I am wondering if anyone else ordered any of the clematis through the specials offered through the Marketplace by Koi Garden a couple of months ago. If so, have you received your order yet?
I was told at the time of my order that I would receive the shipment in early May, but I haven't gotten it yet or received any notice that it has been shipped. I have sent a couple of emails to Perry Post requesting possible shipment date but have not received a response. Should I be worried? Koi Garden had good reviews but the lack of response to my emails bothers me.
Koi Garden Specials
Carolyn, I received an e-mail message today with a tracking number for my shipment from Koi, so don't worry.
Carolyn,
Please don't be worried..... I know that Jerome is very, very busy. He is in the process of getting his sister on board as a distributor and she lives in South Dakota. He is also in the process of sending out clems and other plants from the 2 co ops that were run, not to mention Marketplace and Twitter- my understanding is that it was some 200 + orders
One other thing - his daughter is quite young and I know that on Sundays - he does no work and the entire day is devoted to her.
If you would like, I can send him an email - but I am sure that he will respond - His DG name is PerryPost.
I'm waiting for mine also, but am not worried about it.
Hello Everybody, thought I better jump in here and let everybody know what is going on.
One word. Swamped. All the clematis arrived in two shipments, the last week in April, and the first week in May. Now that the clematis are here, I'm looking at 200+ packages to ship out.
Last week I hired my niece, Adrianna, to help get it under control. We shipped a big load last week.
Mon, Tues, Wed Adri will be packaging and pulling orders solo while I'm at my part time job (that job ends the last week in May, and then I'll be 100% KGC again.)
To add to the chaos, geraniums and grasses and other miscellaneous items have been shipped to my sister in SD who wants to take over the shipping operations. There are definitely some growing pains involved.
Emails: Guilty as charged. I try to scan for "important" issues every day or two, but some get missed. I try to get the emails completely up to date at least once a week or week and a half. The primary mission now, however, is to get the vast majority of these plants to their owners.
I am behind.
I am overwhelmed.
If you're mad, I understand.
If you have an email in cue, I will get to it.
If you can continue to be patient through the next 2-3 weeks, it would be greatly appreciated.
If not, a refund will be given, but it may be after this May insanity. I hope you understand.
Perry Jerome Post
Hey Jerome..hugzzzzz hon ..sowwy you are so unindated..hope life mellows out for you...Please respond to my email about "Betty RIsdon" and what you have available so I can buy MORE clematis..hugzzzzzzzzz...Jeanne
Sorry Jeanne, lost about 8 of those. They seem extremely temperamental to cold and damp, both of which we have had an excess of here this April. Bluebird is sold out on them, and I don't know off hand who else might carry them. Maybe next season? Jerome
Everyone,
Thank you so much for the reassurances.
Jerome, please forgive me for creating a stir. I completely understand being swamped and I am sorry that I added further to that. I was just getting a little nervous not having heard anything. Thank you for letting us know what is going on.
Finally, I just want to tell everyone that I am pretty much a lurker here but I have learned so much from this forum. I really appreciate having knowledgeable folks who are willing to share both knowledge and experience to make it easier for us relative newbies. I now have about 15 clematis and all but one are doing well right now. Thanks again.
Carolyn_K
Carolyn, no worries... you didn't create a stir. Bringing it up among friends was the right choice because it let Jerome know folks were concerned. I'm sure there were others who were wondering too, and now Jerome had a chance to respond to everyone at once.
Thank you to Carolyn and to Jerome! I was getting concerned as well.
If a particular cultivar isn't available will we have the opportunity to substitute from a list that you'll provide, Jerome?
my koi order came promptly and the little liners were all in good health and un damaged from shipping.
Yes Pirl, but at this point I would really prefer to ship what I have on hand and then go back and fix issues to peoples' satisfaction. I know it doesn't make business sense to do two shipments when one could be finagled, but do you ever get that feeling the wolves are starting to circle?
At this point there are only 2 known issues. Josephine was canceled on me again this year, and Betty Risdon is currently sold out at Bluebird Nursery.
BTW, Adri is in the basement/backyard packaging furiously with a friend of hers, and I switched today for another at work. Time to address this pile of emails...
Jerome
Mine arrived today, all looking great. Thank you, Jerome.
Thank you, so much, Jerome! Since I didn't order either of the two you mentioned I can get excited over the package to come!
Keep those wolves away!
I received my order today!!! Everything looked healthy and beautiful. I had ordered Josephine but see that it was canceled. I will patiently wait for further information on what we will do about that one. Now, I can hardly wait for the week-end so I can pot these and let those root systems develop.
