Cweathersby:

They refunded most but not all of my money on that order and for one reason only. To protect their Garden Watchdog rating. Upon realizing the problems with my order I called and emailed several times. Every time I was told I was either overstating the problem, it would cure itself, to calm down etc. So I left completely appropriate negative feedback on Garden Watchdog. Then, and only then did I get their attention. Ray phoned me back and stated they would issue a partial refund if I changed my feedback. He told me their feedback was important to them. Essentially their feedback is more important than the people who create it.

I realize I'm in the minority here. I feel very strongly however that as a consumer I should not have to pay for and then turn around and beg to get customer satisfaction and that's what they wanted me to do. My experience with them has all but cured me of mail ordering perennials.

Kate

Thank you all. Yeah, just the really small ones, I can see roots and that's what's important. I will pot up.

Carla

Carla, I have potted all my clematis up (recently) and just plant pot and all. I have had great luck with any I got from Silver Star Vinery (and even the cheapies at Lowe, etc) by doing that. I got one from Silver Star a few years ago and it bloomed two years, and the next year that huge monster did not come back. It turned out a critter had taken it out over winter roots and all. So now I am putting them in pots with cages to give them time to fend for themselves before they get eaten.

I just potted two up. Ceretum is right. They have some bodacious root systems. I'm sure they will be fine. I will baby them if need be.

Carla

Ramblinrosez7b,
Lack of top growth for Clematis does not mean they are bad. Jerome sells Donahue's Clemmies. They have excellent root system for the size of the pot. I bought many Donahue's babies from Jerome, Bluestone Perennials and Donahue's nursery. All of them are very vigorous. Plant them in 1G pots so the crown is 2-3" below the surface. Keep pinching new shoots during the first year to get a bushier plant and to stimulate roots' growth. Keep the medium moist but not soggy. They easily fill 1G pots with roots in 2-3 month after planting.

Hello everybody,

Thought I would jump in here and thank everybody who purchased clematis.

The dormant clematis that most of you have received were huge plants that were blooming last year, 2007. Once they break dormancy and start pushing growth I expect that you will be impressed by their performance and rapid bloom production. I agree, they don't look like much now, but rest assured we are shipping only plants that are showing solid signs of life.

The green, flushed out plants that you may have received are new crops we recently picked up from Donahue's and they will have smaller root systems. The flushed out plants would benefit from being transplanted into #1 nursery pots (1 gallon pots.) The dormant plants would appreciate being put directly into the ground. 3 weeks ago they were frozen solid and are just now waking up. Get them in the ground now while transplant shock is minimal (assuming your ground has drained adequately from the spring thaw.)

Due to our exceptionally late spring season we didn't get the clematis uncovered until well into April. We have been shipping furiously for two weeks now.

We did have some winter losses, some of our order from Donahue's didn't get confirmed, and some of our inventory was off so I'm afraid to say that some varieties cannot be delivered at this time.

We are willing to provide refunds, substitutions of your choice, delayed spring shipment until we can find alternate suppliers, or delayed shipment in August when Donahue's second crop is ready. All options will be in your favor, equal to or greater than your purchase price. In appreciation for your understanding, please also feel free to pick out a free plant to add to your order.

Here is the current SOLD OUT list:

Alabast
Arctic Queen
armandii Snowdrift
Avant Garde
Betty Corning
Bourbon
Charissima
Crystal Fountain
florida Sieboldii
Franziska Maria
HF Young
Josephine
Kingfisher
Niobe
Ramona
Rosemoor
Vyvyan Pennell

If you haven't received your order yet and one or more of the above items is on your list, please watch for a personal email from me concerning your preferences.

Respectfully,
Jerome

ps. We are not privileged at the DG forums, but if any of you are, please copy/paste this posting over there. Spread the word to your friends who ordered from us too. Thank you!

Well, there we have it. I appreciate the advice especially on what to plant where and when.
Jerome, when would the newer plants be planted in the ground, after having them in #1 pots?

Thanks,
Carla

Well that is all good info. Niobe was on my list. I haven't received an email yet however but I did send one last week. Need to call perhaps.

Kate

alina,
You said, "Plant them in 1G pots so the crown is 2-3" below the surface," ....well I would do that but there is NO CROWN!! I said all I got was clumps of dirt in tiny black plastic pots with lots of roots coming out the bottom of the pots. THATS IT! you say Vigorous!!??? dirt is not vigorous, I have no green growth at all!! The only thing coming out of the dirt is the stick that the plant at one time was attached to hold it up with and one of those plant markers that tells you what the name of the plant is. Oh wait a minute I take that back, one clump of dirt has two tiny (1/2 in.) hard brown sticks coming out of the dirt with a tiny tiny bud attached to these brown dried up sticks.
I received nothing close to what the picture shows on their website! The pots were so old that they were cracked and dented.

