Has Anyone Received Their Order from Chalk Hill?

i agree, best not to disturb till re hydrated.

you will love little nell if you do not have it already, a true favorite of mine.
veronicas choice was very hard to establish for me , just a thin stem, i could not encourage any new shoots over 3 years of keeping it alive but barely....only a few blooms. finally disappeared for good a couple of years ago. the few blooms i had were beautiful, but i don't know if i would try another one.

clems must be easy compared to grooming rough collies!

Question: When I get mine on Wednesday I do not have my trellis made yet and will not have it until 2 more weeks, this is my plan: I will pl;ant it in a large pot and put it in the ground until I get my trellis up than I will move it in place. What is your feed back on this?

I am hoping that this will work out.

Janet,

I have Clematis Hendryetta and just love it. I love the clems that have the bell shaped flowers. Here is a picture of mine - this year was her second year. She is a non clinging clem, however I did not need to tie her into the obelisk. I also love her color - she teams up well with Sunny Blue Border veronica at her feet..

Good luck to you.
Carolyn

carolyn, is that monkshod (aconitum) behind the herbaceous clem?

golden eagle,
will there be harm from putting your clem right in the ground and positioning your trellis behind it a bit later or even next spring?

the clem can be 6 to 12 inches away from the trellis. getting it the ground and letting it start to establish vs planning to move it has advantages.

niobe,

No, it isn't monkshood although that would be very pretty. Behind the clem is Rudebeckia Herbstonne and Carolina Lupines. The Carolina Lupines I pulled out this yea as they were taking over - I put a blue butterfly bush in next to the clem. The R. Herbstonne flowers at a different time of year than the clem so they stay.

Carolyn:

Thanks for sharing the picture. These are my first other than a dying clem from Kmart, so I'm very excited about the future for them.

Golden Eagle, I'm putting in a trellis but not until next year, so I already put in my base pole so I won't have to distroy any roots next year. Can you get you support beams in now then plant your clems???

Niobe: brushing the collies is nothing compared to gardening. I love the brushing as it is a great stress reliever for me. At least I know what the end result is after removing all the old coat, where as I'm learning from gardening it isn't always as easy to know how the plant will do. Although I will say that since starting my new flower beds this year and then getting sick, that all the planning I did before hand (type of soil, and deciding to go with raised beds) really has paid off, my new beds were negated for over a month and they have manage to do very well. Which has thrilled me to no end.

Janet

My trellis is all one unit, when I put it in it will all be there for it to claim.

I am hoping that this is going to work out. You don't think that I would be able to move it in place in 2 weeks, without hurting it?

goldeneagle: I guess I was thinking it might be longer before you put it up... which is my case, I won't have the rest of mine up until next spring. niobe will know for sure.......

Janet

i vote for getting the plants in the ground asap, and then carefully positioning the trellis next spring, about 8 to 12 inches behind the clems. no harm in putting the trellis in this fall, but there will be no need for it till the spring, although theoretically it may help hold some leaves and mulch around the plants for winter protection.
the extra couple of weeks in the ground this time of year are important to the clem getting some establishment before complete dormancy sets in.

I noticed I have new growth on two of mine, is this ok, they were going dormant as they came from the north, will this cause problems? They look so good with the new growth but I am worried... any advice? Thanks!!

HOORAY!!! My order arrived yesterday! The FedEx man was just "thrilled" to carry all those boxes to my front porch. I immediately started unpacking them and the majority looked quite good. I set them all in the shade and gave them a good long drink of water. One plant looked a bit sad. Perhaps, it was going into dormancy, but all the others had green healthy leaves. The only one I'm really concerned with is "Tentel", because it was very small. I plan to pot it up into a 1 gallon container with well amended soil and over winter it to increase it's root system.

For those of you worried about planting your Clems, Chalk Hill Nursery included very good planting directions. I know I'll be very busy this weekend digging & planting.

GardeningNC: Cut back the foliage going into dormancy, which will cause all the plant's energy to be directed to its root system. Plant according to the directions in well amended soil, mulch and water.

I received an Email from Chalkhill that my order will be delivered on Oct 20th~!!..Then the next day got an email that a few didn't look so good when they got ready to package them so they credited my credit card for $94.00..can't wait to see what I end up with...Hugzzzzz to everyone...Jeanne

Jeanne, Just wondering if your order arrived? Mine is suppose to be delivered tomorrow. Of course I'm off today, wishing it would arrive a day early but no such luck. Give us a shout when yours arrive.
Arlene

I finally received mine on last friday,I also received an email say they refunde my second order because plants were not good enough to send. I appreciated that, They credited my card for the two they could not send, Niobe and Victor Hugo.