Thanks again everyone.
Carolyn_K
carolyn k..good for you to pot up these little ones and let them develop before planting out. i did plant mine out, so will probably lose some. i am not really set up to grow on in containers, but should be.
folks planting out little liners and losing them gives clems a bad reputation as hard to grow and that is part of the whole business issue with clems. little liners should come with directions to pot up until fully rooted out, esp for someone inexperienced with clems. and to prune back any growth over a few inches on any clem before transplanting or setting out in to the garden. (of course maybe they do, sometimes i do not read directions...)
my clem guru, Mary Toomey from dublin, ireland says that little liners being sold to consumers is a big problem that hurts the furthering of clems as a popular choice for gardens.
so good for you to take the time to do this, establish the plant and then go to the next step!
Got notice that mine are coming and I am very appreciative of your instructions ClematisGuru!!
Thanks
Teri
thanks roses..... i have made so many mistakes with so many clems over so many years, i am glad to have any info helpful to anyone. have killed my fair share for sure.
bet you have some nice roses?
I got my first clematis last year. I bought them from Lowes and I put them in bigger pots ,,,all but 3. I planted them in a pot with another plant. The 3 I put in pots have just bloomed and are beautiful. Do I prune those back now after they have bloomed ? They are in group 2 according to what I have read on the internet.I placed an order with Jerome for 7, now that I saw how beautiful they are, but I ordered group 3 ,,, all but Josephine.
Jana..are you going to leave those in pots?..or are you going to plant directly into the ground now that you have grown them out?..Jeanne
jana, unless things are different in tx than here, i would prune back and put in ground, unless you plant to continue in containers as i know many folks do with good success. esp in your climate i am sure.
Jeanne, I hadn't thought about planting them in the ground but that would be ok. It just happened that the plants I put them with were in large pots and I had plenty of room for these tiny ones.
Guru ( sorry I don't know your name) I will prune them tomorrow, thanks. Is there a reason to put them directly in the ground ? Is it better for them ?
hi jana. my dame is deborah.
actually, if you are not sure where you want them , or are not sure about preparing the ground and providing support to the clem, it is better for them to be in pots. long term, ion my opinion, it is better for them to be in ground, but they can go years in containers. whether in pots or containers, clems need it to be right. and tiny "liner" clems will have a better survival rate in pots. 8 years ago , when i first got into clems, i had most of them in pots for 2 years. by then i was putting others in the ground as i had figured out where i wanted them and gotten brave enough to go for it.
at that point i put them in the ground and have not really grown any in pots since for more than a few months. i usually buy the biggest roots i can find in the variety i am ordering and set them right out. this year i also have a good number of smaller clems out there to take care of, and i recognize, again, how much more work the littel roots are in more frequent watering and watching needed.
hope this answers your question...containers are fine if it is your best choice. many well known collectors have build huge gardens of clems all in containers.
Jana..If you are vigilent and keep them watered so they stay moist you can plant them directly in the ground..I bought 20 from Jerome during his fall sale in '2007 and planted them directly along my Clematis wall..they were AWESOME come that Spring as they had grown beautiful roots all winter because our winters are so wet with all the rains..Jeanne
Thank you both, Jeanne and Deborah. Before these bloomed, I had never seen a clemetis.
I had no idea they were so beautiful. Can't wait for mine to arrive from Jerome. I read his post about Josephine and also know he is swamped
so am trying to be patient *^&%$%%*# rats !!!!
jana
KOI has d mail from me about missing items
He has several messages from me. I hate to be public about this Jerome, but I need to hear from you.
You should be public about it. He took on the business and should be meeting his obligations.
From every thing I have read recently, I wouldn't order from him.
Sorry if that offends anyone, but................
In his posts above Jerome has said he is swamped and has people working furiously to get orders out. What more can we ask of him? If he takes time out to respond to all the emails then he falls further behind.
We'd all like to be first on the list for a package or an email but it's not the way life seems to work. Let's all try to be a bit more patient.
julia jayne, i share your pov (point of view)
i had great service from them, ordering and receiving everything i ordered within 2 weeks, just a couple of weeks ago. nice little liners. there are obviously consistency issues with the business. but if someone is going to have a business they need a business model that allows for service even on little 6$ plants. or they should tell you right up front on the website or order process letting you know you are getting a little liner that will require potting up and care to reach garden stage and that they can not call you back or e mail you regarding your order and that delivery may be delayed.
i think for 6$, if all the liners are as nice as the ones i got, people could accept that if it were right up front on the site or order process.
when you shop at an outlet you do not expect the same type of service as at the gucci store.
