clems mainly through co ops, although I have my own order coming in a couple of days. The plants are in good condition, some varieties smaller than others. I am in a warmer zone like you, so I don't mind potting them up and saving on $. Their shipping is reasonable.
I too have ordered clems from Donahue. They are in the liner pots like the Wayside clems. If you don't mind babying these clems, these clems will eventually catch up to the others.
The liner pots - from anyplace, should be potted up into a gallon pot and kept potted up until the roots start to come out of the bottom.
When you do plant your clems - and this is for any size, make sure you plant them about 2 inches deeper than the pot they came in and at a 45 degree angle. This should help to promote basal growth, which will give you more vines - when you plant your clems into the ground, be sure to use plenty of bone meal as this will help with root development.
Being in Texas should give you more flushes of blooms.
Are you familiar with the different pruning groups and the requirements of each group?
cwg - I'm not a fan of Donahue's. They take an extra year to get established for me up here on Long Island. I'll pay the $10. and get them from Brushwood or Garden Crossings on sale.
We try to alert clematis lovers to sales we find so stay with us!
Remember to use Epsom Salt (one to two tablespoons to a gallon of tepid water) and that will create more basal break (more stems).
In the meantime I really hope you will call Wayside, express your displeasure and send them back. Wayside used to sell good clematises (long ago) and I bought collections from them for a few years. Read Garden Watchdog's review of Wayside so you won't feel you're alone being displeased with their plants.
http://davesgarden.com/products/gwd/c/7/
Not all of mine lived from brushwood. So i am cautious of them too.
My personal belief, which may be all wrong, is that some plants never should have been introduced. While other people have good luck with the same plant it doesn't grow well for me or only for a year and then quietly disappears. Anna Louise is one I bought from a few places and it just won't live beyond a year for me.
Jackmanii seems to do well for everyone.
Brushwood, Joy Creek, Silver Star are my favorites. I have ordered from Donahue's through various co-ops. These companies all send nice plants. When I have had one die it was usually due to something I did in planting them. Drainage is bad, forgot to water etc......
Here's Patricia Ann Fretwell, from Brushwood in May 2011. You can compare the rootball to those you received from Wayside.
Pirl,
This rootball is 50 times bigger and better than the one I got from Wayside. I did go and read all the reviews/ratings as you suggested.. I wish I had done so before. Based on all the negative feedback;you would think they would go out of business or at least be embarrassed enough to try and do better. Have you heard of John Perez? I received an email to download his homemade recipes for increasing growth and blooms for Clematis. The site was clematisexpert.com. I was thinking about doing it, but thought I should ask someone first to see if it is legit.Can you recommend the best book overall for Clematis? Thanks. Candy
It's been a very long time since Wayside (or sister company Park's Seeds) had great ratings. I found them rude and not helpful when I did call with problems - like plants just not growing at all.
I haven't heard of Perez but is that one of the magic potions? We've seen it, long ago, on the Clematis Forum but I'm not sure anyone uses it.
With so many new clematises coming on the market so constantly I doubt that there is one best clematis book. See what your library has and that's likely the same ones we all use.
Was there precise information you wanted or just photos of clematises?
Hi Pirl, long time no see. I have been looking to buy some clems, but I am thinking to wait to see if the ones I have will survive this Winter. What is the next procedure to do with the clems, since I think they stoped blooming. When do we trim them, and all that stuff, what is the Winter care for clematis. I hope you both are well, take care. Etelka
Make sure you have mulch on each clematis. No more feeding until spring rolls around.
Here on Long Island we wait until late February to early March to cut back all the class 3 clematis down to a good set of buds and that's about 12" from the ground.
No other care that I can think of for winter, Etelka, but if you have any dead stems you can always cut them off any time during the year.
So i cant out down any 5-10-5 now? Can I still put down the manure then mulch?
You can if you want to. Put down a thick layer of manure, then 5-10-5 or 5-10-10 or 12-12-12, then a layer of compost and you'll be all ready for spring. The fertilizer doesn't really act until the high 50's so you might want to wait a few more weeks.
Thanks Pirl. Like I asked my grandkids, how do you know all that stuff that needs to be done on the computer ( they are 9 and 11) it is because this is all we do on our free time. That is you Pirl, always know the answers, and I appreciate and trust your advice. I am into pansies now, it is sad to pull up all my zinnias, but I found some small pansies and they smell so good. Have a nice weekend, here it is still in the 70is and sunny, good gardening time. Etelka
Thanks, I think I will wait to put it down. We are still having some warm days. like in the 70's. Wait I think I got the wrong manure, I got the granule. I will have to go back and get the other.
Etelka - I am not a professional clematis grower so I only know what works for me.
Marie - I doubt how it's packaged makes any difference! Use it.
Ok will do,, thanks.
I cannot believe we are already winding down the season. Seems like it barely got started.
I too cut my type 3 clematis back in March. At that point in time, I will scratch my fertilizer into the surface of the ground around the clematis. Cannot wait for next years clematis season.
I know they used to talk about using the alfalfa tea on the clematis that was also used on the roses..... I have never used it myself. I use a good rose fertilizer on my clematis.
