I ordered 3 clematis plants of the same variety last week. They came in today and I'm not sure what to think. I assumed they would look like the ones I've bought at the nursery, but these don't so I'm thinking either I assumed wrong or these are in bad condition. I was hoping for some opinions. I don't have a camera so here's my best description. There is no green, not one leaf and the stems are very short, about 3-4 inches or so and very, very thin. The root system looks good, there are lots. Now here is my ignorance showing.....please don't laugh ok....just not real loud :) There is something growing where the stem and the roots meet on all three plants. It looks like a large bright white root. What the heck is this? Do I plant it underneath with the roots or what? It's much bigger than the roots, a different color and also doesn't look anything like any stem I've seen so I'm not sure what to do. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks!!
First time mail order clematis - what's normal?
Sounds like you Ordered bare roots..You have to be real careful and read all the print to make sure if they are potted plants and what size pots or if they are bare roots...just pot them up in one gallon pots with some bone meal and keep them moist...only place where there is a little bit of very early morning sun or dappled shade to allow them to adjust to the light..keep pinching the top after some of the vine emerges leaving a little bit for you want it to focus on its root system right now..not vining...then when the roots are coming out of the bottom of the pot ..then you know it is mature enough to be planted in your gardens..Hope this helps....if you can post a pic ..We could be sure...really does sound like bare roots....Jeanne
Hi Princess, plant with that white nodular thingy underground. Where the roots meet the stems, it should be 1 to 2 inches underground. Actually, that's a good sign and probably means all your plants are going to grow. Don't expect too much this year or next. It takes about three years to get a show. You can do as Jeanne suggested and plant in a one gallon pot. There are other folks who feel this isn't necessary and don't want to deal with another pot. Personally, I've done it both ways and really haven't had a problem with either. With a pot, the plant can be better protected from accidental damage and you can better control the plants growing environment. Us northerners need to get the plant in the ground as soon as possible, so potting doesn't make sense unless the plant needs some extra tlc.
About buying on-line, you need to make use of the Garden Watchdog. I buy a lot of plants and bulbs on-line because I can't get them locally or it's a hassle to get to a particular local nursery. When I can, I buy locally.
When you do buy on line, chances are you will get bare root or small 1 1/2 to 3 inch pots. If you stick to the companies with good ratings, you will soon discover that the small plants grow and will survive just fine. You can find some really good deals on-line and most companies do have sales.
I will not buy from a company with a really bad rating, but I have bought from companies with a 50/50 rating only when that company has been the only one to have the plant I want. You're taking a chance. Sometimes it's been OK, sometimes it hasn't. Whatever your experience, be sure to leave a rating on the watchdog. I usually wait until all pending orders have been received and requests for replacements or refund responded to. Remember, it's just as important to leave a positive rating as a negative.
If you're still unsure about a company, go to a forum and ask. You'll hear plenty. BTW, if you're looking for really great clematis roots, check out Debbie Fischer's new Silver Star Vinery. Awesome plants.
Good luck with your new clematis. What variety?
Check out the Clematis I just got from Silver Star!!!
I wanna order a couple from Chaulk Hill to compare!!!
Princess, 90% of the Clematis I have came like yours only with scrawney root systems. I thought that was the norm until I found this forum. Now they come like this. And I'll bet you paid as much if not more for shipping than I did for the ones in the pic from SS.
Debbie
Thanks everyone for the responses!
-Jeanne - After reading your response I went back to the website and looked real carefully at everything to see if it said bareroots. All I saw was that it would be a potted plant in a 3" pot. Unless it's somewhere other than that page I saw no mention of bare roots. I'm gonna try to get my hands on a camera to post a picture to make sure.
-Beaker - I actually did look up the rating on gardenwatchdog before ordering. I knew that some companies offered those really great deals that didn't turn out to be so when the plants arrived. This company had a rating of 86% so I thought that was good enough. I ordered Asao clematis http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/32248/index.html.. My grandmother passed away 2 months ago and I decided to do a memorial garden in this little bed on the side of the house. Her favorite color was pink so I chose this and some pink spider lilies. I thought the spider lily foliage would keep the clematis roots cool. I knew it probably wouldn't bloom this year, but I bought some 50 cent clematis last year at Kmart that bloomed last year and much more this year so I thought surely for the price I was paying I would get blooms this year. I built a bamboo trellis to cover the wall and thought that this summer would get a good start. I'm so disappointed, but you live and learn. The roots look good as far as I know so I guess I'll just have to wait. I can't decide whether to get something else to try until these look better or see if there even going to look better or wait it out. I'm going to pot them up and see how it goes.
-Debbie! Those are awesome plants!! That's way better than I expected! I'm going to check out their website now to see what they've got.
Thanks for the info everyone. I just had no idea what to expect with this type of plant with mail order. I've ordered plants 2 times now online and have not been happy either time. The first company was very reputable and this one so -so, but it's so tempting with all the varities to choose from! I'm hoping for good mail order success soon!!
edited to add: oh my gosh! I just visited the silver star website! Someone grab the credit card.....they have some beautiful plants!
This message was edited May 13, 2006 11:28 PM