Thank you for the information. I just bought the 3 I have been wanting and a few other plants.

Jody

Thanks! I just bought 5. :)

You are welcome!
So I am not alone ordering 4 more Clemmies and a bunch of Hostas :0)
Alina.

I am sort of a newby at clematis, though I must have good soil for it, as the few I've planted thus far are doing great and I love them. I want to get a few more from Bluestone, can any of you advise?

I have: Henryii, Ernst Markham, and Dr. Ruppel.

I was considering: Dutchess of Albany, Crystal Fountain, Multi-blue, Jackmanii, and Venosa violacea. (or if there's another you love that I've missed!)

Thanks!

They all are lovely, but I would strongly recommend 'Arctic Queen'. It is so unbeleivably beautiful! Both of them I bought from Bluestone last year bloomed for me; they also survived the crazy winter we had this year. My second recommendation would be 'Crystal Fountain' that you already mentioned.
'Claire de Lune' is one of those rare Clemmies that will tolerate part shade, so if you have a somewhat shady spot, she will be the one.
All other varieties you chose are pretty bulletproof, so go with them!

Jayco, stick with your original choices, they are all really good clematis, and add Artic Queen :-) I also love Josephine. I have two of those. I just planted Claire de Lune.

Carol

Thanks Alina and Carol -- I guess I should've mentioned that I only have room for two right now. So I was hoping you could help me choose which two. (I know, you guys are enablers, I can tell!)

Anyway, 'Arctic Queen' looks lovely, but since it's white and I have 'Henryii' I didn't pick it initially. But maybe with the double flowers and yellow anthers it would be different enough?? I had thought to go for at least one blue-violet as well.

So, if you could only take two of these which two?

Since you already have a pink, a reddish and a white, how about Venosa violacea and either Multi-blue or Crystal Fountain? Or if you want one blue/purple and one other color choose Venosa and Duchess of Albany. Honestly, the ones you are considering are all nice clematis. Pick the ones that appeal to you the most. I have all of them so obviously, I like them all.:-)

Carol

I just want to add: it only seems that you only have room for two, beleive me :0)

Alina.

Gee, Alina, between this and the Brent and Becky's sale you posted about, you were quite the enabler :)...thanks!!! I didn't really need these, but then again, Huldine for under $5? Who can possibly say no to that?

When I was planting bargain clems in the fall, I decided I'd crammed them in every conceivable space in my already crowded garden. I won't confess to how many I've added this year, and how many spots I see that could "use" one :).

Thanks for the advice and the enabling!

You are very welcome and sorry for enabling! I guess I just did not want to be the only person who order plants when there is no room for them :)
Seriously, I've been waiting for these sales, because quality of both Bluestone and Brent and Becky's plants is so good, that they do exceptionally well even with late planting.

Multi-blue and Venosa Violacea are too of my favorites. I highly recommend them.

Just bought Duchess of Albany! Hopefully she will do better than my other clems I bought at HD. I am not doing something right. Last spring I put in Elsa Spath, Wisley, Polish Spirit, and Fireworks. Elsa has 2 jack in the bean stalk stems but the only bud bloomed today. My Wisley is another bean stalk so I pruned down to 18 inches. Fireworks is pathetic looking; all shrively but green. Looks stunted and is only 8 inches high but has 1 bud. PS is putting out alot of greenery but not flowers yet. My Henryi that I bought from Michigan Bulbs (sorry) is looking great and has about 10 buds but probably tomorrow the moles w/mess with his roots and down goes my Henryi. Henryi is about 8 years old and I always thought it was the dreaded wilt until my dear Jeanne from Texas asked me a few questions and found out it wasn't wilt after all but those damn moles. And I have 2 outside cats...

Well, I put bone meal in their holes before I put them in and gave them Osoma (sic) Rose Food this spring. WHAT AM I DOING WRONG? They all get plenty of sun and are mulched (this year).

Any advice would be so appreciated,
suebot in CT

Thanks, I just bought 4 more!

What size are the clams from Bluestone(have never ordered from them)

I had already chosen some perennials from Bluestone and after seeing all the comments on the clematis, I decided to yield to temptation :) and order a couple. I ordered the Venosa and Clair de lune. I am concerned though about pruning type IIs, mine are all III's I think- that's how I have been pruning them anyway. Also, I've gotten the impression that the II's don't bloom very well. I'm planning to plant the Clair beside my Niobe at the end of the deck where I plant a moonflower every yr. I haven't decided about the Venosa, but I might plant it on the other side of the stump from the recta purpurea I ordered, that would be between two rose bushes. Any comments about pruning type IIs or where these new ones should be placed? Brandy

Brandy don't know why you would think that type IIs don't bloom well. Even in my garden they have impressive amounts of flowers in the spring and then another round in the late summer/early fall(I whack them back in midsummer after they typically get browned out leaves). Claire de Lune is type II (but in our zone could be treated as a type III) and VV is definitely a type III. Claire is white so shouldn't get bleached out, but planting it where it gets some shade from the afternoon sun might help prevent it get browned out leaves in the heat of the summer. My VV has never had an issue with bleaching.