Kate, you are not the minority, I agree with you 100%. Its terrible that we spend so much money for these plants and they are so bad.

After reading everyones comments on the size plants you receivd I am worried now. I ordered because I heard they were good. I received the email all of the ones I ordered except one is sold out.

I replaced with other choices but now I am wondering if I should have just cancelled.

Marquest, don't be worried.
I am sorry for starting this post. I spoke too soon and as I said earlier, there are great root masses.

Thank you,
Carla

Ramblingrose, if you can say this:

I got was clumps of dirt in tiny black plastic pots with lots of roots coming out the bottom of the pots.

it means that you got excellent starter plants, just you don't know that yet.

Carla.

Please don't be sorry for this thread. It is both relevant and useful as so many of us have orders with Koi Garden. Until this thread began I could not seem to get Jerome's attention via email. Now today I finally get an email.

I feel much more informed as to whether or not I wish to keep my order now and am appreciative of all the info here.

Kate

You know that is exactly what I thought, they have great roots, lots of them too, and that is why I planted them in the ground, with so many roots I figure they are bound to take off. So we will wait and see. I hope by the end of the summer I can post some pics of my beautiful clematis!

I ordered from koi and it was my first time. I know it took alittle longer to get them but I got a very good email reason as to why they were late. I put them in 8 inch pots as they were very small and now 2-3 weeks later I see some really nice growth starting!! So far so good I am happy with mine so far. I ordered three and all are growing now...I was not sure if I should stick them in the ground till fall but just might as they look to to be growing nice now..

ramblinrosez7b,
You can not see the crown until you will get the plant out of the pot. If you do not have crown rot and roots are whitish or yellowish (not black and rotten), the Clematis is fine and just dormant. Top growth does not mean anything. You can buy a Clemmie at Lowes or Home Depot in 4" pot with lots of groth and even flowers and tiny roots. Your 2.5" pot Clematis will outperform them in a couple of months.
Can you post a picture of your plant without the pot (rootball)?

Last fall I ordered 30+ clematis from Koi. For spring I ordered 20+. So far all the plants I got had excellent roots, some bloomed in fall two weeks after I replanted them in 1-gallon pots (till I figured out which one goes where), some bloomed in late March or blooming right now. I didn't regret any I ordered I do regret those I didn't get because they are sold out.

Interestingly enough I had some problems with a few clematis from very expensive, well known, fancy vedors - for those plants I paid premium and very heavy shipping fees. I waited till last week to report the problem, namely that they didn't broke dormancy or rather they didn't even emerge from the ground. One nursery gave credit for the plant but didn't re-ship it (that would have been my preference), another vendor sent a replacement that just arrived today. I emphasize again that those were, supposedly, huge plants quart to gallon in size. Compared to those the Koi plants perform beautifully.

I received mine this week. Beautiful healthy little plants. The little pots are bulging and splitting from the healthy root system. Now I just have to find spots for them. I'd definitely order again.

I received an email from Jerome, he informed me about three varieties being sold out. He generously offered substitutes - 2 for 1.... Wow that was so nice and unexpected!! Now, instead of three, I am getting six!!
Thanks, Jerome!!!
Marina

I received my order from Jerome about a week ago. As he had mentioned that he was located in the frigid north in a prior email, I was not surprised that they had not fully broken dormancy. I was impressed with the health and size of the root system. In my opinion, they were at the perfect state for optimum transport from his site to mine. I potted them up immediately and they are putting out nice new growth. I feel that I got EXCELLENT value for my money. I would not hesitate to order from Koi Gardens again.

Kathy

FYI, Silver Star Vinery website has good info. on planting, pruning, etc.

Carla

Jerome was very nice and offered me an extra one also.
Alina, I already planted these in the ground so I do not want to dig them up. But I took some pictures this morning
and this is what I got for top growth. I have them around a lamp post. Like I said they had many roots that were not brown but a yellow color. Do you think the ones with the buds have a chance? Or any of them? I do hope so.
{{gwi:256928}}
{{gwi:256931}}
{{gwi:256933}}
{{gwi:256936}}
{{gwi:256940}}

Jerome was very nice and offered me an extra one also for which I was very grateful.
Alina, I already planted these in the ground so I do not want to dig them up. But I took some pictures this morning
and this is what I got for top growth. I have them around a lamp post. Like I said they had many roots that were not brown but a yellow color. Do you think the ones with the buds have a chance? Or any of them? I do hope so.
{{gwi:256928}}
{{gwi:256931}}
{{gwi:256933}}
{{gwi:256936}}
{{gwi:256940}}

Jerome was very nice and offered me an extra one also for which I was very grateful.
Alina, I already planted these in the ground so I do not want to dig them up. But I took some pictures this morning
and this is what I got for top growth. I have them around a lamp post. Like I said they had many roots that were not brown but a yellow color. Do you think the ones with the buds have a chance? Or any of them? I do hope so.
{{gwi:256928}}
{{gwi:256931}}
{{gwi:256933}}

eek!!! Somehow my post got repeated twice or maybe three times, sorry about that!

