They were full price, the same price as the good-looking clematis cultivars there. That's why I was suspicious. I bought one that day that's really pretty: Phyllis Diller. I haven't taken any photos of mine, but here's a link to COTW's page. It's not exactly new (introduced in 2006 in New Zealand), but I've never seen it here before.

http://www.clematis.hull.ac.uk...

I'd buy it as well, Zuzu, since I was a fan of hers from very long ago. (Makes me feel like an antique.)

So was I, Arlene.

Double drat!
I have a clematis dilemma--please help--
the problem

I am redoing the porch gardens and relocating the current residents. Ordered plants are coming soon but I have yet to pull everything out because I thought it was still winter. Yesterday I was cutting back the monster Yuccas and putting them 'on notice' and I discovered that the clems were no longer dormant---uh-oh!
The plan was to move them before they woke up (there are two--one on each side of the porch)--but this area is earlier than the other parts of my yard where I intend to relocate them to.

So the questions are
Should I dig out the porch clems now and put them in containers until I can get their new holes ready? Or is it better to leave them be and just cut them way back when I move them into their new spots?
Should I dig out the clems that are still dormant now (which I am going to put into the new porch gardens) and put them in containers until I get the porch mess cleared out?
Or should I leave everyone be and do it all when I planned to do it--about a month from now when I have vacation?

My vote is to pot them all of them up and get the problem off your mind. They are survivors.

What is that clematis, dirt?

The clematis have also started to wake up here dirt. I have Ernest Markham and Dr. Ruppel that were left outside all winter in pots, and had planned planting them while they were dormant.

Today I trimmed most of my plants, and noticed that the 2 potted plants made it fine through our crazy winter, and were leafing out.

I need to know if Ernest Markham is in pruning group 2 or 3? I searched several sites that have it listed in both groups. I've already pruned it to half the size it was previously.

well...if I can get home from work early enough I can do the dormant clems--they're younger, too, so it won't be so intensive--but holy cow that west side yucca that I just now cut back is a little too close for comfort and it looks like I am going to have to extract them simultaneously and it's probably going to have to wait until next weekend. Egads the trouble I cause myself when hatching plans (and ordering plants) in the middle of winter

Debra--I'm pretty sure it is Durandi, they came without tags. But whatever it is, it is awesome. Starts blooming around the end of May and just keeps on until it rests a bit if August is brutally hot, then picks up again til it freezes. The flowers get smaller though as the season progresses, and it has no climbing ability whatsoever. That drives me crazy in this location by the porch, so I am going to put them where they can sprawl and spill to their hearts' content

http://www.gardenvines.com/cle...

Ernest Markham is presented by Brushwood as pruning group 2 - 3 so that adds to your confusion, Annette. I cut mine back every spring if that's of any help.

Arlene, thanks for your help. I'll put it on my group 3 list.

I've been done in again by our landscape guys. They mow our lawn, and edge the grass, and they blow the leaves during the winter. I take care of all the plants in the beds. I have to beg them to cut the roses back during the winter. Today I found, for reasons unknown, one of them trimmed my Pink Champagne to about 8 inches😡😡😡😡.

This is the 2nd time that this has happened with Pink Champagne. Several years ago, while trimming the grass, they cut my Patricia Ann Fretwell to 2 inches, in the middle of the growing season

They didn't touch any of the other clematis. I guess I'll watch this plant struggle to bloom again this year.

Thank you, dirt. I killed my Daniel Deronda, but Durandi looks to be a similar deep color and one to keep in mind for later.

Landscape crews can decimate plants. I won't let ours touch a single plant and I think that makes them happier than if they cut the wrong plants down.

Don't fret about Fretwell or Pink Champagne. Many people cut all but Class 1 clematises back hard every few years. They will still bloom even if it's a later bloom time than normal. They'll probably reward you with vigorous growth.

The discrepancy between Class 2 and 3 is not earth shattering. Some cut those varieties (like Niobe and Ernest Markham) back by half after bloom while others cut them down to the earth in February. My Niobe crept behind the trellis that I can't move so not much cutting goes on with that one. Compost, Epsom Salt, manure and sunshine must matter more to them since they always bloom for me. And what could be easier for you to remember than CEMS?

LOL Arlene😅 you're right, that's very easy to remember!

The pruning is all done here, so I'll start fertilizing tomorrow. I bought two 50 lb bags of Black Kow last week from Lowes, and I already have the ES, so I'm good to go. We have a lot of rain in the forecast, starting on Tuesday, which should give the plants a nice jump start.

Great job. I did so many in December that I can't have many left to prune.

Clematises react well to warm springs, not cold ones.

The plants have all been fertilized with composted manure, Azomite and Epsom Salt. We have rain predicted everyday this week through Saturday, which should give the emerging plants a good soaking to get them going.

Yesterday, I moved Fragrant Spring from my hill where it wasn't thriving, to a trellis, that has rose Aloha on the other side. Today I decided to move Mrs. Cholmondeley further back in the bed, and wow, I had a time digging out the root of Mrs. C.
Tomorrow, I need to move Otto Froebel to my new garden bed.

C. Mrs. Cholmondeley roots.

When a friend gave me this Rooguchi, I couldn't believe the size of the roots!


Chickity Doo Doo is so lightweight and so easy to sprinkle at the base of clematises during the season.

Arlene, those roots are HUGE! Where do you get the Chickity Doo Doo, I haven't seen it here in GA? I tend to use the Black Kow.

Enormous! They were a feast for my eyes.

It's available in big bags from Lowe's and probably other big box stores but I didn't check on it elsewhere. Google your favorite spot to find it. In the past I used the heavy 40 pound bags of wet manure but they just became too heavy and too awkward (and unnecessarily hard on my back) as the years passed. I lucked out by finding the very lightweight granulated manure (at my local Agway) to be so easy to use.

Here's the locator - just enter your zip code:
http://www.chickitydoodoo.com/...

Arlene, thanks for the link. It's not carried by our Lowes. The closest place is 27 miles away, in north GA, and the only distributor within 75 miles.

How old was the Rooguchi plant that you received?