Clematis arrived in poor condition what should I do?

I ordered 3 clematis from Michigan Bulb (be nice-- I found Dave's after ordering).
Unfortunately they sat at my post office for a week after shipping, which had already taken a week (my loser post office's fault, not MB's).
They're still alive but they're looking not so great-- one had about 1/2 its leaves turn brown, the others have sent out spindly, light deprived new growth during their journey. They;re tiny plants as you would guess.
I'd just like some opinions on how best to handle them for the next few days-- I'm afraid putting the moutside might be too much of a shock . . .

They are:
Jackmani (looks the best)
Double blue (I know that's not a real name but that's what they sold them as)
Double pink (the only one that says full sun, and accordingly the one that turned brown after being in the dark for 2 weeks).

Thanks!

ho'ard

Well that is a shame! I would put them in a shady spot & keep them watered until they show some signs of recovering. I would be afraid to plant them and cause them anymore stress. I sure hope they make it, do you have any kind of replacement guarantee through that company in case they don't survive?
Donna

You really have no way to know what they were like when they were shipped....So call the company and tell them these plants look like they were to immature to have been shipped and it appears that the stress of shipping was to much and that you would like a reorder, more times than not they will reship the order.

If you get no satisfaction from MB: Repot into 1gal pots. Prune off the lanky, icky stuff and put them in a lightly shaded spot where they can be watered and hope for the best. You can put them in the ground in the fall. They are actually pretty tough plants and may survive and surprise you. Good luck!
JenG

What I would do, and it has always worked for me...send them an e-mail, with the picture of the plants, showing the condition they were in, when you got them. They can't argue with a picture!

Thanks, everyone!
Actually I called them right away and although talk is cheap, they did agree to replace the clematis and the strawberries.
I basically did what Jennifer said above and I'm going to nurse them to health . . . they're outside in a shady area but getting a full blast of afternoon sun right now and they don't look too horrible. . . hardy little suckers.
Since I'm a glutton for punishment I also ordered a bunch of clematis from an eBay seller that dave'sgarden reviewers love to hate (put it on my CC just on case . . .) American Nurseries.
I hereby declare this the year of going crazy with clematis . . .

I ordered a couple of Clematis from American Nurseries and to say that I was disappointed, is putting it mildly. I wish I had used my CC..I hope your experience is different from mine...

Ho'ard,

There's a great clematis site called Completely Clematis. They offer different size plants at different price's. Have never been dissapointed with what I have received. Good luck with your other little fellows, with a little love they should do okay.

Gary

Good luck! They are very hardy as you'll see when you repot them (if you do that). I've had my clematis crazy years and really prefer buying them in person at a nursery. They do so much better. No waiting in the dark in the post office.

I clipped off the top of Josephine and it grew back but she was "older" so may have had the help of a much bigger root system. I wish you the best. Out of the 75 or so I planted, I probably have 50% of them.

The Nelly Moser has a sprout on the "dead" vine about 3" from the base . . .
woohoo! Most others are taking off . . .
Here are the other ones I can think off offhand:

Bees Jubilee
John Paul II
Sweet Autumn

Looks like maybe 2 are truly dead . . .

Whoops-- I posted the previous message to the wrong thread-- it was in regard to an order from a defferent seller I'd posted to a different thread.
The clematis from Michigan Bulb are all doing well, no blooms yet though.
Half of the strawberries are dying though . . .

With the size of Clematis you get from MB (I know, I ordered one of mine from them years ago) it will probably take a few years before you get any blooms. My plant is now 9 or 10 years old and is huge and covered with blooms, but it did take a while!! Good luck with yours.
Deb