My Jackmanii started out that small from a similar kind of place 20 years ago and now it's a monster, but it took a while to get there.

I've had really really good luck potting up the tiny clems I've received from mail order into one gallon pots of good loose garden soil lightened up a bit with peat or whatever and sunk in one of my gardens. The following spring I find the pots full of roots, so I try to plant them in a permanent spot and they really take off.

Clematis seem to really like our climate and soil.

Soak your clematis roots overnight and then pot up in a 1/2 gallon-1gallon pot and sink the pot in the soil where you can remember to keep the soil moist at all times..then come the end of August..check the roots and if big enough plant into your garden..maybe someone that lives in such a cold zone as yours can pipe in on their ideal...I do this all the time but live in Texas where I can plant until mid November...Jeanne

I think I'll follow cnetter's advice since she (he??) is geographically close to me -- where are you, anyway, cnetter?

I've never done the sinking-a-pot thing. Should the pot's edge be flush with the soil, or should soil cover it over?

I'm about 3 miles south of Rocky Flats, which is west of Arvada, or a bit north of Golden. We tend to be a little bit colder than Denver.

I've done the sunken pot thing on hundreds of roses as well as many other things. I tend to put the pot flush with the soil, but have covered it up well with mulch or leaves when winter comes.

I just sunk the pots on my two new clems - Medley and Chinook.

Soaking the roots is vital regardless of which zone you are in and I agree with sinking the pots in the garden..I do it all the time...Jeanne

My infant Parasol is reclining in a bowl of water as I type. When I got her out of her package, I was impressed by the length of the healthy-looking roots, about 5", and the little bit of green showing at her top. Now to figure out where to sink the pot...

Cnetter, you're closer to the mountains than I am but you're in zone 5?! I figured you were out on the plains somewhere.

I used to put zone 4, but in the past decade my winters haven't gone much below -20 F so I changed it to zone 5.

I often soak the roots before planting. Sometimes, when I'm really really desperate, I'll soak the whole thing.
When I received my crunchy clem and very wilted clem from Blustone, I soaked the entire plant to rehydrate it. The wilty one totally recovered and is already three times the size it came (about 9 inches tall now). I was sure the crunchy one was totally dead, but I just noticed a new shoot coming from the ground.

Hmm, I'm going to have to look more closely at the zone parameters. My winters haven't gone anywhere near -20!

I looked at Medley and Chinook on COTW -- both of them very sweet, and I especially liked Chinook. Where'd you find them? I've never seen them mentioned before.

I love hearing about your resurrected crunchy and wilty clems. I'm starting to get it about how resilient they are. Part of their charm, isn't it? My Kiev has just delighted me -- for weeks all that showed was this chewed-off-looking pale bare nub. Totally unexciting. Then yesterday I discovered not one but several little shoots with leaves poking up near the nub. Yesss! My Ozawa's Blue has done pretty much the same thing, and it's producing leaves like gangbusters now, though still very short of stature (not that it will ever grow tall).

One last question about the Parasol: When I put it in the pot, should the green part get buried a couple of inches under, or should it stick up above the dirt?

You always want to plant Clematis deep so bury the crown a couple of inches under the soil. Take off any leaves that will be buried.

I got Medley and Chinook at O'Tooles on Wadsworth. I think it's near 94th. They had several of each last week.

Oh, interesting, cnetter... I was at that O'Toole's last week also, but not being familiar with those two, I'm sure I looked right past them.

As I've just returned from grocery shopping with a Ramona and a Pink Climador (*had* to stop by Lowe's on the way just to check the possibilities), and having bought a Cezanne in the last couple of days, I guess I'm not going to go after the Chinook right now.

I checked my zip code's hardiness zone on some website or other and it came up as 5-6 -- big surprise for me! So I'll have to experiment with some of the slightly more tender clems.

FYI, at the Costco on Wadsworth and 52nd, there are gorgeous Rosemoors in bloom, bursting with health and covered with buds -- $12.99 for a *2-gal* pot! The only reason I didn't come home with one of those was that I wanted to research them first. I'll probably be heading back in that direction very soon. Lord help me...help me find places to plant all these so I can get some more.

