These are small starter plants. They were propagated and distributed by Donahue's nursery. They all are very healthy and have good roots for their size. The vines are cut back, and this is the correct way to handle young Clematis plants.

Pot each of them into 1 gallon pot and keep potted till this fall. Each new shoot has to be pinched 2-3 times (that what is Bluestone Perennials did already). This will stimulate root growth and help you to achieve a bushier shape of the plant. If you will not do this, you will get a couple of leggy vines and weak roots.

Plant them in the garden when the gallon pots will be filled with roots. Should be in September/October.

Keep pinching new growth next two/three years.

If you will buy a Clematis from Garden Crossings, it will not need to be nursed till fall. It can go directly to the ground.

You can also buy these baby Clematis directly from Donahue's, but the price will be higher than at Blustone.

alina: When I put these into the larger pots, should I plant them 1 or so inch deeper in the new pot? I have Promix BX which is a seed starter/potting mix, will this be okay to use or something else?
They also sent some fertilizer(round pellet) but I assumed that would be only for when they go in the ground?

Julia

Yes, planting them deeper is recommended. 1 gallon pot usually allows to plant about 2" deeper than they were in their original pots. When you will plant them in the garden, the crown should be about 3-5" below the surface.

Do not add any fertilizer at the planting time! Only when plants are well established. You can add some bone meal though. Seed starter mix is not suitable for plants - id does not contain any nutrients. Buy any good potting mix.

I agree with everything alina_1 advised.

I would only add that typical potting mix contains no nutrients either :-) Unless you use something like MiracleGro potting mix that has a fertilizer mixed in. Anything grown in a container will need fertilizer, new plant or not. You can use the bone meal if you like but I prefer to use a small amount of slow release fertilizer, like Osmocote. This will last until planting and continue to nourish the vine until you can get it in the ground in fall.

I got them all repotted and used the MG Potting Mix. Walmart was a zoo today but I wasn't leaving till I got my bags LOL.

My concern about the one clematis was all for nothing. When I removed it from its pot, there were alot of roots. Same with the others.

Since they are now in bigger pots and exposed to the outdoors, would it be better to put some mulch on the top of the pots and also surround the pots with mulch to keep the pots cooler? We are having high temps (80's) and it seems we will stay this way for the extended forecast along with our daily thunderstorms.

Thank you all for the help.

Julia

I always put a little mulch in any potted plant. Not only does it keep things I little cooler and moister, it keeps heavy rains from splashing the dirt all over the place.

BTW, any Bluestone clem I received, I planted directly in the ground and they took right off. They even flowered. =)

I agree, mulch them. I mulch my potted plants with compost. I also keep potted perennials in dappled shade, even the sun loving ones.

Thanks. I'll have to do it tomorrow.

Julia

I would like to say something and I ask.... please do not feel like I want to insult anyone or say their advice it bad. I just would like to add another choice.

This is from experience of trying to pot clematis and plant in the Fall. I was not experienced and either under watered or over watered. I ended up with dead no show plants the following year.

These days now that I am an experience gardener. If I have a young mail order plant. I mix up some compost with Miracle gro garden soil add some slow release fert in a big bucket... dig out the native soil...fill with my good stuff and plant in the garden. I water the gardens the young plant is not stressed with to much water or to little water in a pot.

If they have good roots you can plant in good soil in the garden now there is no disturbance of good roots if we have a early winter and it does not have time to adjust and settle in for a long winter if you plant them in Sept.

What works for one will not work for all. The fact is that these smaller plants need more attention. If you are able to give them that attention when you plant them in the garden that will work for you. Most of us can give containers that are grouped together better care. The mix used in containers should drain well enough that it is almost impossible to over water them.

I planted my clematis from Bluestone in the ground. It's growimg like crazy. It's getting ready to bloom. It's been planted about 4 weeks. I don't think it's necessary to pamper clematis plants. They are pretty tough.

I appreciate all the advice. I do not doubt that if I planted these straight away, they would do just fine however
I'm not finished with the new planting bed since the rain never seems to stop for more than a day. I need to take my time and do this project right.
Nothing worse than hurrying to complete and find mistakes and have to redo things. I also have to get several items to have these climb on and like most times,
I've changed my mind as to what I want to see and who should climb with whom ;-). Need to keep those type 2's and 3's in mind.

Lesson learned for me. Do all your new beds in the fall because you just never know what mother nature will do the following season.

Your all wonderful for posting and giving a newbie like me help. I sincerely appreciate it.

Julia

Julia, I do not know what your weather is like in your area. I have some crazy swing temps.in the Fall. The reason the online nursery run the sales now is because they know for perennials Spring is the best time to plant.

The year I tried to grow some small plants in pots that summer we had 95 degree heat in May like we are now and we had 6" of snow for Halloween. It was a crazy year. Plants in well drained soil in 95 degree heat need water at least twice a day since we were not having any rain. The plants were so stressed by the time I got them planted they did not survive the early winter weather.

Good Luck with your new gardens. That is the fun of gardening learning what works in your zone and what will be a disaster. If they do not survive we crazy gardener will buy them again the following year. LOL I do not mind losing plants if they are not rare and you can buy them again. It is a good garden lesson.