I get some rabbit food, take 2 qt. of it and soak it in a 5 gall. bucket. put a lid on it, it stincks a lot. after few days stir it and you can use it over the roots of your clems and roses. In few weeks you will see new shoots on plants.
Summer is just too short for us gardeners. We live to see our plants come alive in the spring and show us their beauty and reward us for all our hard work. My sister is an artist and does some real nice nature paintings. She use to ask me" why do you do all this?, I don't understand". I would say," when you paint a picture what do you do when you are done? Don't you stand back and look at how well it turned out? Well that is why I do the gardens. When I am done and they are blooming, I stand back and look at how well it turned out. That is my art."
Good point!
Summer seems much too short when it is as hot as this past summer was. There's no thrill sitting outside, even under an umbrella, while we're sweltering. I do get up when summer starts at 5 or 5:30 to get outside and get jobs done before it becomes too uncomfortable but then I feel like I'm under lock-down until around 5 PM.
Now I torture myself in the early morning and at night making collages so I'll get the right place for every clematis waiting to get planted.
Photo credit to Shirley1md for the clematis shot of Bourbon.
This is one of the bigger clems I got from Donahues. The roots were coming out of the pot.
Looks good to me.
Mine from Donahues were excellent, and almost all have bloomed. And then of course I cut off the rest of the buds for this year.
Was that a recent order or was it ordered last spring? I am beginning to think that ordering later in the season is the key. They have bigger roots.
I received mine in the spring.
I just got a Clematis Jackmanii from Donohue(at a nursery in Austin) and it is spectacular! It is about 3 feet high with 3 stems full of lush green leaves and two full blooms at the top. It was 19.99$. I was very impressed. Perhaps when you order directly they don't send you such a large plant...but I am willing to take a chance. I am thinking of trying silver star vinery as well. Joy Creek seems to have an amazing inventory,but I am a little wary since several members have said postage is outrageous. I just planted an avant-garde, texas gravetye and lady diana this weekend(it is still in mid to high 80's here in San Antonio-zone 8b). It may get down to 40 at night next weekend, but I hope they will be fine. Is it too late to plant some more Clematis? I was thinking of ordering some Rooguci and some Franzsiska Marie.
It's not too late! Keep on planting.
You'll love Jackmanii - it's an old reliable bloomer and it loves compost (as they all do). Princess Diana has such lovely bell-like blooms! I have Franziska Maria but it hasn't yet bloomed for me - we did have a very cool spring and most clematises did not perform well this year but they did grow well.
Today a dear friend brought me one of her two Rooguchi clem's as a gift. All reviews say it's terrific so I'm thrilled to have it.
Silver Star gets rave reviews all the time. Joy Creek does send plants in huge pots with equally huge roots but you'll pay dearly in shipping costs.
Here's Princess Diana:
Good choices cwg512. I also love Jackmanii ,which is blooming nicely now and Princess Diana, which bloomed well this summer..I just planted Rooghuci, that I ordered from Donahues. It was one of the bigger ones.It is worth it to order as many as you can imagine planting! I have Franzsiska Marie., but it was in a very hard place and just dug it up. I am going to nurse it in a pot for a while. Viticella venosa violacea is a nice one too.
This is the last of my co-op Clem's, which is actually from Donahue's. It came with very little soil, wrapped in damp paper towel and plastic. I soaked it in water for a couple of hours because I had to run out right after receiving it, then put it in a quart pot with MG potting mix just until I bring it to CT tomorrow. Do you think it's big enough to go in the ground, or should I pot it up?
Thanks,
Pam
Please don't plant it directly in the soil: I'd definitely pot it up! For me life is too short to buy their clem's. Sorry if that sounds nasty but they have a much rougher start than any other clematises. I've lost more of theirs than any others and that includes the Walmart ones sold in a green plastic package in February and March.
Here's a sampling to show you roots that will give you results the year after planting, sometimes the year of planting, and you won't have a three or four year wait for blooms. I did loosen the roots on the two that I allowed to get potbound (not on purpose) and planted them 3" deep, as usual, with bone meal, compost and manure along with water crystals and a lot of mulch. The one with the huge roots was a wonderful gift from a friend, Louise.
Thanks, pots it is. The weather is soooo frustrating! I thought I'd be able to put them outside this weekend, but it's just too cold, and they have too much top growth. 29 degrees predicted for tonight, and at or near freezing for the next two. And I don't have room for the larger pots inside. They'll just have to wait another week to get all the good stuff.
Pam
Wha tin the world happened to all that nice warm weather we had? Come on Mother Nature it is almost May , warm up.
The weather is all messed up for this spring. I'm just very grateful for all I did while it was nice out but waking up to these cold temperatures makes it feel like late February instead of almost May.
The wind has been horrible!
The wind has been horrible and cold! We are supposed to be 25 tonight and the record is 24. I would much rather be setting records for warmth and not the cold!
I have had really good luck with Forest Farms in Williams, OR. I get the tubes and nurse them along. Great service and great prices.