Well It is a start! Ha! Ha! Ha! You will be hooked as tight as I am before it's over. Rita, That is going to be so beautiful! Clematis are the sleep creep, leap kind of plant, so it isn't instant, but wow!

I have 2 of the venosa Violacea. I intend to put them on either side of the arbor along with my Joseph's Coat roses (from Heirloom, of course).

I always know the next 3 or 4 clematis I'm going to buy, but I have never bought that many at one time. I have spent far more than that after seeing some of your daylily pics. And I think you are the one who started me on the Heirloom Rose trail.

At a slow time last night (more like 3:00 AM) I was sitting drawing plans for a new area that involved English roses, clematis, delphiniums, fox gloves, Dame's Rocket...you get the drift.

My latest Brent and Becky's bulbs came today: a few tuberoses and some Sprekelia formosissama (red tropical looking things.)

Wow, if we lived close to each other, it might be even worse. I'll bet we could do some in person plant hunting too.

Congratulations on your gorgeous purchases! What an even more glorious garden you will have!

kay

Roses are a lot more work than daylilies be warned. Anywhere on the east coast there is no way to have mondern roses that are blackspot free without spraying the fungicide. And I have no idea if you will have Japanese beetles there or not. I am lucky, don't have any here.

Personally I love the old rose look on the modern roses. You can get the old fashioned looking flowers on modern hybridized roses. As far as the true old garden roses, they are not for me. Nor are the once bloomers. My roses need to really put out or they don't stick around.

I am sure I will really enjoy the clematis. They fit right in with my add more cottage garden flowers plan for this year. But I am sure that will do, at least for years. I do like clematis but never felt about them the way I do about some of the plants I just keep getting more and more of (like the daylilies and roses).

Now the fun part. I have a general idea were they are all going but before they arrive I am going to sit down with pencil and paper and write down were each one goes. That gives me the option of the best place for each plant. Doing color combos nicely and so on.

They are going to ship Monday and they should be here Wednesday or so by priority mail.

Rita, start digging now. Or you will be truly behind!!

After all the annuals I bought yesterday and the fact that I have a big daylily order also coming this week, I should stay behind for awhile no matter how hard I work LOL!!!

The clematis got here just now. Six boxes with 2 in each. I just unpacked them and they are still in the plastic bags with newspaper wrapped plants. I did open one and the roots just fall apart so I see why they say plant immediatly and do not open until you take it to its spot with hole already dug. Am going out now to start planting them and then will report back more later.

Came in for a break and some juice. I have ten of the twelve planted. Turns out to be quite the chore. I read the planting directions on site and I am doing it right and adding the compost and all. What is really keeping me going (besides the fact that I have to get it done) are the thoughts of how nice they will all look once they bloom.

Of course when I think up these things its no big deal. I wave my arms around and say I will put one here and one there and so forth. But then time comes to do it all. Put up the trellis, move some other plants, well you get the drift. More work than hoped for. Oh well.

I know people here are always saying I have alot of energy. Not today. I am dragging, I mean dragging after planting today. Will take pictures tomorrow and show everyone were the new lovelies went. For right now I quit everything. Going to go make some tea and eat some cookies, watch TV for the rest of the evening :-))

I also ordered and then ordered again from silver star. And I also ordered Bees Jubilee and Niobe. I need to put them in pots because I don't have their spots ready. I pulled a tendon in my hand the other day so I can barely do much. Looking forward to your pics!

Just got Mme Julia Correvon and Etoile Violette into the ground from Silver Star last night.
I hope they live here- it gets so hot in the summer. I planted them together on the arbor where the old passion flower vine died.

Renee

Well, they don't look like much now just planted. But I think they will do really well. I thought they would really sulk after being sent like that with the soil all loose but aparently they don't mind it.

Wow, all these little cut back newly planted clematis are really happy to be here. They are all gowing really well. When I first got them I worried as it was impossible to plant them and not disturb the roots. But apparently that doesn't matter. Going to look great!

Rita,
The ones I got from Debbie are already putting up blooms. I have been nipping any others bloom. these plants are really taking off. Quality shows.
kay

She sent me one were she did not cut the tops back that was in bloom. It is just gorgeous! She told me to cut it back after it flowered.

I have these things (new clems) everywhere. Plus since I also went for the summer flowering types (new to me) I should have lots of both spring and summer color.

No doubt you will.
kay

Rita,
I ordered a couple from Debbie today. I ordered Comtesse de Bouchard and the President. They are both type 3s and I want to plant them with Ashva on a pillar trellis. I had to go ahead and order since she quits shipping the end of May.

kay

I know THE PRESIDENT is gorgeous. I have seen the other is very popular also. I personally love them on the towers. But I am done for this year buying clems. I figgure 19 new ones should hold me until next spring LOL!

I think 19 new ones would hold most people. After getting clems that are growing so fast from Debbie, I won't be buying clems I can get from her from anyone else in the future.
kay

For me 14 from Debbie and 5 bought potted locally. How much you want to bet the ones from Silver Star Vinery outdo the locally bought potted ones by the end of the summer?

I was just looking at some of the Viticellas here that are growing like gangbusters. They were only planted on May 5th.