If I were you, I'd snag up on those intregrifolias cnetter got! Those are not very common, at least not around here & that is an excellent price! They are small & you can fit them just about anywhere & the intregrifolias have the longest bloom times. Let them grow like ground covers, let them fall into/on to shrubs, anything you want to cover the 'legs' up on something, or put them in a small obelisk. Sorry, if it was me, they'd be mine.

Oh, lalaland, you are tempting me into ever deeper madness... After I wrote my last post here, a neighbor reminded me of a local nursery I'd forgotten about, so of course I had to swing by there immediately. They didn't have a whole lot, but what they did have was interesting -- a sweet little blooming integrifolia called Mongolian Bells that I couldn't resist, and also some Duchess of Albanys. I already have one, but I think I planted her in not enough sun, so I bought another to put somewhere sunnier (where, I don't know). I imagine I'll find myself on the road to Costco tomorrow to pick up a Rosemoor, and now I have to go get more integrifolias too??!! Well, yeah, I probably do.

Where are you located, lala?

Go for the madness! It takes too long for these beauties to get established...the quicker the merrier! BUT, leave a few spots for the new cultivars that you will need to have in the future. Mongolian Bells rocks! I would be a proud owner of that one too! Yes, more intregrifolias! They are so easy to fit in! Not sure what your existing landscape is like & maybe you can't, but I highly doubt it.

Please don't take this in the wrong way & a lot of people do it including myself, so that is why I'm saying it...you don't need more than 1 of anything. I'd return the Duchess & spend the $ on the Rosemoor &/or the intregrifolias. If the Duchess needs more light then move her & put something new & different in her place. Too many cultivars to love & too limited of space. Take it from someone that followed the landscaping rules of 3's & regrets it for more reasons than this post pertains to.

I am in Wisconsin, I think...the weather has been awful & can't wait for summer to finally chime in with the dates. Later this week the forecast is promising summer?

I've never seen Mongolian Bells locally, which surprises me since it's a "Plant Select" plant.

I got two from Jerome, but I don't know what colors they are and I'd like to be able to pick some blooming ones up locally and get some variety in color. I've read they come in pink, blue, purple and white.

The integrifolias I got were taller than they are supposed to be, but the flowers were very much correct. I think the plants are greenhouse grown and therefore weedier than they would be outside. They will benefit from a hair cut.

I've seen pink & blue, but didn't realize they came in white & purple. I haven't seen them locally either & mail order seems to sell out quick if you aren't on your game.

Sounds like you purchased very healthy plants that have had plenty of hair cuts in their day.

Well, I went to look at the integrifolias at O'Toole's first thing this morning but was able to resist them -- not quite the colors that appeal to me. I did get a Rosemoor at Costco, however; one with three stems, no less.

Cnetter, the place I found the Mongolian Bells is Timberline Gardens, on 58th just east of Ward Rd. The one that was in bloom was white, but I didn't buy that one; maybe it'll still be there for you. And we'll see what color mine turns out to be -- white also, I hope. From what you and Lala have to say, I feel lucky to have it.

My Parasol is now potted and sunk! I have high hopes for her.

Lala, I'm always open to advice, and I may well move the Duchess from where she is now if she doesn't flower well this summer -- although it'll only be her first summer in the ground. I may try to talk one of my neighbors into taking the second Duchess.

Egads, I've been to Timberline numerous times this year and didn't see these! They're quite close to me.

I love the way you think cohouser! You will still get to see it everyday in your neighbor's yard!

OK, Cnetter, you have to tell me if you find a Mongolian Bells of your own! Did Timberline have lots of clems earlier in the season?

Lala, that's the beauty of living in a cohousing community -- I have *lots* of neighbors I can try to tempt into planting clems. Have already succeeded with two and am working on a couple of others. My master plan involves at least two clems climbing up every porch. We have 33 units, so my work is not done!