It's good to hear that I can treat Clair as a type III- that will be much easier to keep straight. The front deck is in shade in the afternoon- maybe some of my other clematis don't like that so well?
As far as blooms, guess I haven't seen that many out of mine- I have on my list to get some fish emulsion and start treating them. This is really poor soil here- all sand. I need to get some more mulch and work it in the soil too.
How much space does VV need? I think there's about 5 ft between my two rose bushes.
Which clematis do you think have the most blooms and are easiest to care for? I only have so much space unless I decide to plant some in a new area. I am still thinking about getting TRM to plant by my back deck- eventually some of that area will have some shade from the crepe myrtles I planted- but I was thinking about putting in a planting bed w/ enriched soil for it. No time to take on extra work right now- I have been very busy w/ these online plant sales and expect to be tearing my hair out getting all my new babies settled in :) My lilies are blooming well and several other things as well- only one bloom on my clems though... Niobe I think. (Sorry to run on- I have not met any garden enthusiasts around here- no one to share w/.) Brandy

Brandy in our zone, clematis like some shade from intense afternoon sun. My type IIs tend to seriously brown out in the heat of the summer regardless of how much water I give them. I just whack them back, keep them watered and fertilized well, and they rebloom for me. Gardening in sand is tough as it has no water holding capacity. You need to continuously add organic matter to it to get the water holding capacity to grow clematis well. I have found that the type III viticella clematis do better as far as not browning out in our zone.

VV in my garden has been an underperformer compared to other viticella types. Your space sounds fine for it.

Fish emulsion is a Nitrogen fertilizer. It will not promote blooming.

Fish emulsion fertilizer can have NPK values ranging from 5-1-1 to 2-4-1 depending on the type you purchase. It also contains micronutrients which will aid in overall plant growth. The more the plant grows, the more photosynthetic surfaces (ie leaves) the plant has and the more energy the plant can store for flower production so in essence it does promote flowering.

Good to know that the afternoon shade won't be too much for them. They seemed to do okay last yr- not many blooms but they aren't in their Leap year yet!
Is there an organic fertilizer that you recommend? Selection is very limited locally, but I thought there might be more choices at the farm store and was going to look there before going back to Lowes. Brandy

Well at a farm store there is always alfalfa pellets. They have a growth stimulator that helps in promoting new basal growth from the crown. Then again, just about any animal feed (horse, cow, chicken,etc.) is a nitrogen source and would break down eventually to yield organic food for your plants. I personally have never purchased an organic fertilizer except for fish emulsion---way smelly stuff!! Miracle Grow is offering an organic fertilizer but I haven't read or heard too much about it.

I wonder if we have farm stores around. I read so many times about alfalfa tea and pellets, but I have never seen them in our garden centers. Neither fish emulsion with 2-4-1 ratio. Thanks for your explanations, Nckvilledudes!

Alina, if you live in a rural area then there are most likely farm stores in yor area. If you live in an urban setting you might have to drive out of the city to find one. Perhaps you should check with one of the garden centers and see if they know of any or if they could order some alfalfa pellets. I normally purchase Purina rabbit pellets. Perhaps a pet store may be a source for you. I have heard that some pet foods may contain too much salt for your plants but I have never checked the labels nor had any problems using the pet food alfalfa pellets before.

I live in Washington DC suburban area. Some people keep horses here, so I suppose there are some farm stores around. Pet stores is an excellent idea also, thanks! Garden centers' folks have no idea about alfalfa :-(

For organic fertilizer many people recommend Espoma Rose Tone or Espoma Tomato Tone. They are not available yet in my area but Home Depot is now carrying the Espoma Plant Tone which I may give a try.

I thought it was a good idea to try the local farm store but NOTHING organic there! Makes me wonder about the food we eat... And Lowe's no longer carries the fish emulsion, seems they are only carrying Miracle Grow organic now. I guess Walmart will be my next stop. Would hate to have to order it, but if so, probably will go back to peaceful valley and they have an excellent selection. I got earthworm castings from them last yr and kelp. (Their prices on plants are good but shipping worked out to be rather high.) Did not see any Espoma anywhere- never heard of that one before. Brandy

Brandy, I can't believe that there is nothing suitable at a farm and feed store. Most livestock feed is a good source of organic fertilizer.