You can plant in spring with no issues - clematis just respond well to spending a winter in ground.

Just pay close attention to watering during their first summer. And you do know to plant these vines deeper in the ground than they are in their nursery pots?

ps. I plant clematis all year long, whenever I have a new plant or am in the mood :-)

how much deeper should I plant it? one of the sites was saying if there's poor drainage that I should plant it higher...

my soil is dry but very clay, so it doesn't drain fast, so I'm not sure. We have some drainage in, but the soil is still clay-y.

Much thanks you guys! :) I guess I'll order a few I've been obsessing over, then.

Planting deeply in heavy clay soils does pose a problem. You run the risk of creating a 'bucket' of enriched soil that just holds water......something that clematis (and a great many other plants) abhor.

Although I have not done it with clems, I'm don't see why you couldn't and that is to follow planting instructions for other plants when dealing with poorly draining clay soils -- dig out a wide but shallow planting hole, place your vine's rootball and then mound up with soil all around, creating a small berm or raised planting area. You would still want to make sure the vine was planted deeper than it was in the container - at least 2-4 inches deeper is recommended. This is to ensure the development of a strong root system and encourage more shoot development from the root crown, providing greater resistance to wilt. You just want to mound and firm the soil to the proper height.

An alternative is to plant in containers or use raised beds.

That sounds good to me! Thankyou! :) Put my order in today!