I have emailed them for a refund on one plant that was a sub for Ladybird Johnson, it looks half dead, and is less than two inches of plant above the dirt. The other three looked fine but were only 6 or 7 inches tall. they looked nothing like Goldfinch4's that is posted in this forum. I understand that they trim back plants before sending but Abundance was the sub for Lady bird Has only two or thre leaves and most are brown and dead. I am not trying to down Chalk Hill I am Just saying I am very disapointed in my Clematis I was excited to get them and now I wish I had never ordered them , quite a let down for me.

I hope everyone elses orders were better than mine.

Tim

Tim, I know it's disappointing to get small plants but really it's all about the root system. Did you plant directly in the ground or are you wintering them over in pots? I bought 14 last year when Koi Gardens had their big sale. All were potted up in gallon pots and where finally planted out this year. They were very small when I received them but when I planted them out this spring and fall the root systems were huge. I just have one recommendation, I've never been a fan for the potting media Chalk Hill used. I always remove them from the pots and replant them in compost and potting mix. Good luck with your plants.
Arlene

cattjovi,
Thanks for your response I am trying to decide what to do with them. I received some clems from another mail order company in the spring and thanks to this forum I put them in gallon sized pots over summer and then planted them a few weeks ago.
They did have alot bigger root system. I offered to send the one back to chalk hill if they want me to. I really do not think it will live, but i could be wrong. I know chalk hill received my email just waiting for response then I will decide what to do.

Thanks for understanding, Tim

Tim

of the 3 clems I received from chalkhill, 2 of them had fair root systems and 1 barely had a root system. I had planned on planting them into the 1 gallon pots and then burying the pots in the ground anyway. I think the 2 will be fine, the other I am not so sure about, but I guess we will see. Also, I should mention that I put them into potting mix with some bone meal in the bottom of the pot. I am not a big fan of chalkhills potting mixture either.

I have to say though, that I had received several clems from Chalk Hill this past Spring. The ones I recieved this past spring definitely had better root systems on them than the clems I received from them this fall.

I have not ordered yet from Silver Star vinery, so I cannot comment however I have only heard glowing reports. I have ordered from several other nurseries that specialize in clems in the past and Joy Creek is probably my favorite. In the future, I will have to give Silver Star a try and will also be ordering from Joy Creek.

Carolyn

Carolyn,
I have never heard of Joy Creek but will be looking for them. I will probably plant these in gallon pots and baby them for the winter and hope for the best.

Chalk Hill did respond to my email.They are crediting my credit card for the clematis they sent as a sub that did not look to good. They advised me to go ahead and plant it and it will probably flourish. They are probably right, since they have years of expierence behind them.

Tim

Tim, I'm sure your plants will grow and I'm glad Carolyn mentioned the bone meal in the bottom of your hole. Forgot to tell you that earlier. I 've only lost one clematis ever from Chalk Hill, my Fujimusume I received last fall. I didn't replace their planting media and I had it wintering over on my deck. It had small growth and was maintaining and than all of a sudden it died back. This didn't alarm me at first because I've had clematis do this before. After a month I was concerned and unpotted to examine the root system. Once I unpotted the plant and went through their potting media I was sad to discover I had no roots, no crown, nothing. I was too late. Nothing to re pot or even attempt to save. I have about 70 clematis and this was my first fatality. Live and learn I guess. My plants should arrive tomorrow from Chalk Hill. I'll report once I get home from work.
Happy gardening,
Arlene

I just got my order..5 boxes! Must be 2, to each box. I haven't opened them yet..it is nice and cool, they may have to wait until the morning.

All the talk about substitutions made me go a head and open the boxes....out of the three that I ordered..(others are for rosethyme) I got 1, that I ordered..as subs. they sent me 2 Pistachios instead of one...and the Clem. I really wanted, the Pastel Blue Integrifolia, they sent me Nakueri, which I already have...


Does anyone grow the Pastel Blue, that I can get cuttings from, please?
Substitutions for Karen are Maidwell, and Harlow Carr, and another Hakueri...

