What you are seeing in your potted up clematis is what is known as "Brownlegs"...Clematis will get those especially in hotter climates..potted clematis will dry out quicker than those in the ground..that is why I "Sink" my potted clematis into my garden..you should get those potted ones planted in the garden when the weather turns cooler..probably next month..Pruning is essential.especially for baby clematis as this forces the clematis to focus on growing a stronger root system and not growing vines..this is done in the first year..Clematis that are PRUNING GROUP 3's MUST be hard pruned as they bloom on the new vines grown during the growing season whereas pruning group 2's bloom on last years vines..I like to use Rose fertilizer rather than miracle grow..remember that clematis are like Roses as they are heavy feeders and bloom best when the fertilizer has the higher middle number in the N-P-K ratio...the "P" is what makes flowers bloom..Being in zone 8 I hard prune and fertilize my clematis in Mid Feb around Valentines day or as some say when the Forsythias are in bloom..so calculate that for your zone...Jeanne

Thanks a lot for all the info Jeanne. I'm going to plant the potted ones around the end of Sept. I sure hope they do better next year. I guess a lot of it's going to be trial and error for me, lol! I appreciate you answering my question!...Angie