I love the way they pack their clems. I used the rubber band to tie the tag on the stick to soak them. Great way not to worry about mixing them up

I was hoping the tags would show. They have some new ones
Burning Love
Sugar Sweet Blue
And then I had to try Omoshiro one more time
Got 2 Arabellas because they are just the best!
And finally Texensis which I was on the waiting list for about 2 years! That is what prompted the order. I order 6 for the shipping....yes I have a clemaddiction

That's a very exciting order!

Oh, Anna, I'm so jealous...
I got Omoshiro from them in the spring and it put out another bloom...one bloom at a time every few months.

Anna - lovely order! I do love Brushwood's clematises and Omoshiro is my obvious favorite: now I have three of them but have the feeling I may need more. You make Arabella too tempting!

Betsy - you might want to try adding about 4" of manure at the base, then top it with 4" of the long pine needles or pine mulch and water it well. Clematises thrive on compost so use it, in addition to the manure, if you have it.

Is pine mulch better than regular mulch?

My preference is the crushed long needled pine but many people can't get it. Any type of mulch works fine. Just don't skimp on putting it on thickly. It's helping to insulate the roots so you want a nice thick cover.

I thought maybe because of the acid content.
I do like the texture more than other mulches. ...I am the crazy lady who collects them when I walk my dog

Our soil here is on the acid side. There are many conflicting reports as to whether clematises prefer acid, alkaline or neutral soil, but from my first clematis planting in '92 I've used a chunk of cement in the hole (to hopefully get the soil more alkaline) and they grow fine. I do not get crazy with pH measurements and I do use the long needled pine (hurray for you collecting it) because it's just so easy to lift it up to add more manure/compost/food/Epsom salt drinks. I can't do that with other mulches.

Today I had to lift two Reiman clematises so the feet of the workers, who will be installing new deer fencing, wouldn't harm the clematis. It's just left of the garden gate that was installed in 2009, the same year I received the clem's, and the posts were set in cement. I was fascinated to see the roots of both clem's went to the cement - not to all the good rich soil (lots of compost there) around it.

That is really interesting! Love the gate and rock markers too.

Thanks.

Today I have to unearth two Rituaal and may buy a small arbor/trellis for it to keep it safe. Now there are the eternally spreading Lily of the Valley in the area and I know how difficult it is to remove every single piece of them. Last week I removed 40 pounds of them from another area. Why can't our favorite plants spread that well?

That is the eternal woeful gardening question.....40 lbs!

Yesterday was another 40 pound bag. My right arm aches. The soil there is now so soft and fluffy (like Martha Stewart's description of soil that resembles chocolate cake mix) that I just may plant daffodils that I dug up in June. I only found one Rituaal but may have accidentally torn off the other stem in error. It's a group 3 so it should return.