This message was edited Oct 20, 2008 11:39 PM

I received my order yesterday and just opened them today at lunch. I was a little disappointed in the subs (2 of Harlow Carr & 1 Hakuree) mostly just because I got 2 of the same one...they're pretty cultivars though, so I'll get over it :-) Some plants were very green and at least 1' tall or better and some were very yellow...I assume they are just going dormant. I didn't take any out of the pots to look at the root systems.

We've already had 2 mild frosts and I noticed on the enclosed growing instructions that it said you could sink the entire container in the ground for the winter. Would there be enough drainage in the original pots or should I cut the bottoms out, if I end up needing to go that route? We have a lot of freeze/thaw thru the winter and sometimes it can be quite wet.

Well my box arrived today. Out of the seven I ordered I only received two. Florida Pistachio and Countess of Lovelace. I was given credit for Miniseelik, Teshio, Oonagare, Florida var. sieboldiana, and Florida var. flore-pleno. I requested no subs. Kinda disappointed that I only received two but I guess I should be happy I didn't received subs but I see a few in post that would have been alright. Oh well I guess they did their best. Jeanne, still anxious to see what your received. BTW, Pistachio has about two inches of growth showing and Lovelace less than a fourth of an inch. I'll unpot them tomorrow and see what the root system look like on both.
Arlene

I received my order today too, in a box looking suspiciously small for 10 plants. I was relieved to see it actually held two large plants. The other 8 were unavailable, so my card was credited for them.

On the upside, they paid attention to my "no substitutions" note. I checked the box and I said it again in the comments box, so they really had no choice.

They also saved me lots of time and effort, I guess, although I had 10 climbing roses ready to plant with them. I think the local nurseries are selling Clematis in 1-gallon containers now at half-price (about $6) and they'll be a lot bigger, so it's all working out fine for me.

sadie mae, others may have different advice on sinking the pot in the ground in our zone, but i do not advise this vs just planting the plant now.
the pot will have spaces around it where water will pool and freeze, the pot may heave upward in the winter and you will not notice. i vote for planting deeply immediately as the chalk hill instructions state...for non species cultivars plant several inches deeper than current soil line, plant a well hydrated root ball....clems are very hardy but do better planted. they will be growing next spring when temperatures are about like they are now, or even colder...so don't worry about the the temp. we still have enough hours of daylight and it is warm enough for them to settle in.
if you are really concerned about the temps, you can cover them at night for a few weeks when frost is forecast ( i don't do this, but i know some people that do)

Niobe, thanks for the info, in the ground they will go!
These are all Integrifolia, with the exceptions of 1 Flammula 'Pamela' and 1 Viorna 'Odoriba'...are these all considered species, to be planted at or just below the soil level?

I received mine 2 days ago out of 30 I got 7. I was a little disturbed they sent one plant alone!! I paid alot for that one! But although they look small ( top growth) I am hoping they will all survive. I think I would not do this again. I was not sure what I would receive and of course have no recourse if some die. the root system on a couple look very small. I have yet to check my charge card for the costs.
Julie

Julie I am really suprprised you only got 7 of yours. If you call their office and speak to Jennifer I am sure they will take care of you.

sadie mae, i think they are all cultivars, perhaps the flammula you ordered is a species. however, just check the root/ a typical spaghetti root is a cultivar and should go deep. clems with a finer root structure should not go as deep as the spaghetti root ones!
i put flammula in in the spring of this year and it promptly disappeared and has not re grown. however, i know it can still make a spring 09 appearance, so i water and treat as a living plant in the meantime.
i think it is not quite as hardy so i would give some winter extra protection perhaps after it settles in now. or plant in a more sheltered place if possible.
hope mine comes back, but this happens.....

Thanks Niobe, I'll be sure to check the roots.

I had ordered some from Koi Gardens earlier in the year and few of those quickly disappeared. I did keep watering them and noticed the other day that most have a tiny bit of regrowth coming on.

usually the clem will take a rest and come back. i don't give up for at least a couple of years, i keep the space marked and give it the same treatment as the plants as to watering, fertilizing etc.

All of mine that were available arrived, and the ones I kept are in the ground. Out of nine plants two were not available (Dominika and Beata). Not too upset about Dominika, but I really wanted Beata, sigh. I gave my SIL three of them. Most had good roots, but one was very skimpy. Less than the little pots from the big box stores. Still, in the ground it went. Can't wait to hear about everyone's experiences in the spring with these plants. The whole thing is still so sad. I don't know why CH closed, but they will be certainly be missed. On a happy note, a little piece of CH carries on in all of our gardens :-)