The Clematis liners I received from Jerome were great. I potted all of mine up in 1 gallon containers. I like to grow out their roots for 6 months prior to planting them in my garden. I have always been very happy with the baby plants that I have received from him. Don't forget that he is an individual who is selling Clematis. He does not have a retail store that I'm aware of. Also, you placed your order during a very busy time of the year when everyone is buying plants. He will respond, but please be patient.
JJ -
You are free to order from whomever you want - it is your perogative. Not sure where you ordered from - I know his website shows the size of the plants that you will recieve from him. Also, in the interest thread to the co op - I included pictures http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/944799/
I have ordered from Jerome in the past and although you are receiving these 'little liners', the root systems on these plants are bigger than some of the root systems I have received from nurseries that are selling at a premium price and shipping in a larger container - which just adds to your shipping costs.
I have been more than thrilled in the past by the clems I have recieved from Jerome. Couple that with a 2 year guarantee, I don't see how one can go wrong.
I sent him another dmail this morning telling him that people were getting upset - If I do not hear from him in the next day or so, I will give him a call (I do not currently have his phone number).
Carolyn
shirley, i know i said i was going to pot them up, but i planted them out. i am really on duty here and will take care of them, so decided to avoid the pot stage. i will have a good success with them, but when people throw them out into the garden....ohhh no.
that said, patience is the lead variable with the small clems, isn't it?
Carolyn..I TOTALLY agree with you...Jerome's "liner plants" are better rooted than those you get at your Lowe's or Home Depot from Roseville..I have been very pleased with Jerome's clematis that I've bought from his these past three years...I, probably moreso than others know the ordeal that he has gone through to acquire his new business and what happened with his clematis last winter and the rats...he is getting his bearing in the Clematis world and ALWAYS guarantees and replaces clematis..I can't name one other person besides Dan ,Maurice and GardenCrossings that are so wonderful about their plants and YES his are an excellent price and the shipping isn't bad either...he is married with a baby and has a parttime job that he had to take to make ends meet and that job will be done the end of this month and has hired his niece to assist with the huge amount of orders he has to process...I am giving him much leeway as he is an honest person and very caring...He has gone above and beyond what is expected to please people...He is getting his greenhouses ready for next year and working very hard to make this a success as he truly wants to do well...JMTCW...Jeanne
I ordered 5 and received 4 last week along with a handwritten note that the fifth will be sent later - that's fine with me. These are not clems that I need to perform right away - I'll order those beauties from Silver Star Vinery - but I can grow these out and see how they do in a year or so. For the price, I think the service has been fine and I'm tired of planting stuff anyway - I can wait awhile for the remainder of the order!
I just got a partial order today. I have an awful lot more to come but I'm a bit relieved & will be more patient. I'm swamped with things to plant too. Things could be worse.
Just wanted to say that I potted up my liners this past weekend and was pleasantly surprised by the root system on them- large, considering the small container they were in and even more so the price. I was very pleased. I will order from Jerome again.
I wish all the best for Jerome, I really do, but business is business. If I can get liners mail ordered from one place within a few days, but have to wait weeks to get them from some other place, I'm going to choose the nursery that sends their orders out immediately. That said, I always check out the stock at the locally owned nurseries first, then to the local big box stores.
i do not understand why i got such prompt and perfect service from koi, knowing that others are struggling to even get an answer. that seems odd to me, even tho it was good to be on that end of the consistency stick.
perhaps selling 6 $ clems is not a sustainable business model or one thought through in terms of what a business requires, besides a guarantee.
his personal issues and opportunity aside, which seem to be well known to other forum participants, not getting back to people and partial shipments with no explanation does not make sense.
if it were possible to sustain business selling the small liners at 6 $ maybe donahues would charge 6 vs 10 as they are very competitive, and give great customer service.
he has to bench mark to the places selling a comparable product, and compete with them on other critical success factors, not just on price, to stay in business.
benchmarking to the service level of ssv and other clem specialty places is not necessary, just to the direct competitors in the little liner trade.
to me it is an interesting business story to follow and see the outcome over the years and how they find their way. in a competitive business climate personal issues don't cut you any slack, and low price does not guarantee success.
I received my partial Clematis order the other day from Koi Gardens. There was a note on the packing slip that my other Clematis will be shipped at a later date. That's fine with me! I have enough plants to keep me busy for a while! I immediately unpacked them and gave them water. I'll pot them up in a 1 gallon container this weekend.