There are some clematis she has on her website that were sold out by the time I discovered that place. So we will see what I find early next spring. I am happy for this year and can easily wait. I know, what a shocker LOL!

I love clematis! I have Contessa de Bouchard and she has the prettiest little flowers but hasn't really thrived in my garden. I just moved her from the ranch and so far she's doing good, no die back. You two's gardens are really going to be something when all of these clematis take to blooming. I can't wait to see them!

MeMo

I figgure the group 2 large flowers will not bloom this year but the Viticellas, which are summer flowering and prune group 3 should bloom. If they had been here for years, they still would have been prunned back like they were for shipping. That is how they are supposed to be pruned each spring. So I am hoping for and expecting blooms on them.

I just came in from the garden, I just have to say if you like red look for 'Rebecca' I had forgotten I planted this clemie at the base of my Mayor of Casterbridge rose last fall.
I was very pleasantly surprised, it IS a deep ruby red. You know how they enhance the pictures in catalogs, well this one is living up to the pics I've seen of it. I was going to take a pic of the flower that was open but the darn slugs have had a go at it. I guess this makes about 30 clemies in the garden now, another one of my addictions I just can't stop buying them LOL.

Annette

Oh, oh. I don't really need another plant crazies, I have so many already. But the clematis are so wonderful this spring.

Thirty clems sounds like a lot but I just realised that I am not far behind you. Added 19 this spring, had about 6 here already.

I do like red and will look for it next spring :-))

Annette, I planted a Rebecca last year, and I allowed one bloom this time, then pinched her back since she needs to grow bigger. I wish I had gotten her from Debbie, but hers are sold out for this year. It is a really red clematis, isn't it? Not at all the maroon like my Niobe that is blooming now.

I will be carefully watching the fast approaching daylily bloom this time. I suspect some of the ones in my garden now won't be there next year.

kay

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This is one of the class 2 clematis from the vinery. Look how its growing already.

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And here is one of the vitacellas. On the right. Its really going. I was surprised to see that the leaves look quit similiar to the leaves of the little trumpet vine sharing the tower with it.

The Clematis came in today's mail and I already planted them. It's only four vines so no big deal to get done. Lovely little plants.

My rebecca is blooming today! I had overlooked the blooms since she had buds on the top, and the base is somewhat shaded...Look what she did!

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and closer up:
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I think Rebecca is a beautiful color!
kay

I love it, so red. You know I like red. I don't think I have ever seen a clematis that vivid a red.

Just wanted to let you enablers know you convinced me to order. I picked out some last year and then never ordered them, so no excuse this year. I ordered:

Countess of Lovelace
Crystal Fountain
Daniiel Deronda
HF Young
Lincoln Star
Nelly Moser

These will go around my screen porch and help cool it with their shade. I purchased Arctic Queen late last year, so it will be part of the group as well. I had Nelly Moser and Jacmanii at my last house and really miss them.

I don't chime in much on this forum, but I always enjoy your pictures Rita.

I absolutely love the selection there at Silver Star. All kinds of rarer goodies as well as my old favorites. Enjoy your new Clematis, they will be lovely. And thanks for comliments on my garden pictures.

WOW! That Rebecca is gorgeous! I noticed all the clematises I planted last year are coming up!(6), one that I bought late in the season, was left in the pot it came in, has no growth,"florida sieboldii", but the vines are still bendable?, so it may not be dead?! I also moved a clematis(was here when I bought the place), and repotted 5 babies for the Horticulture Plant sale, and they seem to be doing good. It is a purple one, I think jackamani, I moved it about 2ft over and it will get more sun now, with huchera hiding its base, and this adorable tiny delicate ivy...I LOVE the stuff! It has tiny white flowers, maybe it reminds me of my childhood favorite, chickweed!lol! (ate the stuff!) I bought a clematis from a guy, a red one but don't know what names are on most I buy(plant sales are so much cheaper) I may have to buy one of those clematis books and start identifying them.

Rita, I love red flowers too and I had to have Rebecca. There were some postings about Rebecca being wine, not red, but mine is fire engine red and has been from the start! bev2009,
The plants from silverstar are exceptional. You will love them...and everyone on these forums is an enabler...especially Rita:)

Calamity, That is how it goes...first you buy an inexpensive plant, then another one...then you see one you have to have, then you see a lot you want....

I have one that came in a somewhat disasterous buy when Chalk Hills was closing...I don't know what it is anymorw, but it is growing in the shade of New Dawn (along with Julia Child) and I can't get any closer to get a picture (that is one small cane of New Dawn in the foreground).

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Any guesses?
kay

Well Kay, I had never heard of Silver Star Vinery until you mentioned your Clematis from them last spring. Of course I then went and ordered a whole bunch of vines. That's the way it goes with me. No will power. No resistance. I just need lots of flowers in my garden :-))

Your Clematis are lovely.

Thanks, Rita. The clematis are getting old enough to look pretty. You know that I know exactly how it is since I have ordered so much you had enabled me about. Daylilies, roses, lilies....
kay

What ever happened with Debbie Fischer of SilverStar Vinery? She sold great clematis plants.