Those with buds will grow like crazy for you. Completely dormant ones might take some time to wake up. I'd say that you planted them too shallow and too close to each other. It looks like crowns are level with the surface. I would leave 2-3 plants around your lamp post and plant them deeper.

Thanks Alina, I appreciate your help and I will take your advice into consideration.

Oh, you will love the President. It is a gorgeous, gorgeous clematis with HUGE blooms.

I got general Sikorski from Koi in mid-April and it already broke dormancy.

Ok ...Ladies..let's all take a chill pill..LOL..The clematis you got are still DORMANT...I mean if I lived in that Minn winter..I'd be sleepin' too!!..I received mine and planted them and already they have woken up and said OH YEA!!..We are now living in Texas (where it's warmer) and have sprout up several vines and are about a foot tall..The plants are Bulging out of those little black pots with awesome roots..I took scissors and gingerly cut the pot away and planted about 2-4 inches deeper than they were in those pots with some Bonemeal in the hole!!..The wonderful thing is Jerome is great about honouring his guarantee and replacing and as stated here sweetly gives people 2 for 1!!..Rose I already spied that your "Hyde Hall" is budding up with green!!..Congrats..just remember ladies to keep your clematis moist during this transitional period in their new home and they'll love you for it!!..Jeanne
ps...Jerome ...sorry to hear about the loss of your GrandMother!!..Hugz to ya!!

Jerome, I'm sorry about your loss. And still you worked to get our clematis to us, thank you.
Ramblin, I see the new growth on yours.
Mine are happily in the ground waking up.

Carla

Mine from last Fall are all wonderful!

Excellent plants!

Thanks so much Jerome & Koi Gardens!

I need an Arctic Queen really bad, will hope they become aavailable real soon. :o)

Adrienne

Mine arrived this morning with replacements for those that sold out/weren't available as I placed my order.
I am really pleased with them and will spend most of tonight figuring where they'll go.
For small plants, the rooting medium held its moisture well without being soggy and all are well hydrated and I can see swelling buds on all those that aren't leafed out.
I am satisfied.
They're going to make my roses look even better and give height to the garden where I dare not grow massive climbers.

Mine came yesterday. I'm very happy with them. Only one is showing no top growth at all. The rest have everything from 2 inches of new growth to being several inches tall already.

Jeanne was right:) I'll be repotting into larger containers this weekend until it becomes a bit warmer out.

Kate

Ann, please tell us what did you order? As you know inquiring minds ...

(Blushing)as I write this:
Belle fo Woking
Blue Angel
X durandi
Edouard DesFosse
Comtesse de Boucharud
Alpina Pink Flamingo
Integrifolia
Huldine
Hagley Hybrid
Ice Blue
Macropetalia Blue
Alpina Blue Dancer
Montana Grandiflora
Viticella Carmencita

(I did mention some were going to be rampant climbers.)

I got mine today. Some varieties were out of stock, I asked him to substitute and so he did and he sent two for one on those. I ended up with 14 clematis! Yowza.

They look great. Yes, there is not much top growth. But roots are spilling out the bottoms of the pots. They are going to be fantastic.

Off to pot them up. :-)

Cheers,
Michelle

I'm so glad you guys have gotten yours because I spent quite a bit of money but haven't gotten anything yet. I didn't hear back from my worried email that I sent last week and I would really be freaking out if you guys hadn't have posted this.

I think I ordered enough clematis to put one in every fruit tree and one in every climbing rose. This is going to be so beautiful! If they ever get here I'll just be grateful that they were sold at a price that I could afford to go crazy.

Hi Carrie, nice to hear from you. I'm going to plant one to grow into Clementina. I have one from last year that grew into Lafter easily.

Carla

Last year very late in the season I ordered and received 7 clematis from this vendor; got them out of their tiny pots; washed the roots with sharp stream of water to remove all dirts; untangled the roots; planted them neatly in pots, then the pots into the ground and covered them with shredded leaves. Each root was healthy, and this spring every one of them growing with vigour. I paid less than half the price other mail order suppliers would charge for the same or worse quality plants.

And the vendor contact was extremely customer friendly.

-- Roseperson

Rose..Nice to see you around..Haven't seen you post pics of your GORGEOUS HOME AND GARDENS lately..you were an inspiration to me to grow vertical..LOL...I love your article from the Arizona West Valley Rose Society...Jeanne

My experience with Koi has been great. Last fall I ordered 12-15 clematis during their sale. They weren't large plants but all seemed healthy and viable. This spring they are all waking up from dormancy and taking off like rockets. I am impressed. Shelley

Roseperson:

Just out of curiosity why did you wash the roots on your clematis? You mention it was to remove the dirt but then you planted them in dirt again correct? I'm sure you have a great reason for doing this.

Kate

Let me post her Article for her...I have it saved in my favs..WONDERFUL CLEMATIS and JUST GORGEOUS GARDENS...She was my inspiration 4 years ago when we moved into our new home....Jeanne

Here is a link that might be useful: RosePerson on Clematis & Roses

Jeanne, I remember the clematis now on her garage. Thanks for posting it. Thank you roseperson.

Carla

Ann, why would you be blushing? LOL.

My Durandii from Koi (last fall purchase) has its first bloom and I love the color. I try to use a few integrifloias instead of some invasive perennials (like Black and Blue salvia that I adore but it is a pest in the rose beds) - we shall see how this idea will work out.

Carla, I do not think you were wrong to post. You had legitimate questions.

I have not received mine yet. I am happy everyone is getting their order, I do not think I will order from them again. They ship only on weekends this is too risky in my area. The back and forth emails of this is what is left then one of the alternates was gone. It just became "Whatever". I did not want to go through the list for the second time and get my hopes up of what I wanted to get another email saying. "Nope don't have". Just not worth it. I told them to pick something it does not matter anymore.

Why have a shipping date preference on the order form if they only ship on weekends?

I am sorry if I sound negative but it has not been a pleasant experience for me.

Hello Marquest and all of you other wonderful customers,

I'm a little confused about if I should ship your plants because of your frequent traveling schedule. I've sent (yet another) email requesting permission to ship today. Again, my apologies that I've gotten off track with your schedule. I'll make sure to throw in even more freebies for your continued hassle problems.

For most of us it has been a fun ride, my apologies that it has become such a pain for you. I'm down to about 10 orders to ship out today and we'll be 100% caught up.

KGC had a business meeting and the 3 of us decided that none of us have the time to continue with Koi Garden Club operations online. As I said in another thread, we all work full time jobs this year because things didn't work out like we had hoped last year when I was working KGC full time. Actually it's more like the 3 of us all have different visions and expectations of what KGC was and the direction it was going.

I'm shutting down the website sales pages and the eBay listings and letting KGC online go dormant once all shipping has been accomplished.

The 3 of us are currently in negotiations for me, Jerome, to possibly buy Koi Garden Club online from Koi Garden Club, Inc. I've spent a full year plus developing the relationship with you folks and it kills me to see it going down the tubes.

My apologies to those of you that have had to deal with the stress of the past month or so. Please rest assured that I personally am trying to make sure everybody is satisfied before the doors close completely (for the time being!)

Incidentally, we will continue to honor the 2 year guarantee even after the doors are closed. I will honor all guarantee terms if I become the new owner, or if not we will be offering refunds for the full two years regardless.

You have all been an incredibly supportive customer base and I thank you all sincerely for helping me to discover a new facet of my online dream and vision. Please watch for me in the future.

Sincerely,
Jerome

I would like to comment on my December order from Jerome of 10 Clematis. They arrived well packed. When I mixed the potting soil up to plant them and took them out of their little pots.....those pots were filled with healthy roots. I only had time to pot up 2 plants that day. When I went back to pot the rest a few days later, the planted ones had taken off and were starting to grow leaves and stems. I am extremely pleased with these plants and the service I got from Jerome and plan to make another order. I have every confidence these will be great plants. For those of you who are not that familiar with clematis.....at this time of year, they barely have a twig or two sticking up from the roots. Have no fear, they will grow fine. Roots are the mainstay. I have had clematis before in pots that I neglected to plant, and figured them for dead - but no, with a little care, they came right on and grew great. Jerome has the best prices, and his plants will grow and do well and I am highly pleased.
Judith

Judith, as cold as it is here, one of mine is still green. I am high with anticipation of seeing the new ones I planted last year. Guess some of us will be hanging out at clematis forum. As you said, the roots are what matters. I have a feeling we will all be happy with our purchases.

Carla

Forgot to mention.....Jerome is still having a sale....$7 each rather than $6....but he has more that I want, so have made another order. I know this isnt rose related but this clematis grows beside one of my climbers - her name is Mrs. Chomdeley. I moved it 15 yrs. ago from another home, and you should have seen it bloom this fall! Huge, huge lt. lavender blooms! That got me thinking about clematis again, and how hardy they are. I am starting to use them at the bases of my climbers, and Jerome sure has some pretty ones. Pink Champagene, and The President are two I am getting.....With the root systems these plants have, I look forward to planting them in the ground and watch them take off. And its going to be 27 tonite......I have mine on a metal shelf in 3/4 day sun - so put a large piece of plastic over the top of it and am sure they will do fine.
Judith